Throughout my life, I have been reminded that the choices I make every single day have a consequence. This lesson is one that I strive to teach my kids every single day. Some consequences are good, while others are not so good, but there is at least one consequence for every choice one makes every day. We tend to hear about consequences the most when one makes a wrong choice, and this week has closed by giving us another reminder of consequences.
Rev. John Miles of First UMC Jonesboro, Arkansas, received this reminder the hard way.
Jonesboro First UMC was one of the churches in Arkansas that the session of the annual conference did not approve for disaffiliation. Arkansas is the only conference in the United Methodist Church that has not affirmed any church, let alone three, for disaffiliation. Multiple reports that circulated through the UMC social media circles indicated that the problem with Jonesboro First, Cabot, and Searcey’s disaffiliations was the process each church implemented to petition to leave the UMC. It’s worth noting that Jonesboro First only barely had enough votes from the congregation to leave, the narrowest margin of any church in Arkansas that saught disaffiliation.
Since the annual conference vote, a complaint was filed against Rev. Miles for his actions leading up to the disaffiliation vote. A preliminary investigation has provided evidence that Rev. Miles acted against the Book of Discipline, against state laws of Arkansas, and has not upheld his ordination vows. As a result, Rev. Miles has been suspended indefinitely and the annual conference leadership have invoked the trust clause in order to try and stabilize the situation. I have seen posts from several folks that indicates that Rev. Miles was actively trying to lead the congregation out of the denomination, a clearly chargeable offense, as pastors are to submit to the order of the church. One could also argue that Rev. Miles’ actions have undermined the ministry of other United Methodist pastors, which is also a chargeable offense.
Frankly, I wish this sort of action had become the norm rather than the exception. I have suspicions, though I’ve never had proof, that other pastors have led and are leading their congregations out of the UMC. For those whose actions can or would have been proved, I would have loved to seen similar action taken against clergy who were in violation of church law and who had broken their ordination vows. I’ve been quite disgusted at some of the behavior that has supposedly occurred. I hope this serves as a lesson to any pastors who may be reading this who find themselves on a similar path. Integrity dictates that clergy who seek to lead their congregations out and who can not remain United Methodist should immediately surrender their credentials.
For anyone reading this who have been complaining about the denomination not upholding the discipline but who criticize Bishop Mueller for taking this action, you need to think about something: You can’t have it both ways; as we say back home, “You can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth.” Demanding that clergy who perform marriage rites for LGBTQ persons be held accountable while decrying the suspension of Rev. Miles is the height of hypocrisy. You can’t demand accountability for certain crimes but not others. When properly applied accountability works for everyone and not just people we disagree with.
We can’t demand accountability and then complain when those who are found to have acted against the discipline and state law are held accountable.
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