Methodists face 'tension' on gays

By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter

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The effort, led by a group of 12 pastors from across Washington, follows the recent church-trial acquittal of openly lesbian minister Karen Dammann, and the denomination's subsequent gathering in Pittsburgh, where the rules against gay clergy were tightened.

While evangelical Methodists were heartened by the Pittsburgh decisions, "we really felt the (local) conference was on a course of disobedience, in conflict with historic Christian teachings," said the Rev. Gary Starkey, pastor at Westpark United Methodist Church in Yakima.

The local conference — called the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference — encompasses Washington and northern Idaho. It is generally considered liberal and has tended to be in the minority within the larger denomination on issues regarding homosexuality.

After Dammann's acquittal and the Pittsburgh meeting, where the denomination's highest court ruled that bishops could not appoint actively gay clergy to ministry positions, the local evangelical group sent a letter to Bishop Elias Galvan, head of the Northwest conference. The letter asked that Galvan not appoint Dammann to a ministry position, should she ask for one. Dammann, who is on family leave, said earlier this month that she was extending her leave indefinitely and would not be seeking an appointment this year.

The Rev. Elaine Stanovsky, spokeswoman for the Northwest conference, said it's unclear how the new rules would apply to Dammann or other gay clergy. Stanovsky acknowledges "there is tension between this conference and the whole church about what church law ought to be. So there's a tension in living in obedience to church law and at the same time working to change church law."

While no one from the evangelical group is suggesting splitting from the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, "we'd like to see a serious move toward more faithful adherence to church doctrine and covenant," said the Rev. David Parker, senior pastor at Central United Protestant Church in Richland, the conference's largest church, with about 1,800 members.

In the absence of such adherence, he'd like to see a plan on the national level "for creating two different denominations or for allowing a few to leave."

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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