At the NWTX 2021 Annual Conference held August 13 and 14 in Lubbock, Texas, a Resolution in Response to the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation was submitted by FUMC Albany. The Resolution was passed with 184 for and 39 against with an amendment. The amended resolution is posted below for reference and will be in the NWTX Journal posted later this fall. The following resolution is an aspirational resolution meaning it is not binding or now church law. It is based on assumptions of the Protocol passing at the next General Conference meeting.
To read the original resolution do so in the Pre-Confernce Journal, page 100.
For more information on the Transition Team’s Presentation, visit the website here.
Resolution in Response to the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation
Submitted by First United Methodist Church, Albany, Tx.
WHEREAS, a Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation has been submitted to the 2020 General Conference, which has been rescheduled for August 29 – September 6, 2022;
WHEREAS, the Protocol states, “After careful reflection, discussion, and prayer, The United Methodist Church and its members acknowledge fundamental differences regarding our understanding and interpretation of Scripture, our theology, and our practice. The February 2019 Special Session of the General Conference did not resolve our differences related to the full participation of LGBTQ persons in the life of the Church. The United Methodist Church is at an impasse, individual members as well as the Church at large have been injured, and the Church’s witness and mission are being impeded.”
WHEREAS, in recognition of this harmful impasse, the Protocol proposes, “restructuring and separation as the best means to resolve our differences, making provisions for The United Methodist Church to move forward as two or more separate entities, each of which remains true to its theological understanding while recognizing the dignity, equality, integrity, and respect of every person. This proposal was crafted in recognition of the regional contexts and divergent points of view within the global United Methodist Church and as a faithful step that maintains the possibility of continued cooperation around matters of shared mission and interest, enabling each of us to live out our faith authentically.”
WHEREAS, the North West Texas Annual Conference agrees with these principles and envisions with the Protocol “an amicable separation in The United Methodist Church that would provide a pathway to new denominations of the Methodist movement and a restructuring of The United Methodist Church. These new denominations, though separate, will continue the rich heritage of the Methodist movement, while being free to share their respective witnesses for Christ unhindered by those with whom they have been in conflict.”
WHEREAS, the Protocol defines a new Traditional Methodist Denomination as “a New Methodist Denomination that maintains the current stance of the 2019 Book of Discipline regarding the definition of marriage and ordination standards related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, and queer persons.”
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the North West Texas Annual Conference endorses the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation and urges the General Conference to adopt it substantially unchanged.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the North West Texas Annual Conference declares its intention, should the Protocol be adopted at the 2022 session of General Conference, to align with a new traditionalist Methodist denomination formed under the Protocol at the earliest possible date, as established by the Protocol adopted by the General Conference.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, under the Protocol, any clergy member of the annual conference wishing to remain in The United Methodist Church or to align with a different new Methodist denomination shall so notify their District Superintendent prior to the effective date of the annual conference’s separation. The bishop and cabinet may allow such clergy to continue appointments within the North West Texas Annual Conference on a transitional basis, until they are appointed elsewhere, provided that such clergy continue to abide by the applicable Discipline or other standards and requirements of the Global Methodist Church while appointed in this annual conference.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, all other provisions of the Protocol as adopted by General Conference shall be followed by the annual conference and its constituent parts.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the North West Texas Annual Conference calls upon all its members and constituents to treat one another with respect, consideration, and Christian love during this process. No one shall hinder the proper sharing of information with members and congregations under the provisions of the Protocol, so that all concerned may make informed decisions on their membership and alignment. In the words of John Wesley, we may not think alike, but we may truly love alike, as we act according to our consciences in furthering the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ.