Methodist church says transgender pastor can stay

The highest judicial body of the United Methodist Church announced Tuesday that a transgender man can remain pastor of a congregation in Baltimore.

The ruling by the Judicial Council affirms last spring’s decision by Bishop John R. Schol to reappoint the Rev. Drew Phoenix -- formerly the Rev. Ann Gordon -- to St. John’s United Methodist Church.

Schol’s action had been appealed to the Judicial Council by several clergy in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, who raised questions about the proper role of transgender people within the church.

Tuesday’s ruling concluded that “a clergyperson’s good standing cannot be terminated without administrative or judicial action having occurred and all fair process being accorded.”

The Methodists’ Book of Discipline bars non-celibate gays and lesbians from serving as clergy but does not include any commentary about transgender people.

In addition, Tuesday’s decision by the nine-member council, made up of laypeople and clergy, did not specifically address “whether gender change is a chargeable offense or violates minimum standards” of United Methodism.

The Judicial Council “ruled that the Baltimore-Washington Conference is operating within the laws of the church,” Schol said. “I’m pleased that the conference continues to abide by the discipline.”

Phoenix, who learned of the decision Tuesday morning, said he was elated.

“To me, it’s a historic day in the life of our denomination, and I think the Judicial Council decision is a very important first step in opening the doors of our churches to the transgender community,” he said.

Phoenix said he was confident that representatives from the entire denomination would “open the doors further to gay men and lesbian women” when they gathered in April for the General Conference, an international legislative session held every four years.

Many groups, secular and religious, are struggling with how institutions should recognize and accommodate transgender people.

The Rev. Kevin M. Baker, who raised questions about Phoenix’s name change when it was announced at the Baltimore-Washington Conference’s annual meeting in May, said he wasn’t surprised by the Judicial Council’s decision.

However, “it seems to me that we need more discussion on this issue,” said Baker, pastor of Oakdale Emory United Methodist Church in Olney, Md. “We need a chance to talk about the implications of it.”

At St. John’s on Tuesday, church member Carrie Frias said she was thrilled for her pastor but even more proud of the effect the council’s decision could have for people struggling with their own gender-identity questions or who had grown disenfranchised from the church.

“For me, it’s a much broader issue that’s beyond Drew and beyond the church,” she said.

Schol -- who oversees nearly 700 congregations in Maryland and Washington, as well as in Bermuda and parts of West Virginia -- has said he reappointed Phoenix, who has served at St. John’s since 2002, because he has been an effective leader.