Subcommittee Report and Findings
Approved by Governance Board on March 19, 2023
Many of you have been in prayer for months about the United Methodist question of human sexuality found within our Book of Discipline and whether we should stay in the United Methodist Church or affiliate with another denomination. We know that our members are faithful people who are trying to live out God’s will for their lives.
Unlike some other churches, the pastoral staff and the Governance Board of Broadmoor UMC did not “push” a viewpoint, realizing that the pastors and the governance board represent the whole church, regardless of the members’ or pastors’ views on this question. We have been listening to your comments about this decision for almost a year now, many through informal conversations. Beyond these conversations we decided to more formally gauge the sentiments of the congregation through the use of a simple survey in small group settings.
The survey questions gave us an indication where our membership stood on the human sexuality issue, which is the focus of the disaffiliation actions under Paragraph 2553. Our goal was to discern if 2/3 of our membership would potentially vote to disaffiliate.
The conversations and surveys show us that there is not a sufficient number of people who want to disaffiliate to reach the 2/3 vote requirement. It is the recommendation of the subcommittee not to seek a congregation-wide vote.
Findings
In looking at the chart below, it will be helpful to know that the average church attendance (of all ages) in January-February 2023 was 248, and the total number of people who attended the Listening and Learning sessions was 208. We are proud of our membership, who turned out in impressive numbers to participate in the Listening and Learning sessions. The informal comments made to the Governance Board and the answers to the survey indicating a desire to stay, all support the fact that our church will not meet the threshold needed to disaffiliate.
Congregational Communications
Following the July 2022 appointment of our new senior pastor, Wybra Price, informal discussions among the Governance Board members took place regarding the issues facing the United Methodist Church. Members of the Governance Board along with consultation from our pastors began discussions regarding the UM status process with our District Superintendent, Tom Dolph, in early October of 2022.
The Governance Board was updated with the latest information regarding this issue and how other churches were moving forward. From that discussion, it was determined that a subcommittee of the Governance Board volunteers was needed to study the issue, develop a communication plan, and report their findings back to the Governance Board.
The first step in our church-wide communication was to inform our congregation of our plans. In late November and early December of 2022, a message was sent to the congregation (via a letter and an email) informing them of the formation of the subcommittee and that we were entering a period of “listening” during the Advent season. A special email address was created that would allow for questions to be posed and answered by the subcommittee members. A mail-in option was included. This information was prominently reported in the December 8th version of the Messenger.
From November 2022 through February 2023, 41 emails were received by the Governance Board email account. Within those emails, there were 23 members that posed questions, shared comments or shared links to outside sources. From this, we were able to post 23 questions and answers on our website.
After Advent and based upon some of the questions received, the subcommittee determined that a comprehensive explanatory statement was needed by the congregation. On January 31st a complete packet of information was assembled and made available at all three welcome desks along with FAQ’s regarding the subject. An alert of their availability was emailed to all members who are subscribed to our eblast. A reminder about our Listening and Learning sessions was again emailed on February 21st and on February 23rd. This information was also posted to the BUMC website on January 31st and that page of the website has had 101 views through February 28th.
During January and February, the small group meetings and references to the available packets and web information was communicated on three Sundays in all three services and provided to our virtual worshipers as well.
The subcommittee sought invitations to every small group, including Sunday School classes, to present information and to allow time for questions. This led to the subcommittee presenting to 15 active small groups. These Listening and Learning sessions took place from January 15th through March 5th.
Survey Results and Findings
Over the last 2 months, the Governance Board UM Status subcommittee (GBS), completed at total of 15 Listening and Learning sessions. At the completion of each session the GBS asked each group to complete a 4-question survey, which is attached at the end of this report. The results of the surveys are reflected below.
The first question relates to the age demographics of the responding surveys. It is noted that over 62.5% of the respondents are over the age of 60, with the largest percentage of respondents in the 70-79 age range at 26%.
The second survey question was in regard to membership. Of the responding surveys, 188 were from existing members, 12 were non-members, and 8 persons abstained from voting. On percentage basis, 90% of the survey respondents were current members of BUMC.
The third question addresses the sexuality issue and respondents’ views as it relates to staying United Methodist. Approximately 85% of those responding said they could stay United Methodist regardless of the sexuality language within the Book of Discipline (BOD). Of that 85%, 49% responding with supporting LGBTQ within UM but would stay regardless of the language within the BOD. An additional 36% did not support changing the LGBTQ language within the BOD but would stay UM regardless of changes. Only 15% of survey respondents reported that they would leave if there was a change in the BOD.
The fourth question within the survey inquired if the respondent planned on remaining at BUMC with the information that was known to date. There was clear support to remain BUMC with 76% responding in the affirmative.
The last data point that the GBS wanted to review was to make sure we had a meaningful statistical sampling with the survey results. As stated previously, the GBS made every effort to encourage participation within a small group or in one of the Listing and Learning sessions. In January and February 2023, the average worship attendance (of all ages) was 248. The GBS collected 208 surveys through the Listening and Learning sessions. Total “Stay” votes as a percentage of average worship attendance was 64% based on average January and February worship attendance.
We are proud of the way that our membership has remained respectful and loving towards those with a different view from theirs. We also recognize that, just like we love and respect others who go to different denomination churches, we also love and respect those within the UMC who have different views about God’s will for their lives. We have all worshiped side-by-side for many years and hope to do so for many more. But if you feel God is leading you to make a change, please know that we will still hold you in our hearts. We all need to assess where we can best serve God and be disciples of Christ, and we hope that the answer is at Broadmoor UMC Shreveport.
Sub-committee members,
Rev. Dr. Wybra Price
David Simon
Kenny Beauvais
Sue Ottesen
Stacey Hargis
Gay Gaskins
Steve Lindsey
