When Benjamin Hutchison was hired as a pastor at Cassopolis United Methodist Church in Southwest Michigan, the church was on the verge of shutting.
Attendance had dried up, and if a big change didn’t come, the doors might have shut for good.
Hutchinson ended up being that change, quadrupling the church’s numbers in the first eight weeks he preached. But he also did more than that, attending regular county and village meetings and truly connecting with his community beyond the pulpit.
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When it was discovered that Hutchinson had married his male partner, church officials told him he was “unfit” to lead the congregation. He was fired the same day.
Now that same congregation — the one he built — is speaking out in Hutchinson’s defense.
“This church was dying when he came here, they weren’t far from closing the doors. It was real close. He came in, worked on it, got people to come…He brought life back into that church,” said Kevin Hershberger, a church member.
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“His message was, it’s in the Book of Discipline that we’ve got open doors to everybody. We welcome everybody, apparently, except for the pastor,” he continued.
Another church goer, James Solloway, told Fox 7: “He’s a great guy, the community will suffer a great loss with him gone. What his personal life is his personal business.”
And while we find it moving (not to mention promising) that a congregation would speak out in support of their gay pastor, we also have to wonder: Why would they choose to stay at the church if they don’t believe in its moral code? Isn’t that what belonging to a church is all about?
It almost starts to sound like a battered spouse defending their partner. “He may not treat me right, and sure he hurts me every now and then, but gosh darn’it if I can’t stay away from those big blue eyes.”
gaym50ish
He needs to change denominations. The MCC or the United Church of Christ would welcome a pastor like him. Let the Methodists wallow in their declining numbers.
Ladbrook
Ugh… this is more a reflection on the larger UMC than on the local members, apparently. If the minister is a committed Christian and wants to lead a church, then he should form one. There’s no law against non-denominational Christian churches. We have 9 or 10 here and this is a very small town. Some are liberal, some aren’t, but they make their own decisions and don’t rely on some national board to tell them how to run their organizations.
Hopefully, he and his husband (yea!!! congrats!!!) will land on their feet.
Jon Mackey
Screw that church start his own .
Ken Nolan
The local UMC doesn’t “hire or fire” the pastor. The pastor is appointed to the church by the bishop, who is over all the churches in the conference.
Guy068
When I was a Methodist as a kid we had a minister who didn’t believe in the Holy Spirit. It’s never been a very evangelical denomination and looks to have gone even further downhill…
Xzamilio
I still am confused as to how religion has managed to persist in modern times… especially when it’s clear that these are just man-made ideologies that change and vary within the same religion. Yeah, just change denominations… because when push comes to shove, just line up with the version that you agree with, instead of actually looking at the core of what the belief system is based on… Christianity and Islam have been whittled down to “systems” that are devoid of facts and try to divert from the woo woo supernatural BS that would make a logical thinking person go “Ummm, I don’t think this stuff makes any sense.”
Joshua Anthony Villegas
He looks like a kind hearted man. I hope he finds what he’s looking for. As for his congregation: how much more obvious does the moral ambiguity of their church have to be for them to realize what they did to their leader was wrong?
Tony Chaplinski
no pleasing some people
Hector Pagan
Screw that church !!ð??¡ start a new one
Paul Bennett
It wasn’t the local congregation who did this. It was the Bishop of that area I believe. It is so sad. He should be judged on the good work he has been doing serving and growing that congregation.
aliengod
Maybe if the members put enough pressure on the bishop, he’ll change the policy. If not, the pastor should go to an MCC church.
Ogre Magi
Why would any gay man want to associate with a religion that has spent the past 2000 years persecuting his own kind
Bill Stewart
Shameful
Dan Steele
I’d be interested to see how quickly he’s start his own and build it up to a national name
Mack
In less than 6 months we’ll hear how that church closed it doors. It would be nice if he opened a church, Non-Denominational Church and all the former members of his other church came to him. These “organized” religions are just B-t S–T crazy.
Atomicrob
Simply is illustrative of how utterly ignorant most people are regarding gays and lesbians. They stereotype, claiming gays can’t hold deeply religious convictions . . . lots of stupid people in this country. . . .
Rick Whittles
So very sad…….he will come out stronger…..the church has stated that it will review it’s policies at the next annual meeting in 2016……hopefully the congregation can rally support for change? Really feel for the guy….he must have worked his butt off!
