Dear Beautiful People of the South Georgia Conference,
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to allow same-sex marriage.
The polity of our United Methodist Church did not change. Our Book of Discipline in paragraph 341.6 states, ceremonies that celebrate same sex unions “shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.” As a denomination, we have agreed that the only body authorized to change the Book of Discipline is the General Conference, which will meet in 2016.
We recognize how significant change in our civil law can impact our communities as we also live within the polity and discipline of our United Methodist Church.
Remember, our faith is in God who continues to be our primary source in season and out of season. So many issues pull on us for attention and we are drawn from one battlefield to the next as we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We are called to love one another with the love of Christ but that does not mean we are to overlook the behavior of individuals and communities where everything goes and is treated as acceptable to God’s plan for the world family.
May the church always seek to be in line with the will of God so that we do not conform to the world but are transformers of the world.
Stand strong in your faith in God. Hold to the timeless values of faith rooted in the love of Christ. I will uphold the discipline of the church and expect you to do likewise.
Let us continue to be in constant prayer.
With love,
Your Bishop
James Robert King Jr.