Methodists abandon mother ship, climb to the roof

I was reminded of this cartoon from 2021 yesterday as 59 more Iowa United Methodist congregations, some quite small, jumped ship and climbed to the roofs of their buildings, eyes turned skyward, voices crying, "Dear Lord, save us from the flood of LGBTQ+ members who want to marry and be ordained as clergy."

The 59, announced Saturday after an Iowa Annual Conference special called session conducted via Zoom, join 83 congregations that disaffiliated during May for a total of 142. Albia's Trinity Church and Centerville's Faith Church left during May; Moravia's Grace Church was among the latest to depart. All Lucas and Wayne county congregations have remained with the mother ship.

The process used by these congregations to depart --- a congregational vote and agreement to pay off financial commitments --- sunsets at the end of 2023. There's no telling what will happen if more congregations decide to leave. As in many other denominations, the annual conference owns the property of its member congregations.

The whole process is sad --- on a couple of fronts. Iowa United Methodists have worked hard as the years passed to keep its small congregations afloat and I'm guessing quite a few of these smaller parishes, now independent or involved in a new affiliation, just won't make it. Owning a building is one thing; paying the bills and finding and supporting a pastor, another.

And then there are LGBTQ+ people, too, some of them adults who still want to be involved in the religious life of their communities and some of whom, younger, are being raised (generally unbeknownst) within them.

For the time being at least, no United Methodist Church can be considered a safe place --- a sad occurrence at a time when the church as a whole is becoming increasingly irrelevant. But no one wants to walk into an intrachurch squabble while in search of a place of refuge.

Truth be told, there aren't enough LGBTQ+ folks out there, even when parents, family and friends are added to the mix, to make us worth considering when crunching numbers in a big congregation.

But the following is attributed to the big guy: "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me." 

And that might be worth attending to.