"Excommunicated" is probably not the right word,
although I suspect it accurately reflects the impact of Ginny's experience for
her. The UMC does not excommunicate people in the strict sense. We are one of
the most administratively bogged down organizations on the planet, and General
Conference would never settle for a word that has very specific application in
another Christian organization (my opinion). The problem at hand is the
interpretation of our Discipline paragraph 241, which, in the reading of some,
is designed to give direction to pastors and membership secretaries when
removing a church member because of their choice to unite with another church
or denomination, without notifying the former pastor of their congregation.
Although I haven't spoken with Ginny about this, from what I've read I don't
believe it was her choice to withdraw from UMC membership. So I question
whether the use of 241 is appropriate for Ginny's case. Another Discipline
paragraph to use might be 314, which deals with certified candidates (Ginny's
status). Because she was a certified candidate in process with our system, she
was more than a church member. She was part of our covenant of clergy who are
bound at a different level together. If the direction given in paragraph 314
were followed, Ginny would have had an orderly, methodical process to follow,
with less confusion (though still some) and hopefully less hurt. She may have
technically "voluntarily withdrawn" her membership when she got
ordained in the ULC (a non-denomination by the way, the credentials of which
would never be acceptable if Ginny were coming to the UMC from that church -
but that's another issue) however I believe it was not her intention, and
there's the rub. I don't know how I would have reacted had I been in the shoes
of a bishop or district superintendent. I believe it is still in our best
interests, not to mention wise, to respect their position and the likelihood
that they were compelled to apply an interpretation of the Discipline that by
all indications they do not personally support. A friend has recently reminded
me of the words of Matthew 9:13: "I
desire mercy, not sacrifice." I believe those words are meant to be
applied across the board, not selectively. Finally, we have gotten ourselves into an
impossible quagmire caused by a legal application of our rules, when our
covenant could have been the guiding principal. The Discipline, like the Ten
Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and some of Paul's words, is intended to
govern with mercy, not sacrifice. So, so sad.
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