Holy. Beloved. Valuable.
These are the words Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball wants delegates to remember about themselves as they enter the final days of the 2016 General Conference of The United Methodist Church.
“I see each person first as a child of God,” she said. “We are gifts to one another.” The bishop shared her thoughts Wednesday afternoon about “The Way Forward,” a plan presented by the Council of Bishops in response to several pleas from delegates for help from their episcopal leaders, who serve as the spiritual leaders of the denomination.
This General Conference has been marked by acrimony and an atmosphere of distrust. Voting guides for delegates, demonstrations, and rumors of a church split have heightened tensions over the United Methodist Church’s 40-year debate on human sexuality.
The bishops have not been unaffected by the pain experienced by delegates and observers this week. Bishop Bruce Ough acknowledged Tuesday he and his colleagues on the council were “broken-hearted” over the deep divisions the debate on human sexuality have revealed.
“Our broken hearts, and a profound clarity that we, as your bishops, are charged with the spiritual and temporal oversight of the church, have driven us to our knees in prayer and into intense, holy conversations with ourselves and others as we have been considering how to maintain unity and bring healing to the church,” said Ough
Steiner Ball agreed. “The bishops never talked about split or schism,” she said. “We wanted to issue a clear statement about the unity of the church.”
She believes that the recognition of one another as holy and beloved is key to moving forward. The process begins, she said, by “humbling ourselves before God…and not just before God, but humbling ourselves before one another.”
“What we brought to the floor was a call to get to know one another and build relationships,” she said. “So that we can know one another as people, not issues.” We are each, all of us, created in God’s image, filled with different gifts. God created us to be in community together,” she said.
Listen to the interview with Bishop Steiner Ball: