In 2004, Beth Stroud was removed from her position as a United Methodist Church pastor after revealing she was in a same-sex relationship to her congregation.
Now, after a historic Methodist conference that enshrined rights for LGBT members in church rules, Stroud has been reinstated to her position after two decades of faithful waiting.
Pastor Reinstated
During a meeting of clergy in the Eastern Pennsylvania region of the United Methodist Church, the vote to confirm Stroud as a full member reportedly exceeded a two-thirds threshold.
The meeting was behind closed doors and officially reinstated Stroud as a member and United Methodist Church Pastor.
Stroud’s Reaction
After the vote was held, Stroud was summoned into the room, feeling overcome with emotion at the news.
“I was completely disoriented,” Stroud told The Associated Press via email. “For what felt like several minutes I couldn’t tell where the front of the room was, where I was, where I needed to go. Everyone was clapping and then they started singing. The bishop asked me quietly if I wanted to say anything and I said I couldn’t.”
Welcomed Outcome
John Schol, Bishop of Eastern Pennsylvania, was thrilled with the vote outcome, expressing his encouragement about the new openness of the church.
“I’m grateful that the church has opened up to LGBTQ persons,” said Schol. The United Methodist Church had just ratified new rules weeks prior, guaranteeing full rights for LGBT members.
Out of Time
Stroud described how it felt to be kept waiting for so long, likening it to a “time-out.”
“At one point outside the meeting, one of the candidates for ordination this year said, “Oh, waiting outside. I feel like I’ve been put in time out.” And I said, “I’ve been in time out for 20 years,” said Stroud.
Life Disruption
Stroud told AP News about how the experience of being ousted from her position disrupted her life, but still chose to continue on with the church.
“The first thing I felt was just anger — thinking about the life I could have had,” Stroud told the AP at the time. “I loved being a pastor. I was good at it. With 20 more years of experience, I could have been very good — helped a lot of people and been very fulfilled.”
Time in Between
Since she was defrocked as a pastor, she spent years in graduate schools, overcoming challenges while learning on a modest income.
Stroud experienced a fight with cancer and also underwent a divorce from her wife, who had a daughter. However, Stroud didn’t give up on the church.
Not Ready to Return
Although Stroud is overjoyed by the news, she told AP that she doesn’t immediately plan to return to being a full-time member of the clergy.
Currently, she has a job teaching writing at Princeton University and will be starting as an assistant professor of Christian history at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio soon.
UMC Conference
In May, the United Methodist Church held a large delegate conference in Charlotte, North Carolina primarily focused on examining its long-enduring anti-LGBT policies.
One of these policies was a ban on members of the church becoming clergy, which has stood for 40 years.
LGBT Ban
The United Methodist Church, the second largest US protestant denomination, has been divided recently over the restrictions of LGBT and same-sex marriage.
In the past four years, 7,600 congregations left the United Methodist Church, including 5,600 in 2023 over disagreements with loosening restrictions for LGBT members.
Emotions High
After the historic vote, which created guidelines for members based on the inclusivity of gender, race, ethnicity, and more, people were overcome with emotion.
“I have loved this church, even when it didn’t quite know how to love me back. I loved it because it was a vessel of God’s grace, in spite of its flaws,” said Karen Oliveto, the church’s first openly gay and married Bishop. “I loved it still even when it suddenly made God’s love conditional through harmful language about LGBTQ people and the way it sought to limit our role in its life and ministry.”
Work Still to Be Done
While the conference was cause for celebration for many LGBT advocates and members, Oliveto feels that the fight is not over, and that people will need to work together to protect each other.
“Today, we celebrate this historic vote,” Oliveto said. “Tomorrow, we will continue to work together. To learn from one another. To stand with one another. To continue to widen the circle so that those on the margins of church and society can find a home.”
