On August 7, 2019, the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church publicly released details of a complaint filed in 2018 against the Rev. Anna Blaedel, ordained clergyperson in the Iowa Conference. The complaint was filed with the Iowa Conference Bishop’s Office by a lay member of a United Methodist congregation in the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church. You can read the press release here: http://bit.ly/2yQ7CwY. Update as of August 13, 2019: The Committee on Investigation voted to refer the charges against Rev. Blaedel to trial. This open letter is the response of United Methodists in Indiana who stand against the complainant's actions and in solidarity with Rev. Blaedel.
The Open Letter Dear Siblings in Christ in the Iowa Conference,
This letter comes to you from United Methodists of the Indiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. We are writing to express our profound sadness at the news of the complaint filed against Rev. Anna Blaedel by a member of our conference for violation of the Book of Discipline’s unjust prohibition against clergy who are “self-avowed, practicing homosexuals.”
To Rev. Blaedel, we are deeply sorry for the harm that has been and continues to be done against you and your ministry within our United Methodist Church. You have responded to God’s call on your life and served faithfully for many years, but this complaint questions the validity of that service and call. We are also mindful of the reality that this complaint was filed by a member of our Indiana Conference, and we are sorry for our complicity -- for the ways we as an Indiana Conference have fostered an environment that allows for this kind of hateful rhetoric and action. We must do better, and we are committed to working within our conference to become a more just and faithful Church.
To the Church as a whole: We are aggrieved not only because of the harm this complaint perpetuates against LGBTQ+ persons but also because of the unbiblical nature of this particular complaint process. We point to Jesus’ mandate in Matthew 18:15-17 to seek the resolution of conflict first by engaging directly with the person with whom you are in conflict and then, if necessary, bring others into the resolution process. As the complainant has never met Rev. Blaedel and is not a member of the Iowa Conference, we can only assume that the complaint was not filed with any intent toward biblical resolution. Our desire for the Indiana United Methodist Conference, as well as the global Methodist communion, is that we would be a Church that lives into Jesus’ vision of life-giving community and relationship, not a Church that leverages the complaint process for political and punitive gain.
We unequivocally denounce the actions of this complainant and his employer, the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD). We reject the violent tactics of the IRD made possible by the unjust policies of our Discipline, particularly in this moment of our United Methodist Church. We recognize the choices that are before us all as we seek to be a more faithful Church. We advocate for actions that further our commitment to live into the beloved community that Christ calls us to be, so that we might become a Church that honors God’s call on all person’s lives.
As Hoosier United Methodists, we stand against the tyranny of this action and stand in solidarity with our sibling in Christ, the Rev. Anna Blaedel.
Yours in Christ, United Methodists of the Indiana Conference
Signatures Rev. Duane Carlisle, Broadway UMC Rev. Mary Dicken, Meridian Street UMC Rev. Dr. Cyndi Alte, Broadway UMC Ms. Alisa Isaacs-Bailey, Gobin Memorial UMC Rev. Mark Dicken Rev. Bryan Langdoc, Gobin Memorial UMC Rev. Corinne Boruff, Anderson First UMC Anne Moman Brock, North UMC Rev. Lisa Schubert Nowling, Bloomington First UMC Christine Mahon, College Avenue UMC, Muncie Dr. Patricia Bennett, College Avenue UMC Mary Jane Packard, First UMC Bloomington Rev. Jimmy Moore, St. Mark’s UMC Rev. Teri Crouse, JD, Bloomington First UMC Barbara Dicken James Ault, Anderson First UMC Marilyn Ault Rev. Dr. Todd Gile Rev. Ronnie Bell, Cumberland UMC Rev. Dr. Nelson Steele, retired clergy Rev. Julie Pimlott Rev. Dr. John McFarland Fred Schick, First UMC, Bloomington Amy Sell, North UMC Pastor Mandie Gould Willoughby Rev. Joseph Sanford, Sellersburg UMC Leann Beaven, Newburgh UMC Rev. Howard Boles, Columbus First UMC Rev. 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