DALLAS — Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas on Sunday will self-appoint two LGBTQ+ staff members to pastor positions after their requests for appointments were rejected by the bishop of North Texas.
The Rev. Rachel Baughman will appoint Isabel Marquez and Ryan Wager, staff members at Oak Lawn UMC who respectively identify as lesbian and gay, without the authorization of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.
The act is considered “civil disobedience” and defiance against the church. Unlike other denominations, bishops within the Methodist church traditionally appoint local and elder pastors to serve a congregation. The move comes as the Methodist church formally splits over the issue of LGBTQ+ marriage.
