Methodist Lesbian Minister Wins Appeal to be Reinstated

Irene Elizabeth Stroud has won her appeal against the ruling to defrock her last year in December for she confessed that she was a "self-avowed, practicing lesbian." A regional appeals panel that consists of five United Methodist church ministers and four lay people overturned her removal from Philadelphia ministry by an 8-1 vote.

The Church's Committee of Appeals for the Northeast Jurisdiction stated that the decision of the lower court did not enable Stroud to have proper fair ruling process, since the Church has never clearly defined terms such as "practicing homosexual" or "status."

The word "status" is used in the constitution of the United Methodist Church that says no one should be discriminated against on the basis of race, colour or gender. Stroud's church counsel tried to apply this constitutional statement to sexual orientation as well in the original case, but was not allowed to use this argument.

Winning her appeal, Stroud gains the right to resume her function as an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Philadelphia. However she has decided to wait for a final decision of the Church's highest court, the Judicial Council, since she expects her bishop will appeal the case.

"To me, ordination is something very sacred and very holy, and to take it up, knowing that I might need to lay it down again, would feel like trivializing," she said. "It was hard to take the robe off and stop celebrating communion once. Before I take it up again, I want to know that the United Methodist Church is really ready to affirm my ministry."

Along with other denominations, the second largest Protestant denomination with around 8.3 million members has been struggling to overcome the homosexual issue for several years. However, the Stroud case is not the first one that the United Methodist Church has had to deal with.

In March 2004, the jury of Methodist ministers near Seattle absolved Rev. Karen Dammann, even though she openly admitted in the letter to her bishop that she was living in a same-sex relationship and did not deny it during her trial.

As the answer to this, delegates to the Church's quadrennial General Conference, the highest legislative assembly, agreed to reaffirm a passage in the Methodist Book of Discipline that says: "The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings."

Also, the Judicial Council decided that Methodist ministers who are found in a Church trial to be "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" cannot hold any appointment in the Church.

More than two thirds of Methodists have been reported to support the ban of non-celibate gay clergy, which it is said is based on Scripture and Church tradition, even though there have been many efforts to repeal it.