A difficult day, a divided church

Methodist jury defrocks lesbian minister

by MICHAEL J. MISHAK

The case of the Rev. Irene "Beth" Stroud came to an emotional end last Thursday as the associate pastor at the First United Methodist Church of Germantown (FUMCOG) was found guilty of violating church law and defrocked after a two-day church trial. The jury, comprised of 13 regional Methodist clerics, found Stroud -- a non-celibate lesbian -- guilty of "practices declared by the United Methodist Church to be incompatible with Christian teachings" by a 12-1 margin.

The vote on Stroud's penalty was far less decisive. After an hours-long deliberation, the jury emerged divided, delivering a 7-6 decision to revoke Stroud's ordination credentials. The close vote showcased the internal struggle on the issue of homosexuality and the pulpit.

For Stroud, the first verdict brought a strange peace to an ordeal that began in April 2003, when she publicly came out to her congregation.

"This is hard, but it's not as hard as being half-closeted," she said in an interview with the Local, awaiting the sentencing decision. "There's less anxiety, less confusion and less anger. Whatever the penalty, I can now meet with my colleagues and be honest about who I am and where I stand."

The proceedings unfolded in a packed gymnasium at Camp Innabah, a Methodist retreat center in Pughtown, Chester County. Stroud's supporters, many FUMCOG members, dominated the audience. Many wore rainbow stoles as both a sign of support and a silent plea for a more inclusive church.

Testimony on the trial's first day centered around the circumstances that led to a formal complaint against Stroud and a detailed review of the evidence for her having violated section 2702.1 B of the United Methodist Book of Discipline, barring "self-avowed, practicing homosexuals" from serving as ministers in the church.

Stroud's counsel, the Rev. Dr. J. Dennis Williams, and assistant counsel Alan Symonette said at a Dec. 1 press conference before the trial began that they had planned a two-part defense based on Stroud's faithfulness to her "covenant and her calling to the ministry" and the idea that the church law barring practicing homosexuals is inconsistent with the church's constitution. Presiding Bishop Joseph H. Yeakel sustained the church's objection to the latter defense on the grounds that a trial court was not the proper forum for debating church law.

From the stand, Stroud related the personal journey that led her to the ministry, saying that she chose to be a Methodist minister because she felt "called to go home" to the church she grew up in.

"I want people to understand that all of this is happening in the context of a divided but loving family," she said. "I hope this will be a learning moment for the church ... a time of growth when we can be so open to one another that we might even change our minds."

After hearing morning testimony on Dec. 2 from the Rev. Fred Day, FUMCOG senior pastor, and Washington Bishop John Schol, who had been Stroud's pastor at her first appointment -- West Chester United Methodist Church -- the makeshift courtroom was charged with emotion.

Day, who as a district superintendent was partially responsible for Stroud's FUMCOG appointment, testified to his associate pastor's "ample evidencing" of ministerial abilities. "I have always recognized [Stroud] as a minister of most excellent gifts and skills," he said in an interview.

During questioning from the prosecution, Day cited a passage from the denomination's Book of Discipline that says gays have "sacred worth" and advocates inclusiveness. "How can we be faithful to that aspect of the discipline and move to banish or bar gay or lesbian persons from the ministry," Day asked.

Schol also praised Stroud as an effective pastor who had memorized congregants' faces and names from a church directory before presiding at Communion during her first appointment. Schol said Stroud had informed him of her sexual orientation before their service together in West Chester, but she was not in a relationship at the time. "I believe Beth was called to that ministry," he said of her late-1990s tenure at West Chester United Methodist Church.

In his closing statement, Stroud's defense counsel -- the Rev. J. Dennis Williams -- argued the case was one of civil rights, invoking President John F. Kennedy and adapting a 1963 address:  "We are confronted today with primarily a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and as clear as the width and breadth of our discipline. The heart of this moral issue is whether all United Methodists -- regardless of race, color, status or economic condition -- are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities."

Williams asked the jury to "be sensitive" to the "grand truths" of their religion, instead of what he referred to as "the narrow spectrum of facts" argued by the prosecution. Citing a Jerusalem trial court's dismissal of charges against the apostle Peter - namely, keeping company with gentiles - he said status should not be used to exclude. "The court recognized that they were doing harm not just to one group, but to the entire church," Williams said.

The lead prosecutor, the Rev. Thomas Hall, cited church law banning homosexual clergy and invoked Stroud's own words to paint a picture of personal uncertainty about the legality of her position. Stroud's refusal to accept the options presented by the church -- celibacy, practicing in another denomination, or relinquishing her credentials and serving in a lay capacity -- brought the trial, he said.

