D.C. Foundry church will honor same-sex unions

After three years of study, Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington has changed its policy to recognize same-sex unions in special ceremonies. A UMNS photo by Phil Carney, Foundry United Methodist Church.

A UMNS Report

By Robin Russell*

Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., has changed its policy to recognize same-sex unions in special ceremonies that fall just short of an official wedding.

Though it is among a handful of United Methodist churches that do so, the action, which became effective Feb. 1, has made headlines in The Washington Post and other newspapers. Foundry was the church attended by President Bill Clinton and his wife, now-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), when he was in office.

In a pastoral letter to the congregation last November, the Rev. Dean Snyder, senior pastor, announced his plan to begin leading services that "recognize and honor lesbian and gay committed relationships."

These church services, however, will not be "ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions," he wrote, citing the denomination's Book of Discipline sanction against United Methodist clergy performing such ceremonies. Snyder said that his action reflects "an attempt to be ecclesiastically obedient while at the same time offering pastoral care to our members."

According to the church's February newsletter, Foundry has a "large gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender membership," and the decision came after the church community studied the options for three years.

Guidelines for the new services at Foundry require that same-sex "marriage" ceremonies, where couples actually exchange vows, are to be held off-site and not be led by a church minister. The church will, however, host worship services that recognize and honor commitments that already have been made. Only couples that are members and have attended a "Pre-Cana" marriage preparation weekend can participate.

Questions of obedience
Critics say Foundry's action crosses the line, undermining Scriptural authority and violating United Methodist laws outlined in the Book of Discipline.

The 1996 General Conference adopted the statement: "Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches" (Par. 341.6). General Conference has continued to uphold a ban on church-sanctioned homosexual unions and also maintains that the practice of homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching" (Par. 161G).

The Rev. Dean Snyder is senior pastor of Foundry, which includes a large gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender membership. A UMNS photo by Phil Carney, Foundry United Methodist Church

Delegates will consider several resolutions seeking to overturn that policy at the 2008 General Conference, which begins April 23 in Fort Worth, Texas.

In his pastoral letter, Snyder urged members of Foundry to work for changes to the Discipline because, he said, it "discriminates against people because of their sexual orientation." He said the Discipline is clear that homosexual persons "are individuals of sacred worth" and that United Methodists should be committed to "be in ministry for and with all persons."


'Difficult question'
Bishop John R. Schol of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, which includes Foundry, said Snyder did not seek his permission or advice on the matter. Schol noted that Foundry's congregation is "diverse and reflective of its community, including a significant presence of gay and lesbian Christians."

Patricia Miller, executive director of the Confessing Movement Within The United Methodist Church, said Foundry is violating church law. Her group describes itself as "confessing Jesus Christ as Son, savior and Lord" and working to uphold United Methodist doctrine and the Wesleyan tradition.

"I certainly support ministries to and with the gay/lesbian community but, having said that, I believe this is a violation of church law as outlined in the Discipline," Miller told United Methodist News Service. "The Discipline is very clear and very specific."

Miller said Snyder is "word-smithing" in his description of Foundry's new policy and its intent. "I think what this does is break covenant with the rest of The United Methodist Church and further causes divide and conflict within the church," she said.

Bishop John R. Schol affirms an ongoing conversation to understand Christian teaching related to homosexuality. A UMNS file photo by Mike DuBose.


'Difficult question'

Bishop John R. Schol of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, which includes Foundry, said Snyder did not seek his permission or advice on the matter. Schol noted that Foundry's congregation is "diverse and reflective of its community, including a significant presence of gay and lesbian Christians."

"So far as I can tell, they did not seek publicity about this and have not attempted to make it an issue for our denomination," Schol told UMNS. "I have recognized that they face a difficult question of how in the name of Jesus Christ to minister to all of their members given our denominational policies about homosexuality, and I have no question about the sincerity of their desire to honor their covenant with the larger church. I also have sympathy for those who worry that our unity may be weakened as a result of the disagreements we have. --

"Here in our conference, small groups of people with differing opinions have been meeting to discuss homosexuality," he said. "I hope these conversations continue and that we can seek to know and care for each other even when our views and convictions differ."

In a March 7 interview with UMNS, Snyder said he had not conducted any such ceremonies since the policy change, nor has he received requests for such. However, several same-sex couples have participated in the "Pre-Cana" marriage retreats.

While Snyder made the final decision to change the policy, Foundry's church council unanimously passed a resolution on Jan. 15 endorsing the change.

Here is Bishop Schol's full statement to UMNS regarding Foundry United Methodist Church:

"Foundry Church is a congregation that enthusiastically and faithfully supports the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church. It is a congregation involved in many ministries serving the homeless, the poor, and the vulnerable both locally and globally. Located in the Dupont Circle community of Washington D.C., it is a congregation which is diverse and reflective of its community, including a significant presence of gay and lesbian Christians. It is a church that is doing an unusually good job of reaching young adults with many new members who are under 35 and many families with young children.

Neither the church nor Rev. Snyder asked my permission or advice about the worship services that they are offering their gay members. So far as I can tell, they did not seek publicity about this and have not attempted to make it an issue for our denomination. I have recognized that they face a difficult question of how in the name of Jesus Christ to minister to all of their members given our denominational policies about homosexuality, and I have no question about the sincerity of their desire to honor their covenant with the larger church. I also have sympathy for those who worry that our unity may be weakened as a result of the disagreements we have. I believe they are also sincere in their concerns.

Here in our conference, small groups of people with differing opinions have been meeting to discuss homosexuality. I hope these conversations continue and that we can seek to know and care for each other even when our views and convictions differ. Our primary focus as a conference, and my greatest passion as a bishop, is making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world and growing Acts 2 congregations. I would like us to discuss all the controversial issues in our denomination in light of our calling to make disciples and grow Acts 2 churches." -Bishop John R. Schol

*Russell is managing editor of United Methodist Reporter, an independent weekly newspaper for United Methodists and others, produced by UMR Communications in Dallas. A similar version of this story originally appeared in that publication. Contributing to this report was Marta Aldrich, news editor of United Methodist News Service.