New Bishop for South Carolina's United Methodists

Dear Friends,

South Carolina’s United Methodists are getting a new bishop.  The Jurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy, the connectional body that decides where bishops will serve, announced last night that Bishop Leonard Fairley will become our bishop effective September 1st. 

 Bishop Fairley served as a pastor, district superintendent, and in many levels of conference leadership in the North Carolina Conference before his election.  Since his election in 2012, Bishop Fairley has served as bishop of the Kentucky Conference.  I am impressed by what I have learned about Bishop Fairley and am confident he will be a good leader for South Carolina.  I look forward to meeting and working with Bishop Fairley as we move forward together in mission and ministry.

South Carolina owes a debt of gratitude to our current bishop, Jonathan Holston.  Bishop Holston has served us faithfully through his many years as our bishop.  Bishop Holston will leave us to serve as bishop of both the North Alabama Conference and the Alabama-West Florida Conference. 

Please join me in praying for Bishop Fairley, his wife Dawn, and the leadership of the South Carolina Conference during this time of transition.  Let us pray also for Bishop Holston and Mrs. Holston in their time of transition to Alabama.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Thomas Smith

General Conference - May 24, 2024

Dear Friends, 

With General Conference behind us, I have received many questions about what the changes to the Book of Discipline mean for Central.  As I wrote in my last Tidings from Thomas, the people of Central will, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, continue to decide what is best for Central.  If you have not already done so, please read my reflections on General Conference here: https://www.centralmethodist.net/tft.   

The two biggest concerns I have heard relate to same-sex weddings and the potential of a gay clergyperson being appointed to serve Central.  The Book of Discipline gives Central’s Board of Trustees the authority to make decisions regarding who can be married on our campus.  Central’s Board of Trustees has voted to affirm our existing wedding policy and practices.  In the coming weeks, the Board will gather input from the congregation on this issue, which will in turn inform the Board of Trustees’ future decisions.  Be assured that our Board of Trustees will proceed thoughtfully, prayerfully, and in a spirit of Christian discernment, seeking to preserve the unity of the church.  Unless the Board of Trustees makes decisions to the contrary, our wedding practices will remain as they currently are.   

Regarding the potential appointment of a gay clergyperson, pastoral appointments are made in consultation with Central’s Staff Parish Relations Committee.  I cannot foresee the bishop making any appointment that would be divisive for Central, one of South Carolina’s cornerstone churches.  I am confident that neither our current bishop and cabinet, nor any bishop and cabinet, would place a clergyperson in a church that would be divisive to the church. Such an action would not be in the interest of the church or the clergyperson and would be detrimental to the church’s effectiveness.  After all, the bishop and cabinet are tasked with the responsibility of strengthening churches. 

As your pastor, I commit to you that none of Central’s clergy or staff will undertake any action that would divide the people of Central against one another.  The people of Central hold a wide variety of opinions and beliefs.  In our diversity, God nevertheless calls us to unity.  Consider the words of Psalm 133:1, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”  Let us embody a spirit of Christian love and seek the unity to which God calls us. 

Yours in Christ, 

Thomas 

Rev. Ann Kovan will receive her doctorate today!

Friends,

Our own Rev. Ann Kovan will receive her doctorate today from Wesley Theological Seminary. The ceremony will be live-streamed from the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. We cannot all be with her today to share in the celebration, but we are able to view the ceremony at the link below. 

https://youtube.com/live/ZAbFOWsn5LA?feature=share

Please join me in congratulating Ann on a job well done!

Blessings,

Thomas

General Conference - An Update

Dear Friends,

General Conference, the worldwide legislative body for the United Methodist Church, is in the midst of its third day of plenary sessions.  Plenary sessions are those in which changes to the Book of Discipline (the UMC’s book of law) are considered and voted on.  After handling more mundane matters related to finances and the deployment of bishops, the General Conference today acted on the issues of same-sex marriage and eligibility for ordination.

Regarding marriage, the language prohibiting same-sex marriage was removed from the Book of Discipline.  Language was added to the Book of Discipline stating that clergy and local churches cannot be compelled to officiate and hold same-sex weddings.  Additionally, congregations and clergy cannot be penalized for refraining from holding or officiating same-sex weddings. 

Regarding ordination, the language prohibiting self-professed, practicing homosexuals from ordination has also been removed.  This means that it will be the job of each annual conference, already charged with screening candidates for ordination, to determine who can and cannot serve as clergy within their conference.