Bishop Peter David Weaver brought a complaint against Stroud after a year-long process of review. "[Weaver] did everything he could to bring this to either reconciliation or a just resolution," Hall said.

"The practice of homosexuality in this denomination at this time is incompatible with Christian teachings," Hall said. "It is a violation of the boundaries we have agreed to live within. The testimony affirms [Stroud] is a good pastor. Her calling is not in dispute. Her decision to live outside the boundaries is."

Addressing the jury in his opening statement on Wednesday, Hall told jurors that "we hold each other accountable for the standards we have agreed to live by when we accepted the scared trust of the United Methodist Ministry." He echoed those words in his closing argument, calling on the jury to "lovingly, but firmly" hold Stroud accountable.

Just before deliberation, presiding judge Yeakel reminded jurors of their written pledges to uphold the denomination's Book of Discipline despite possible conscientious objections.

The guilty verdict was read just before 2 p.m. Some audience members wept as Stroud received hugs from her partner, Chris Paige, and family members.

Despite repeated warnings from the trial judge, one Stroud supporter refused to sit before each side gave their sentencing pleas, instead leaving the room to watch from the window in one of the gym's doors. The protest was the only one of its kind to disrupt the proceedings.

Citing the church's reaffirmed ban on gay clergy, Hall called on the jury to revoke Stroud's ordination credentials, saying it was "the only possible penalty." "We are not suggesting she should be expelled or suspended," he said. "Our suggestion is to allow her to continue as a layperson in the United Methodist Church."

The jury's options included: expulsion, conference membership termination, credential revocation, suspension, or a lesser penalty.

Williams, Stroud's defense counsel, urged the jury to "be creative" in exploring the option of a lesser penalty, "one that might allow Beth to continue her ministry, follow her calling and exercise the office of her ordination."

Less than two hours before the jury announced a penalty, Stroud spoke with the Local. "I'm really grateful to be at a church like FUMCOG where I can take this kind of risk and be cushioned with all the love and support they've given me ... even to the extent of whether I have credentials, I will be going back to work on Saturday."

When asked if she would consider joining another denomination that would allow her to officiate as an ordained minister, she said: "I don't know yet. I'm not sure what God has planned for me next."

After about four hours of deliberation, the jury returned a 7-6 vote to defrock Stroud, causing some in the audience to gasp. Supporters stood and formed a singing circle as Stroud embraced and shared words with the judge, prosecutors and jurors, many of whom were in tears.

"In every face I saw pain and in every face I saw compassion," Stroud said of the jury afterward. "In the divided vote I feel the dividedness of the church, but I feel hopeful because of conversations that I've had today that people have been listening deeply to each other and struggling with this very difficult issue."

The proceedings also proved emotionally trying for the prosecution. "We have no delight in finding a colleague guilty of the charges in this case," said the Rev. Thomas Hall at a press conference after the penalty decision. "The evidence was clear and convincing. We believe that church law is absolutely clear."

The dialogue opened by the trial brought Stroud's supporters hope. Speaking with reporters, the Rev. Fred Day, of FUMCOG, said retired Bishop Joseph Yeakel, the trial judge, had told him "the day will come when the church will apologize to Beth for this decision. We at FUMCOG say, 'God, hasten that day.'"

For now, Stroud will continue her ministry at FUMCOG as a lay employee, but can no longer preside at baptisms, marriages or Communion.

Stroud has not decided if she will appeal the court's ruling. An appeal must be filed within 30 days. "The decision about an appeal weighs heavy on my heart," Stroud said in an interview with the Local on Monday. "I can see it from several perspectives. I want to do not just what's right for me, but what's best and healthy for the church."

On Sunday, Stroud attended FUMCOG services, which were held in the Taize manner -- worship centered on prayer, chanting and silence instead of preaching. Joining Stroud, the church's ministers presided without clerical garb and worshipped from the pews, not the pulpit.

"It felt like a wonderful gesture of solidarity," Stroud said. Though laypersons may serve communion, she chose only to receive. "It was hard, but it was an acknowledgement of the change in my status."

Next week, Stroud will deliver her first sermon as a layperson. The theme -- chosen in October -- will be rejoicing, she said. When asked if she would reference the trial, Stroud said: "How can I not? When something so enormous happens in the life of the congregation it would be pastorally irresponsible not to talk about it."

Stroud is only the second lesbian pastor to be convicted in the church's history. A New Hampshire pastor was relieved of her duties for similar charges in 1987.

Editor James Sturdivant contributed to this story.