Kevin J Desmond
Get rid of the bishop instead !!!
Damon Robbins
It was a United Methodist Church
Captain Obvious
@Hector Pagan: This!
I say that about every organization who treats us wrong. People fought so hard to get gay men back into the boy scouts instead of just starting a new organization that starts off with respect and good values. One that would be safer for gay kids and not just gay scout leaders.
Now we have this church… start a new one. One that is open and helps gay people in the community. Screw that phony and clearly hateful church. It almost fell apart for a reason and without him it will be right back on the course it started on.
Robert Gomez
Thank god for Christians.
Non Judging dam souls that they are.
The Inquisition is going to look like a walk on the moon soon.
BlueDude
“God is on the move!” You’ll see. I believe He’s tired of the bigoted, hateful, so-called “christians” and their BS. This young minister is going to do some noteworthy good in this community, or elsewhere.
David Edman
Perhaps he can transfer to the Pacific Northwest Conference where we have a very progressive and loving Bishop.
charlieeod74
@Paul Bennett: screw that bishop, there is no christian love reflected in his/her actions
Finrod
@BlueDude: “God is on the move!”
Wasn’t that Aslan?
Kurt Gahan
Come to the ELCA
Will Glitzern
And they wonder why church attendance is suffering…
Elvis Aaron
Sad
Ivan Alberto Lugo
LMAO and they call themself Christians what a joke!!!
Xzamilio
@BlueDude: They’ve been murdering LGBT people for centuries and Christianity and Islam followers continue to persecute LGBT people in many countries around the world. “He’s” had a long damn time to be tired of shit… why start caring because a gay pastor was fired? Those murdered people in Africa and the Middle East weren’t enough?
Call me an ass all you want, but if you’re going to assert that, have your own argument.
Xzamilio
Other religions have as well… so let me just intercept that “It’s not just them” non sequitur
Jason Bertalotto
The attendance is down and the hateful temperature rises!
Denis Antler Blanchette
sad
Michael Waxer
and people wonder why the church is dying. He should go to an Episcopal or ELCA Reconciled Lutheran Church. One has to wonder if the UMC will even be around 10 years from now.
offbeatoh86
I don’t remember a chapter of the Bible called the Book of Discipline.
Transiteer
I’m encouraged by the fact that the church’s parishioners had abandoned it to the point of it nearly closing it’s doors. It should have. Judging by their ‘Christian charitable’ outlook, the doors should be nailed shut. I’m also encouraged by the rapidly declining numbers of people attending churches at all. The Two fastest growing “religions” are a. Atheism (no judgmentalism here), and b. Buddhism (no deity and no judgmentalism here either). Religion is the base for hate, for bigotry and for violence towards others. Join one or the other and help your fellow man – either Atheist or Buddhist – far better and more rewarding. I think the “church” has shown just how deserving it is of extinction.
Gary Hecklinger
Horrible!! This goes on all over the U.S. I also was fired once because I am gay… There will be a new community that will need him and will turn out to be the best thing ever.. I feel like the hate will always be there no matter what..
dai
@offbeatoh86: “The Book of Discipline” is the name of the book of the doctrines and policies of the United Methodist Church.
Glücklich
That’s a good-looking pastor.
Jan Baxter
I know a great open & affirming UCC church in Dallas that will be looking for a new pastor if he’s interested! They could use his help.
BlueDude
@Xzamilio: Actually, I do believe you’re probably just a miserable know-it-all, who has to rebuff anyone else’s opinion not in agreement with your own.
Redpalacebulleaglesox
I am a Member at Large of the Church of St Paul & St Andrew (UM) Council, which is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation located on the Upper West Side of NYC. Our church has been a member of Reconciling Ministries Network, the full inclusion organization within the UMC, for nearly 30 years. The following is my e-mail to the Presiding Bishop of the Annual Conference who is the immediate superior of the District Superintendent who took this outrageous and shameful action against Rev. Hutchison. Please know that there are Christians who are revulsed and ashamed of what happened and are continuously fighting against this and other most un-Christian of actions taken by those who place their personal agenda ahead of God’s. The subject of this e-mail is, “Above All, Do No Harm,” which you will find addressed in the body of the message.