You are probably asking, “What does this mean for Central?”  The bishop will not appoint a clergyperson to serve any church when it would be detrimental to the church and the clergyperson.  This is especially true in the case of South Carolina’s flagship churches, of which Central is one.  Additionally, the clergy of Central would never take any action that would divide the church.

Another implication is that local churches and annual conferences will apply these changes differently in different places.  What we do in South Carolina will differ from what United Methodists do in California and Africa.  It may mean that other congregations in South Carolina will do things differently from how we do things at Central.  Regardless of the implications of these changes, the principle of home rule prevails.  In other words, South Carolinians will decide what is best for South Carolina and the people of Central will decide what is best for Central.

Some will greet this news with celebration, others with angst, and others with anxiety as we tread new ground.  Regardless of where you stand on the issues at hand, know that I and the entire ministry team of Central will continue to pursue Central’s best interests.  The words of Jesus from Matthew 6:23 come to mind, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”  Jesus is speaking here to people who are worrying about what the future holds.  He reminds us that if we do our best to faithfully serve Him where He has placed us, we do not need to worry.  God will bring God’s purposes into being.

I know that you may have questions or concerns.  I will continue to share with you information from General Conference as it unfolds.  Please do not hesitate to come to me, Rev. Ann Kovan, or Rev. Meg Jiunnies.  We are blessed to serve God with you and are committed to following Jesus alongside you.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas

General Conference 2024 - Additional Information

Dear Friends, 

The General Conference of the United Methodist Church has begun.  During this first week, delegates from around the world are meeting in legislative committees before proposed changes to the Book of Discipline (the UMC’s book of church law) are considered by the entire body beginning on Monday, May 29th.  Among these delegates are the sixteen delegates (eight clergy and eight laypeople) elected by the South Carolina Conference to represent us at General Conference.   

In my last Tidings, I wrote about the proposed regionalization legislation that is before General Conference.  If you have not read this, please go back and read my last Tidings at www.centralmethodist.net/tft

In this Tidings, I will address the proposed legislation regarding the Book of Discipline’s language related to human sexuality.  To summarize, the current Book of Discipline states that “self-professed, practicing homosexuals” are not eligible to be ordained in the United Methodist Church.  It also states that clergy are not permitted to perform weddings for same-sex persons and that same-sex weddings cannot take place in United Methodist churches.  There are proposals to remove this language altogether, leaving it to individual annual conferences to determine who is eligible for ordination and to individual congregations to decide what is allowed in their worship spaces.  Annual conferences are already largely autonomous in determining who they will ordain.  If regionalization legislation passes, this autonomy will likely be strengthened.  There is already language in the Book of Discipline stating that the decision to officiate a wedding is at the discretion of the individual clergyperson. 

When considering ordination, it is helpful to understand the stringent process through which one goes to be approved for ordination in the UMC.  To be ordained, a person must have his or her call affirmed by his or her local church’s Staff Parish Relations Committee, the local church’s Charge Conference, and the District Committee on Ordained Ministry.  Incidentally, Rev. Ann Kovan is a member of the Florence District Committee on Ordained Ministry.  A candidate must also earn a Master of Divinity degree (at minimum a three-year degree) at an approved seminary.  After seminary, a candidate enters a strenuous two-year process under the supervision of the conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry before being eligible for ordination.  Incidentally, Rev. Meg Jiunnies and I are both members of the South Carolina Conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry.  Anyone approved for ordination by the Board of Ordained Ministry must also be approved by a vote of all the conference’s clergy members.  The process involves layers of approval and accountability in addition to such things as a psychological assessment, background checks, and extensive written work on theology and the practice of ministry.  In other words, ordination in the UMC is not treated lightly and is only conferred on those truly called and dedicated to the work of an ordained minister.   

In my next Tidings, I will reflect on the implications of potential legislation for local churches.  For now, suffice it to say your clergy team is committed to ensuring that whatever is best for Central is what happens at Central.  There is still a great deal that is uncertain, and I will be updating you as General Conference unfolds.  In the meantime, let us pray for the General Conference delegates and our denominational leaders.  Let us also focus on the mission and ministry God has placed before us and to which God has called us.  And as always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with your questions and concerns. 

Yours in Christ, 

Thomas