Another pastor leaves UMC

Another pastor, congregation leave UMC
Fight brews over Fresno church, while Sacramento congregation splits in two

Updated Monday, 8/21/00 2:15pm (Adds information from Delta Dist. Supt. Dave Bennett)

Another Cal-Nevada pastor has left the denomination, while a Fresno church is livid about the suspension and removal of it's senior pastor.

The replacement of David Wainscott at St. Luke's UMC last week didn't seem to make a difference. Wainscott was preaching Sunday, Aug. 20, in spite of the suspension. He was joined by former Kingsburg UMC pastor Ed Ezaki, in defiance of orders from Bishop Melvin Talbert.

The most recent round of events began with a meeting after worship Aug. 13 at Hope UMC in the southern suburbs of Sacramento. That resulted in Pastor Greg Smith pastor and and unconfirmed number of congregation members forming another church which met elsewhere, Sunday, Aug. 20.

Events continued with the sudden suspension Tuesday, Aug. 15 of Wainscott in Fresno. The Fresno Bee quotes Bishop Talbert as saying that Wainscott "is either unwilling or unable to provide the kind of leadership to continue our United Methodist witness" at the church and that "he is to discontinue all services to the congregation immediately."

Pastor David Wainscott

Wainscott was suspended for creating an independent church and for withholding apportionments–money sent to the Conference to support ministry within the region and the world, Fresno District Superintendent Vickie Armour Healy told the paper.

Retired pastor Doug Norris of Merced was appointed to take Wainscott's position on an interim basis.

St. Luke's leaders responded by changing the locks on the church, and by posting a notice on the church website which says that "Pastor Dave and Ed Ezaki WILL PREACH on Sunday, as scheduled, at St. Luke's." Ezaki is the former pastor of Kingsburg UMC, which left the denomination two years ago, and negotiated with the Conference for the purchase of the church buildings.

United Methodist Church policy–supported by recent court rulings–says that churches hold the property in trust for the greater church, and that the ownership rests with the denomination through the Conference.

St. Luke's leaders appear to be trying an end-run around that policy, by forming a separate, nonprofit corporation, then–as trustees–leasing the church to the nonprofit for 364 days. The church had 649 full members at the start of 1999, and 373 people in average attendance at principal weekly worship services according to the 1999 Conference Journal.

Wainscott has been a United Methodist pastor since 1991. He became an Elder in full connection in 1996, the same year he was appointed to St. Luke's. It is the largest United Methodist Church in Fresno, followed closely by Wesley UMC, which lists 622 members at the start of 1999 and 323 in attendance at principal weekly worship services.

Wesley's pastor is one of 68 who participated in a holy union for a lesbian couple in January, 1999. Wainscott, and others who have left the denomination recently are opposed to holy unions for gay couples, and what they consider "spiritual drift" within the Conference from biblical teachings.

Pastor. Greg Smith

Meantime, 111 people were in worship Sunday, Aug. 20 at Hope UMC in the southern Sacramento suburbs, where a substantial number of members opted to leave the denomination and form a new congregation. That decision was made following worship, Sunday, Aug. 13.

Hope UMC's now former pastor, Greg Smith surrendered his orders as a United Methodist Elder to District Superintendent Dave Bennett later that day.

Smith, like Wainscott, is one of six conservative-evangelical pastors who disagree so strongly with Bishop Melvin Talbert and many Conference members, that they urged unhappy churches to divert apportionments to an escrow account instead of sending them to the Conference where the money supports local churches, regional and world-wide ministry.

"Nearly all" the leadership of the church resigned their positions and UMC membership, Bennett told the Review. The vice-chair of the administrative council and the church's Lay Leader remained. "We have established an organizing committee," Bennett said. "A group of the remaining leaders are working as a nominating committee, and we'll be holding a church conference in the near future to establish new officers." An interim treasurer has been named to make sure that bills are paid. "The leadership of Hope church made sure had made sure that that was all taken care of before they left," Bennett said.

The churches' administrative council voted to recommend that the church split from the UMC at a meeting, Monday, Aug. 7. Bennett was advised, "and I was in conversation with Greg and other leaders of the church," even though Bennett and most Conference leaders were attending Jubilee 2000 at Sonoma State University near Santa Rosa. "It was an amicable transition," he said.

This is the fifth departure of a conservative-evangelical pastor from within the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Smith strongly disagrees with positions taken by the Conference and by retiring Bishop Talbert, which have sometimes conflicted with official church policy.

Smith has been at the church since 1994, and has been a United Methodist pastor since 1981. The congregation traces roots to the Evangelical United Brethren denomination, which merged with the Methodist Church in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church. Hope UMC came into being when the congregation moved to the growing "Valley Hi" area close to Elk Grove, from a location south of downtown Sacramento.

Conference Director of Connectional Ministries Linda Wiberg preached Sunday. Aug. 20, according to Bennett.

Recent episcopal candidate and religion professor Ben Silva-Netto has been appointed to pastor the Hope congregation on an interim basis. He'll take the pulpit for the first time Aug. 27.

Smith and the breakaway congregation met Sunday, Aug. 20 just a few blocks south of the church in the multi-purpose room at Valley High School. The new congregation is called Valley Grace Community Church.

The split affects more than 500 people. The 1999 Cal-Nevada Conference Journal lists 529 members at the beginning of '99, and 429 average attendance at principal Sunday worship services.

Smith is the fifth Cal-Nevada Conference pastor to leave the denomination since the beginning of June.

Smith and Wainscott are two of six conservative-evangelical pastors accused of disobedience to the order and discipline of the United Methodist Church for sending a letter to all the churches in the Conference, which criticized Bishop Melvin Talbert, and which urged churches who were upset with the Bishop to stop sending various apportments to the Conference, as the denomination's book of laws requires.

Bishop Melvin Talbert

"That was not resolved before he (Smith) surrendered his orders," Bennett said, "so that anytime he wishes to perhaps, reinstate his orders for purposes of transfer (to another denomination) they would be reinstated noting that they were 'under complaint'".

Conference leaders had been attempting to resolve the situations with all six pastors, Bennett said. So far, none of the complaints against the six have been referred to a Committee on Investigation for Clergy Members, the same committee which handled the complaints against 68 Conference pastors involved in a holy union for a lesbian couple in January, 1999.

Three of the six have quit the United Methodist Church since June 1, leaving only Porterville UMC pastor Don Roulsten as active UMC clergy.

Denominational status of (former) Tehachapi Valley UMC Pastor Kyle Phillips is unclear at this time. Bennett confirmed that Phillips has been placed on "leave of absence", but pastors connected to the Evangelical Renewal Fellowship say Phillips quit. A pastor not connected to the six others quit after he was appointed to a church which Phillips refused to serve.

Bennett says a complaint could be filed against Phillips for forming a new church while on leave.

We continue to update this story, and are contacting the parties involved for comment.

Delta District Supt. Dave Bennett called us as he was in transit to Lake Tahoe for a week-long vacation.

Fresno District Supt. Vickie Armour Healy is expected to be in the office later today (Aug. 21) and was asked to call the Review.

Bishop Talbert has now moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and new Bishop Beverly Shamana does not officially replace him until Sept. 1.

Calls are also being placed to the pastors and church leaders in the affected congregations.