After much soul searching, prayer, and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to turn in my UMC Clergy credentials and leave the United Methodist Church. Here’s why. (Note: This has been a very difficult decision with sleepless nights and lots of prayer. It was not made quickly nor lightly. Unkind and disparaging comments will be deleted.)

I have served as a full-time United Methodist pastor since June of 1999. That’s 24 years of my life. I have served 10 churches as a full time clergy person in the Louisiana Annual Conference in 6 appointments. During those years, I have preached sermons, led Bible Studies, taught confirmation classes, officiated at funerals and weddings, attended many committee meetings, planned events and worship services, baptized adults, youth and children, officiated at the communion table, led people to take vows of loyalty to the UMC and their local churches, taught the faith to youth and children and so many more. I have enjoyed and found fulfillment in my life as a UMC pastor. I have been blessed and I know it. What I have never done as a UMC clergy person is vote in clergy session at annual conference, vote on constitutional amendments in the UMC, only voted once for General and Jurisdictional Conference delegates that represent me, or been considered for “choice” appointments in my annual conference such as large churches or a superintendent’s role. Why? Because I am not a full elder. I have served the UMC as an Other Fellowship member, Full Time Local Pastor, and Associate Member. None of which have full voting rights. So, I have taught confirmation to UMC youth, baptized people into the UMC, officiated at weddings and funerals for faithful UMC members, but I sit on the side during Clergy sessions of the Annual Conference without a vote where I am told I am there “only as a courtesy.” This despite the fact that I have the same degree (Masters of Divinity) as many full elders, but my degree, while from a fully accredited seminary, is from a non United Methodist senate approved school. How long will the UMC continue to overlook this social justice issue in its own system? Faithful UMC pastors of all varieties deserve a full seat at the table. I have decided to leave the UMC because I want to be fully included and have a full voice and vote.

A second reason I have decided to leave the UMC is that it has broken its own rules and doctrines. I grew up in a denomination that had a congregational system. That meant that even though the sign on the outside had the same name, each congregation could practice drastically different things. Some practiced open communion, others closed. Some allowed female pastors and leaders, others did not. Church constitutions and bylaws varied greatly from congregation to congregation. I loved that the UMC had one Book of Discipline to govern all of its denomination, clergy, and congregations, from the largest to the smallest. I knew that every UMC church was playing by the same rules. I knew that every congregation I served as a UMC Clergy would have a Committee on Lay Leadership, Finance Committee, Trustees Committee and Staff Parish Relations Committee. Why? Because these committees are mandated by the UMC Book of Discipline. Another thing mandated by the Book of Discipline are the vows UMC elders take including “6. Do you know the General Rules of our Church? 7. Will you keep them? 8. Have you studied the doctrines of The United Methodist Church? 9. After full examination, do you believe that our doctrines are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures? 10. Will you preach and maintain them? 11. Have you studied our form of Church discipline and polity? 12. Do you approve our Church government and polity? 13. Will you support and maintain them?” Yet, there are some, albeit a relative few, who have decided not to keep the vows they have willingly taken. To me, as one has moved from one denomination to another, if you do not agree with the theological position of the denomination where you are, you can go to another that more closely fits what you believe. I did. I believe, and still do, that women are as capable pastors as men. I believe that the Bible is the Holy Word of God, but it was written in another place and time and should not be interpreted literally. Yet, many in the UMC are instead seeking to change the long held principles and beliefs of a majority of the denomination, or, even worse in my opinion, they are ignoring them and violating the vows they have taken. There are proper channels to change the doctrines and discipline of the UMC. But when those have failed, some have placed themselves above what the church has said it believes and how we should act as followers of Jesus without repercussion. The UMC has become the Wild West where our doctrines and discipline mean little and we are reliving the days of the Judges when “everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:4 NLT). The breaking of our vows and the intentional violation of our rules without repercussion is another reason I have decided to leave the UMC.

A third reason I have decided to leave the UMC is that the itinerant, or appointment system of clergy, is broken. As one guaranteed an appointment in the UMC, that comes with a caveat. It means I could be moved anywhere within the conference. I do have freedom to accept or decline that appointment, and I have said no to an appointment in the past, but I also know that to do so could have repercussions for me personally and professionally. The itinerant system worked OK (for the most part) when the clergy person, usually a male, was single or the wife was a homemaker and did not work outside the home and every church had a parsonage. (That is not to minimize the importance or hard work involved in being a stay at home mom or even dad- those roles are difficult and vital.) Today, it is rare for the spouse of the clergy person to not work outside of the home. Accepting a new appointment means packing up, moving to a new city, and my spouse having to find a new job at who knows what salary level. While we don’t have children, children moving schools, making new friends, and all the other factors such as finding new doctors and dentists and hair dressers only complicate the itineracy process. All parsonages are not created equal. We have been blessed to live in some nice homes in nice neighborhoods. But we have also lived in some not-so-well maintained homes in not-so-nice neighborhoods. While itineracy may have worked ok in the past, I think its day has come and gone and a new way of making appointments needs to take its place.

While the UMC was once of the largest denominations, it has experienced rapid decline, especially in the United States. We have seen that in Louisiana. This table from http://www.umdata.org/Default.aspx shows that in less than 10 years (from 2012-2021) membership in the Louisiana Conference has declined from over 120,935 to 102,823. That’s a loss of 18,112 persons or 15% of members in less than 10 years. Attendance has declined from 41,185 to 19,942, 21,243 people less or a 52% loss in 10 years. When I came into the Louisiana Conference in 1999 there were over 500 churches. Today through closure, disaffiliation, or merger this 2023 appointment list here https://louisiana.brtapp.com/files/appointments/appointments+-+as+of+jan.+1%2c+2023+(edit+for+website).pdf shows there are only 383 UMC churches in Louisiana. A net loss of over 100 churches in only 24 years. That does not count the 68 churches that disaffiliated in 2022 or the 95 that disaffiliated in 2023. Are there many reasons for this? Yes. Communities change, a hurricane changes the landscape forever, people move away and don’t return, a worldwide pandemic and so many others. But there are people in each of those communities who need to know Jesus and who are not in church on a Sunday morning. I fear that United Methodism has lost its original Wesleyan purpose to “spread scriptural holiness across the land” and its evangelistic zeal to share the good news of Jesus with others. Of the appointments I have served, mostly in rural communities and small towns, only 1 has experienced growth. Most, like many churches in the UMC, have seen, at best, plateaued attendance, or decline. Yes, that likely says something about me as a pastor. It says something about the churches I have served and the communities in which they are located. Instead of “keeping the main thing the main thing” as one Bishop who served Louisiana said, we have lost our way and watched while our churches and denomination continues its decline.

You may have noticed that I have not mentioned the “H” word. I want my homosexual friends and family to know first of all that I love them and that I believe God loves them also. You are welcome at my house, at my table, and, my prayer is, that you will be welcomed at the churches I serve. I am a traditionalist, but not that kind of traditionalist. I believe homosexuality to be sin, but I also know I am a sinner in need of God’s grace. I believe all of us to be in the same boat- sinners in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I also believe that, despite protestations to the contrary, there will be little place for traditionalists in the post-separation/post-splinter UMC. I actually hope I am wrong about this. One of the things that attracted me to the UMC was the idea that we didn’t have to agree on everything to agree on the most important things. I know I am often wrong. It’s part of my broken human condition. The Bible calls it sin. I know what an emotional issue this is for me and for many. I can see both sides. I agree with those who say this is not the only issue that is “incompatible with scripture.” I know my own sin and know that they are just as “incompatible with scripture.” I also agree with those who say there is no support for a homosexual lifestyle in scripture. At least there is none that I can find. For many years I have tried and have been able with some success to stand in the middle. But now it seems that there is no place to stand in the middle. Sides must be chosen. And to be known as a traditionalist in a post separation UMC, could be a very difficult place to be. I hope the UMC will prove me wrong on this account also.

I am grateful for the churches I have served, the friends and colleagues who have supported me throughout the years. I don’t wish ill for the UMC. Actually, I hope and pray that the UMC will thrive. But, right now, I believe God is calling me to leave the United Methodist Church and take a different direction. For all these reasons and more, I have made the difficult decision to leave the UMC.

On December 11, 2021, a group of us from Grace UMC attended the Ruston Christmas Parade in Downtown Ruston, meeting in the lot of one of our local businesses located on the parade route. As a ministry to the community, our youth and children brought several 5 gallon containers full of hot chocolate, cups, marshmallows, and other goodies to serve and give away to those who attended the parade. It happened to be a rare chilly night in December of 2021, so our hot chocolate stand was a busy place. Several people passing by asked us how much we were charging and were pleasantly surprised when we said it was free. One person seemed to have such trouble accepting our gift that she asked if she could leave a donation, though we were unprepared for such a response and had not brought anything to receive her gracious offer.

This got me to thinking (always a dangerous thing), why do we have such trouble accepting a free gift? Probably like many of you, I remember my High School economics class which openly taught that “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” Likely, we are afraid accepting a “free” gift has strings attached or that it will leave us in the debt of the one who gives which must be paid back at a later date. We know from past experience that it is rare that a gift is truly free.

Yet, the Bible clearly tells us that this is the gift God offers us. Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”. Romans 6:23 writes “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What seems to be clear from these verses is that our salvation can never be earned or bought, it is the gift of God. But for it to truly be a gift, the gift must be unwrapped, accepted and put to use. So it is with the gift of God. We must accept the gift of Jesus, the salvation he offers, and put it to work in our lives and in our world.

But my economics teacher was right- “there is no free lunch”. We know that this free gift to us came at a high price for God- the gift of his only Son, Emmanuel-God with us, Jesus, the Christ. This one whose birth we celebrate at Christmas grew to be a man like us, lived among us, then died and was resurrected to offer us the gift of salvation. There was no other way. We could never be good enough or pay enough to achieve salvation for ourselves. Jesus truly gave us the best gift, his very life, death, and resurrection to bring God’s salvation to us.

In this season of giving and receiving of gifts, I hope you will receive gifts joyfully and with awe that someone loved you enough to spend the time and money to give the gift. Most of all, I pray that you will receive the most important gift of all, accepting, following, and sharing the gift of Jesus Christ with the whole world. Oh, and don’t forget to accept that free gift of hot chocolate (I like mine with a few marshmallows) that reminds us of so many other gifts that God has given to us, especially His son, Jesus Christ!

( Author’s note: this post was written for and first published in May 2021 FUMC Winnfield newsletter “The Cross and Tower.)

As a youngster, I spent time each summer with my grandparents in the Lake Charles area. It was always fun and I have many great memories of time spent with them. Of course, one of my favorite things to do while visiting was to go fishing. My maternal grandparents, Nevada and Elmer Blount, would load their tan Nissan pickup truck, hook up the 14 foot Jon boat with a 25 HP Mariner motor, and make the 30-45 minute drive south to Cameron Parish to fish the Big Burns marsh off of LA Hwy 27.

This was always a great trip because we would put in on the Intercoastal Canal and then had a several mile run to the cut which would take us back into the marsh. Along the way we would pass huge barges and tugboats. Once we got into the marsh, we would encounter these floating islands of weeds in the middle of the water! They were so thick that birds could walk on them. But don’t get out of the boat and try it, for a person would most likely fall through. These floating weeds were called “flotant (pronounced “flow tawnt”) by the locals (and was sometimes referred to as “la prairie tremblante,” or, trembling prairie; also called quaking prairie), because it is a floating marsh that is not anchored to the ground beneath. It consists of tightly entangled plants and their roots, mixed with peat; typically there is water flowing below it, then some oozing soil, then clay. Patches of it may occur within normal marsh, and from the surface, it looks like any other marsh. If one steps on flotant marsh, one will feel like he/she is standing on a water bed. As one steps around, waves of grass spread outward from each step. It is tempting to jump up and down, but the flotant is rarely thick enough and one usually ends up falling through.” (source: http://www.americaswetlandresources.com/background_facts/detailedstory/habitat.html)

This world is full of flotant. Not literally, but it is full of shaky ground. Ground that won’t hold up when the storms and rain come. How do we find solid ground?

Finding solid ground is difficult for adults, it can be even more difficult for our young people. For the last 2 months, seven young people have been going through a process called confirmation. Confirmation means “with firmness” and is an opportunity for each young person to decide to accept Jesus Christ for himself or herself and become a professing member of the church by publicly professing his or her faith in Jesus. It is an opportunity for young people that were baptized as an infant to fulfill the promise to “accept God’s grace for themselves, to profess their faith openly, and to lead a Christian life” (United Methodist Hymnal, p. 40.) If the young person has not been baptized, confirmation is an opportunity to publicly profess their faith in Christ and to be baptized as a follower of Christ.
Through the eight weeks of confirmation we have studied creation, crisis, covenant, Jesus Christ, the church, practiced spiritual disciplines, read the entire Gospel of Mark, and much more! I am very proud of these young men and women and the decision that they have made to stand on solid ground by following Jesus. Please join us on May 2 during the 11 AM service as these young people take a stand and take their vows to follow Jesus and to become a member of the church. A reception and dinner for them and their families will follow in the FLC after worship during First Sunday Lunch (please bring a side dish or dessert). You will also have an opportunity to write them a note to tell them that you are proud of them and will continue to pray for them, or even bring your own card from home.

Join us on May 2 and join these young people standing on the solid ground of Jesus Christ. Maybe the old hymn says it best- “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.” (My Hope Is Built- United Methodist Hymnal #368)

Standing on Solid Ground,

Kevin Smith