Statement concerning the Western Jurisdictional Conference episcopal election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 18, 2016
 
Statement from Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. of the Oklahoma Area,
concerning the Western Jurisdictional Conference episcopal election July 15 =
 
To the people of the Oklahoma Conference and the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference:
 
Last week, United Methodists around the nation gathered in five jurisdictional conferences to elect new episcopal leaders.  The Western Jurisdictional Conference on July 15 elected Rev. Dr. Karen Oliveto, a married lesbian, to the episcopacy.  Oliveto has been legally married to a woman for more than two years.
 
The South Central Jurisdictional Conference, which includes the Oklahoma Area, also was in session when the WJC election occurred.  SCJ delegates voted, 109-84, to request a ruling on this election from the Judicial Council, which is the denomination’s supreme court.
 
The action of the Western Jurisdictional Conference on Friday breeches the rules and policies in the Book of Discipline that govern The United Methodist Church. This vote by the bishops and delegates of that region tears at the covenant that connects us as one united Church. Paragraphs to note in the Discipline are 304.3, 2702, and 161F.
 
We await the Judicial Council’s decision.  Meanwhile I ask every Oklahoma United Methodist to join me in prayer for all our bishops, Judicial Council members, and others giving leadership at this critical time.  I encourage you to be leaders in compassionate listening, gentle speech, and prayerful discernment.  Let us continue our work to engage our communities in life-giving ministries that make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. 
 
I am grateful to all clergy of the Oklahoma Area who have stayed the course with me, faithfully and compassionately fulfilling our ministry covenant with God, the Church, and one another.
 
The Council of Bishops, as directed by the 2016 General Conference, is forming a commission to prepare recommendations for a way forward on matters of human sexuality and the Church’s stance.  Through our prayers and actions, we will enable the commission to do its work.  Let us together continue to uphold the Discipline as our anchor in dealing with issues that affect our lives together.
 
As we minister in this challenging time to people who are hurting, who are without hope, who need to be introduced to the loving Christ, let us remember that God is with us even in the midst of our deep divisions.  God will guide and direct us as we earnestly seek God’s will for God’s church going forward.
 
Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr., Oklahoma Area,
The United Methodist Church

The denomination’s Council of Bishops issued the following statement, reprinted below, through Bishop Bruce R. Ough, president of the Council, on July 15.
 
The Western Jurisdiction has elected the Rev. Karen Oliveto of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco to serve as a bishop of The United Methodist Church.  Rev. Oliveto has been described as “an openly lesbian clergyperson.”  This election raises significant concerns and questions of church polity and unity.

Our Book of Discipline has clearly delineated processes in place for resolving issues even as complex and unprecedented as this election.

The authority to elect bishops is constitutionally reserved to the jurisdictional and central conferences. Any elder in good standing is eligible for election as a bishop of the church.  An elder under an unresolved complaint is still considered to be in good standing.  Being a self-avowed, practicing homosexual is a chargeable offense for any clergyperson in The United Methodist Church, if indeed this is the case.
The Council of Bishops is monitoring this situation very closely.  The Council does not have constitutional authority to intervene in the election or supervisory processes at either the annual conference, jurisdictional, or central conference levels.  And, we are careful to not jeopardize any clergy or lay person’s due process by ill-advised comments.

However, we clearly understand the Church appropriately expects the Council to provide spiritual leadership and for bishops to uphold our consecration vows.  In May, prior to General Conference, the Council again affirmed to keep the promises made at our consecrations, including, among others:

• Shepherding all persons committed to our care;
• Leading the church in mission, witness and service;
• Ordering the church including administering processes for handling complaints;
• Seeking unity in Christ, including the work the Council proposed to the General Conference in “An Offering for a Way Forward.”

There are those in the church who will view this election as a violation of church law and a significant step toward a split, while there are others who will celebrate the election as a milestone toward being a more inclusive church.  Others will no doubt have questions as we find ourselves in a place where we have never been.  Still, others will likely see this election as disrupting or even rendering moot the purpose and work of the Commission currently being formed by the Council.

The Council continues to place our hope in Jesus Christ.  Though conflicted and fragile, The United Methodist Church remains a strong witness to the transforming love of God and the saving grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  We affirm that our witness is defined, not by an absence of conflict, but how we act in our disagreements.  We affirm that our unity is not defined by our uniformity, but by our compassionate and Spirit-led faithfulness to our covenant with God, Christ’s Church, and one another.

As a Council, we continue to maintain that the proposal for a way forward and the formation of the Commission is the best path.  An endless cycle of actions, reactions, and counter-reactions is not a viable path and tears at the very fabric of our Connection.  The current and incoming COB Executive Committees recently met by conference call to initiate the implementation of our Offering for a Way Forward and the formation of the Commission called for in the proposal.  We will resume this work at our regularly scheduled meeting on July 19-20 following the jurisdictional conferences.  A progress report will be released shortly after the meeting.

Our differences are real and cannot be glossed over, but they are also reconcilable.  We are confident God is with us, especially in uncharted times and places.  There is a future with hope.  We invite your constant and ardent prayers for the witness and unity of The United Methodist Church.  May God guide us as we seek to maintain unity in the bond of peace.

Bishop Bruce R. Ough, President
Council of Bishops
 
(*The Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church encompasses eight regional conferences in the western United States: the Alaska Conference, the California-Nevada Conference, the California-Pacific Conference, the Desert Southwest Conference, the Oregon-Idaho Conference, the Pacific Northwest Conference, the Rocky Mountain Conference, and the Yellowstone Conference.)