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Petition to the General Conference, 2004, In accordance with the instructions for preparation of petitions, PAGE NUMBER: Page 1 of 3 SUGGESTED TITLE/SUBJECT MATTER: Ministry with and for Transgender Persons PETITION CONCERNS: New Resolution FINANACIAL IMPLICATIONS: Yes Petition Text: We call on General Conference to appoint a study commission to help the church in it’s understanding of issues related to transgender persons and their participation in the United Methodist Church. The term “transgender” is here understood as an umbrella term that refers to a wide range of people whose physical bodies, self-understanding or self-expression varies from what society considers “normal” or appropriate for a male or female. The commission, to be appointed by the Council of Bishops, should include transgender United Methodists and would be charged with: 1) Seeking to better understand the experience and reality of transgender persons and their families and making recommendations for increasing understanding of the transgender reality for members of our churches. 2) Studying the emotional and mental impact of gender reassignment on those transgender individuals who chose to undergo such treatment. Medical and psychological professionals experienced with treating transgender individuals should participate in the commission either as members or consultants. 3) Identifying ways to be in ministry with and for transgender persons. 4) Recommending means to educate Boards of Ordained Ministries to better understand issues related to gender identity. 5) Reporting back to the 2008 General Conference with recommendations as to the involvement of transgender individuals in the life and ministry of the UMC. RATIONALE: Recently, the participation of transgender persons in the Church has come under scrutiny due to several high profile cases that questioned their presence in church leadership positions. In 2002, the Bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference was faced with the decision of whether to reappoint an ordained elder who had successfully completed gender reassignment. Related challenges include whether to continue to allow transgender persons to pursue ordained ministry and to hold lay leadership positions in the Church. Churches are also struggling with how to be in ministry with this portion of our church population, about which many clergy and laity know too little. Legislation will be coming before General Conference that would prohibit transgender persons from pursuing ordination or serving as clergy, effectively preventing their full participation in the Church. This legislation would add the following to 304.3, “The Ministry of the Ordained”: “Persons who are going through, or who have completed, the process of changing their gender are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.” No new language prohibiting transgender persons from serving as clergy should be added to Discipline 304.3 in the section on “The Ministry of the Ordained.” Instead, we should continue to use the same criteria for transgender persons seeking to become ministers as we do for those who are not transgender. This is due to two reasons: 1. As a church we lack of clear understanding of the myriad issues related to gender identity we need to study this issue before making changes to the Discipline, and 2. Clearly there are transgender persons who do “possess the required mental and emotional maturity and stability necessary to provide a healthy and godly influence” on those inside and outside the Church. DATE: November 24, 2003 SUBMITTED BY: Kathryn J. Johnson, on behalf of PETITIONER IDENTIFICATION: Methodist Federation for Social Action TELEPHONE: 202-546-8806 |
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