Dear Bishop Kiesey:
The actions taken against Reverend Benjamin Hutchison, an ordained Minister of
Word and Sacrament, by a District Superintendent under your charge are
unconscionable, un-Christian and violate the teachings of Jesus, God the
Redeemer and the founder of modern Methodism, John Wesley, who instructed all of
us to, “Above all, do no harm.” How can any person calling themselves a leader
of a Christian community deny the calling of an effective servant of God based
on the sole basis of what that person may be. I am Jewish by birth and
Christian by choice. I am the son of a Holocaust survivor and the cousin of one
of the first murdered at Dachau Concentration Camp in May, 1933 as documented by
the Wansee Conference House Museum, Berlin. My cousin was a Jew, and active
political opponent of the Nazis and gay. How can I, the descendant of these
people, ever allow the likes of you to minister to me? The answer is, you are
not qualified to do so nor is your so-called District Superintendent. You have
offended God’s Holy Word by your actions. You have also failed to follow the
example of a saint of the United Methodist Church, Bishop Martin D. McLee of the
New York Annual Conference, who set a precedent by ending all trials in this
conference and resorting to the loving example of Just Resolution. You, and
your District Superintendent, have offended the memory of this true servant of
both God and God’s Church by your hateful actions directed at Rev. Hutchison.
You have placed an interpretation of the Book of Discipline, a product of the
broken creation made whole solely through the unconditional and universal gift
of grace by God by the coming of God among us as Jesus, God the Redeemer, above
the true Word of God.
You also offend the memory of another saint of the United Methodist Church,
Reverend Dr. Earl H. Cunningham, my father in law, a minister of great renown in
the East Ohio Conference. At his funeral in 2002, Bishop Jonathan Keaton asked
the question, “Where is Earl?” My answer in this instance is he is now before
God bewailing that members of the hierarchy of the United Methodist Church
continue to deny God’s unconditional and universal love for the entirety of
God’s creation and thus separate themselves from God and place themselves in
Hell. He is in frenzied prayer that you will see the grievous error of your
ways and reverse the harm that has already been done. How shall the torture you
have inflicted upon his immortal soul be slaked? My wife, Rev. Cunningham’s
daughter Ruth Ann, fully agrees and supports these words.
I am certain you will point out that the General Conference is the sole arbiter
of the Book of Discipline, this product of the broken creation made whole solely
by the unconditional and universal gift of grace by God by God’s coming among us
as Jesus, God the Redeemer and that you are “bound” to support its provisions.
You have a higher calling, to God’s Holy Word, which commands all of us to love
God with all our heart, soul and might. We are all also commanded to love our
neighbors as ourselves, to judge not lest we be judged and that we must be
without sin before we cast a stone. Are you without sin? Is your District
Superintendent?
You are now on the clock. Do not let it be said that you have been weighed on
the scales of humane justice and been found wanting.
Kenneth H Barr
Member, Church of St Paul & St Andrew (United Methodist), Methodists in New
Directions, Reconciling Ministries Network and The Human Race
[email protected]
55 Payson Avenue #2D
New York, NY 10034
Redpalacebulleaglesox
I should explain that in the United Methodist Church, a saint is anyone who is dead and served the church during their lifetime. There is no formal canonization.
alanh1249
go get your job back
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, created to enforce and implement the 1964 Civil Rights Act, ruled this week that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal.
The ruling states that employers who discriminate against LGBT workers are violating Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination “based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.”
It’s a new interpretation of the law with wide-reaching potential.
Xzamilio
@BlueDude: I notice you didn’t rebut a single thing I said. It’s not being a know-it-all… it’s confronting bad logic. And your logic is bad and dismissive of reality.
BigG
Religion is the downfall and the cause of all the problems in the world. Such a stupid pointless waste of time. The world would be a better place without it.
Billysees
@Rick Whittles:
” So very sad…….he will come out stronger…..the church has stated that it will review it’s policies at the next annual meeting in 2016……hopefully the congregation can rally support for change? Really feel for the guy….he must have worked his butt off! ”
Good comment.
@Michael Waxer:
” and people wonder why the church is dying. He should go to an Episcopal or ELCA Reconciled Lutheran Church. One has to wonder if the UMC will even be around 10 years from now. ”
Another good comment.
jbqueernews04
The Methodist pastor out of Colorado – Rob Renfroe – is behind this whole hostile movement – regardless of where the church in question is.