Sunday night’s informational meeting at RUMC made me realize that the discernment process we might enter into at our church is likely not going to be fair, unbiased, and without a predetermined outcome in mind.

It was a subtle, yet no-so-subtle advertisement for entering the discernment process.

While the slides presented were accurate and informational, the language and tone were sometimes questionable in their intent. From the opening prayer’s unobjective evangelical statements on the “sexual immorality” of pastors and bishops causing some people to walk out of the room before the meeting even began, to disinformation stated by members in attendance that wasn’t corrected or clarified (note: it was the same info from “Reason You’ll Hear #3” in a previous post last week), this just wasn’t the meeting it needed to be.

Our lay leader even implied that we would probably have already been in the discernment process if we still had our long-term, former preacher. Seems like we just can’t seem to move forward and past “the way it was”. From actions over the past few years, I’ve even gotten the sense that some would just prefer we reinstate the pastoral appointments of 1998 and become that church again.

One member stood up and stated at the microphone during Q&A that the amount for RUMC to disaffiliate ($750,000+, most likely) seemed like a “good deal to get a $10 million campus”.

Yes, that was actually said…out loud.

Is the goal to simply win some buildings or is it to try to keep a church together and love others wholly and unconditionally in a Christ-like fashion?

The bright spot of the evening might have been a 16-year-old youth member of our Board of Stewards who stood up to remind everyone that the youth of our church are involved in the decisions we make as a church. It was a refreshing reminder that the confirmed youth are recognized as full UMC members with voices for our future. And while all generations have shown an increase in their acceptance of LGBTQ+ issues over the past 15 years, this next generation (and the future of our church in general) will be some of the most accepting in our society and the least likely to see differences between people because of how God made them.

Finally, from my interactions with them in the past, the men asked to do opening and closing prayers are faithful servants of God and are strong in developing and nurturing their relationships with Christ. And yet I can also say from conversations with them (and by listening to the opening prayer) that they very much hold views that would not align with a Riverchase UMC that was part of a more inclusive United Methodist Church. The optics of opening and closing the meeting with people who represent one perspective on the issues we are facing left me concerned.

Right now, discernment at RUMC doesn’t feel like something that would be truly sincere, but rather a requisite step in the process that gets us to disaffiliation voting with the hopes of raising a victory flag.

It’s a sad flag, indeed, and one with a legacy that is going to look poorly years from now, just as it did after so many other movements (civil rights, inclusion of women in the clergy, etc.) succeeded in raising awareness of the oppression of others.

Sunday night’s meeting reinforced to me that while I have been keeping an open mind about discernment, the same people who have been trying to get Riverchase UMC to “pick a side” since 2019 are still working to push us to disaffiliate.

If we enter discernment — and tonight’s meeting was any indication of the template that would be used for future “informational sessions” going forward — then we will likely see a biased view of the evaluation of the church’s future.

If you attended this meeting and felt this same discontent, please call and email our pastors and Board of Stewards Members (here’s the easily-accessible list as asked about in the meeting) and speak your mind so that we don’t have more meetings like this in the future.

I want to be a part of a church with a bright future. One that looks forward and aspires to lead people into the doors and into a life with Christ, rather than telling them they’re “mostly kind of welcome” to be who they are.

Continue to pray and ask for God’s revelations about how you can be a part of a loving and inclusive church in the future.

Maybe I’ll hold my own meeting soon that could inform, clarify and inspire and offer hope and a way forward.

Stay tuned.