Reflections on Annual Conference -
Church of the Brethren 2010

By Carol Wise

After decades of largely unchallenged discrimination and hostility towards lgbt people, the Church of the Brethren seems to be wearying of the blood sport. The cynical side of me notes the panic over a declining membership and the impact of less social tolerance for blatant homophobia as motivating factors. Yet the optimistic part of me senses that lgbt people and allies courageously coming out, persistent organizing, basic education, an increased willingness to challenge the status quo, and a compelling queer theology of hope and imagination, are all contributing to a Brethren rethinking of their ideologies and practices towards their lgbta members.

Special Response Process

At the 2009 Annual Conference, the denomination voted to initiate a “Highly Controversial Issues Special Response Process” in order to deal with two items of business: a paper from Standing Committee entitled “A Call to Commitment and Confession,” and a query dealing with the language regarding same sex covenant relationships in the 1983 Human Sexuality paper. I served on the Special Resource Committee that was charged with developing a bible study and bibliography to resource congregations for the conversation about the business items. This resource is available at www.brethren.org. As the only out queer person on the committee, I was a token appointment, and as such, experienced all of the unpleasant and destructive dynamics of tokenism.

At this year’s Annual Conference, the Standing Committee hosted two hearings that were utilized to demonstrate the developed bible study and also to introduce and demonstrate the next phase of the process, the district hearings. Standing Committee members are responsible for initiating carefully constructed hearings in their districts in order to offer individuals an opportunity to share their opinions with each other and Standing Committee. Information from the hearings is to be gathered and shared with the rest of the Standing Committee in order to prepare for next year’s Annual Conference.

There are several points of deep concern for me:

• Although it has been in existence for more than twenty years, the Special Response Process has never been utilized before. Thus there is no track record in terms of its strengths or potential hazards.

The Standing Committee paper that forms the basis of this conversation is highly flawed. Without any serious input from openly lgbt people, the committee decided that the church has done a fairly good job in the difficult task of holding the various pieces of the 1983 Human Sexuality Paper in healthy tension. This is a genuinely incredible assertion. It is telling to compare and contrast the Standing Committee paper “A Call to Confession and Commitment” with the paper that Brethren young adults presented at the 2009 Conference “A Call to Confession, Commitment and Action.”

• The unarticulated assumption throughout this process is that all individuals come to this conversation with an equal amount of vulnerability and risk. This is reflective of the church’s uneasiness in admitting that lgbt people have been the particular target for discrimination, hostility and harsh behavior, as well as leadership naiveté about the degree of nastiness that exists.  Because of this, no arrangements for pastoral care are built into district hearings. Depending upon the content of the hearing, this has the potential to be a devastating experience for lgbt people and our families.

Here is what I would recommend:

• Participate in the district hearings if you can. Bring a friend and come prepared. Be out as much as you are able.

• Challenge the assumption that we are simply peers at the table sharing our opinions with each other with an equal amount of vulnerability and risk. Remind participants that, while they may be sharing their opinion, lgbt people and our families are sharing our lives. Do not allow people to get away with hostile or cruel comments.

• Be attentive at district hearings for individuals who might be struggling. Reach out to them. BMC will be working to have SCN pastors available at as many hearings as possible, but we can’t cover them all and any assistance would be greatly welcomed. Feel free to refer people to BMC or to any one of the pastors on our SCN congregations (listed on the BMC website).

• Take care of yourself and do not hesitate to get help if you are upset by your district hearing. Please feel free to call the BMC office for some friendly support, contact an SCN pastor, or reach out to a trusted friend.  

• Recommend to your Standing Committee delegate that arrangements be made to hear from individuals who simply don’t feel safe in a hearing setting.

• Reflect upon your experience and share any feedback that you might have about the process with Annual Conference officers.

Booths and Scarves

BMC has regularly been denied a booth in the exhibit hall – this year we were denied even before we applied! For better or worse, this exclusion has become a symbol of the unwelcoming practices of the denomination. For the second year in a row, we pushed around a cart loaded with our materials around the conference center. When not in use, the mobile booth was parked in the open at the Voices for an Open Spirit (VOS) booth. Like last year, the booth was highly visible.

Womaen’s Caucus graciously coordinated the rainbow scarves project again, which conference goers wore to indicate their support of lgbt inclusion. The Caucus booth, as well as that of VOS and the BMC cart, were adorned with bright rainbow scarves, hats, belts, etc. The rainbow colors gave a festive air to the booth area and attracted many supporters. Encouragingly, by the third day everyone had run out of scarves.

BMC appreciates the support of our sisters and brothers of Womaen’s Caucus and VOS. We also appreciate the work of Carrie Fry Miller, who coordinated the mobile booth, and the many individuals who staffed the booth at various times.

BMC Meals

BMC held a luncheon at a nearby welcoming UCC church that was well attended. Dylan Haro from La Verne and Anita Smith Buckwalter from Lansing offered wonderful reflections about the importance of welcoming congregations. It felt great to gather with friends to support and share with each other.

BMC also sponsored a breakfast for SCN pastors at a local café. It was a terrific gathering of a talented and vibrant group. In addition to sharing about specific things that were happening in their congregations, the group also discussed ways that they might work more intentionally together to offer leadership and strength to the welcoming movement.

Final Thoughts

There is palpable change in the air that is different from what I have seen and experienced over the years. Earl Fike, a respected elder churchman, preached a moving sermon calling the church to task for its treatment of lgbt people. His words were met with spontaneous applause at the end.

I note that a strong and engaging narrative is emerging that has inclusion, hospitality, and lgbt justice as core values. Susan Hardesty, a sociologist, might call this a “re-voicing.” She noted that the US accepted slavery for over 200 years, and had a well developed biblical theology and narrative that pastors regularly articulated to keep the institution of slavery firmly in place. However, within in a relatively short time span, the narrative appeared to flip. It was most apparent with northern Baptist preachers, who suddenly seemed to discover new biblical texts and interpretations that they then used to advance an abolitionist narrative. It is both exciting and encouraging that a similar re-voicing is occurring within the Christian church.