UPDATED: from the UMC news
“Rev. Schaefer met with the Board of Ordained Ministry today and declared that he is not willing or able to uphold the laws of the Book of Discipline in its entirety in the future as required by the trial court’s verdict,” said Bishop Peggy Johnson, Episcopal leader of the conference.
Johnson said when asked to surrender his credentials, Schaefer refused to do so. The board then deemed his credentials surrendered, she said.…
In an interview with United Methodist News Service after Schaefer’s news conference Dec. 16, Johnson said, “My overall feeling is that this is very sad. I can’t believe we have been on this journey for nothing. Somewhere God is going to use all the hearts and efforts for some good purpose down the line. This is the God we serve. It is Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We got the Good Friday so come on Easter. I know it is Christmas but we are Easter people.”
The United Methodist Church today defrocked the Rev. Frank Schaefer, who refused to surrender his ministry after officiating at his son’s gay wedding. From the Washington Post:
A United Methodist pastor who criticized his denomination’s doctrine as contradictory and prejudiced against gays and lesbians was stripped Thursday of his credentials for officiating the wedding of his son to another man.
A church jury last month found Frank Schaefer, who had been pastor of a small country church in Lebanon, Pa., guilty of violating United Methodist law by doing the 2007 wedding and also of disobedience. He was given 30 days to decide if he could fully comply with the denomination’s Book of Discipline, or doctrine book.
Schaefer said at the time of the trial and then again before a clergy oversight board Thursday that he could not uphold a book he sees as sending mixed messages on acceptance of gays and lesbians. Schaefer, who has three gay children, said he wants to become a public advocate for gay equality in the church.
Read full story here.