| Seeking unity, not uniformity, from General Conference By Kathryn Johnson I celebrate the hopeful vision shared on the last morning of General Conference as delegates stood and affirmed a commitment to working for unity within The United Methodist Church.
The speech by a delegate who stood and spoke for the 'middle' of the church was particularly moving. It is largely in our local churches, in the middle if you will, that the ministry of the church takes place. In local churches, United Methodists successfully build bridges across theological, doctrinal and ideological differences in order to be in ministry together day in and day out. I pray that the unity we seek as a church will be genuine and that our efforts to achieve that unity will be authentic. One step toward that unity occurred on Friday morning, May 7, when General Conference voted to acknowledge our common mission even in the midst of disagreement. Earlier, General Conference had voted against at least two resolutions that would have acknowledged that 'faithful Christians disagree' on matters related to sexual orientation. I remain deeply disappointed that delegates did not acknowledge that deep divisions exist, and that faithful Christians stand on both sides of the divide. I believe that until we acknowledge our differences on sexual orientation, as well as our theological and doctrinal differences, we will never be able to achieve authentic unity. Authentic unity does not come from uniformity of opinion. Authentic unity comes from working together for common goals and respecting and honoring our differences in the process. In order to achieve unity, we must be open and honest in our words and actions, and we must hold one another accountable. Over the past weeks and months, the Methodist Federation for Social Action has examined any culpability we have had in the divisiveness within the church. We have worked hard to develop gbwc_superuserelines about the way in which we hold our vision for the church before people. We hope this was visible in our witness during General Conference.  | MELISSA LAUBER/UMCONNECTION | A broken communion chalice symbolizes the brokenness of The United Methodist Church. |
It was our intention to witness in ways that reflect respect, openness and honesty. This is not to say that we do not feel passionately about the issues for which we advocate. We do. It is to say that we are committed to remaining open realizing that we must listen intently to those with whom we differ to better reflect Gods revelation to us through all who seek Gods will. We appreciate the fact that the Rev. Bill Hinson, president of the Confessing Movement, was held accountable for his actions. His statements at a breakfast on May 6, the day before General Conference ended, stating his convictions that divisions within the church cannot be bridged and a press conference later that day where these same convictions were articulated, was soundly repudiated by a vote of over 95 percent of the delegates. The delegates to General Conference have overwhelmingly given a mandate to United Methodists to work together in common mission. I look forward to further clarity from the leaders of the conservative groups related to the issues of separation. They appear to have joined in the spirit of unity on the last day of General Conference, and yet some continue to plan for schism. The Methodist Federation for Social Action has provided a prophetic voice for justice since 1907. By the time we gather again at General Conference 2008, MFSA will have celebrated 100 years of faithful witness in the church. We look forward to lending our voices and our vision to The United Methodist Church for the next 100 years as together we serve as vehicles for Gods justice, mercy and love. The Rev. Kathryn Johnson is executive director of The Methodist Federation for Social Action, and attends Dumbarton UMC in Washington. | 
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