Petition Text: 22455-GJ-NonDis-O

Understanding Petition Numbers

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We petition the 1996 General Conference of The United Methodist Church to change the "exit procedure" for persons in positions of leadership with the Church that profess to be homosexuals. ¶ 71F of our Book of Discipline clearly states that we do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider it incompatible with Christian teaching.

While agreeing that homosexuals need our prayers and that God's grace is available to all, we cannot allow them to hold places of leadership with our Church. We should fill our leadership positions with people who have Godly wisdom and integrity. Those who violate God's natural plan (Romans 1) should not be in leadership roles. In Titus 1:5-9, most of the qualifications listed involve the elder's character, not his knowledge or skill. A person's lifestyle and relationships provide a picture of his/her true character.

Therefore, based upon the recent statement of Jeannie C. Powers, a national United Methodist leader, in which she professes to be a homosexual, we petition the General Conference to immediately change the exit procedure so that this leadership can be filled with someone who agrees and abides by God's law and our own Book of Discipline

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Petition Text: 22455-GJ-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference