BETH STROUD '91 TO APPEAL LOSS OF ORDINATION

Former United Methodist minister Beth Stroud '91, who was defrocked in early December by a jury of clergy that found her to be a "self-avowed, practicing homosexual," has decided to appeal the verdict.

Stroud announced Dec. 27 that she will put her case before the United Methodist Church's Northeastern Jurisdictional Committee on Appeals. Appeals from that body go to the U.M.C.'s highest appellate court, the Judicial Council.

Stroud will be represented at the appellate hearing by a clergy person of her choice, assisted by five volunteer lawyers who belong to her congregation. Her counsel will assert that errors in the trial court's application of church law led to an unfair trial.

If the appeal is successful, it could lead to a new trial. In the meantime, Stroud's Philadelphia congregation, First United Methodist Church of Germantown, continues to employ her as a lay minister.

The appeal petition argues that the court erred in polling jurors before the trial as to their willingness to uphold the specific paragraph of the church's Book of Discipline that was referenced in the charge, rather than church law as a whole.

Stroud's defense had contended that the paragraph in question contradicts other provisions of church law that stress the church's inclusiveness.

The court did not permit Stroud's defense team to present that argument to the jury. That decision, too, was a mistake, Stroud's team argues.

The appeals committee has not yet scheduled a hearing in the case.

Because church trials are rare and the appeals process is seldom invoked, Stroud and her legal team face even more uncertainty than the typical appellant in a secular court. But Stroud has some experience with the vagaries of the church's legal process.

"I hesitated before taking this step," she said in an interview, "because it has already been a lengthy and arduous process. But what happened in the trial was a lot of listening and growth. I think that many people who participated were prompted to reconsider their positions on church law. Continuing the process can help the church reach clarity on this issue — and on whether this is where it wants to be."

If Stroud's appeal fails, she will be unable to regain her credentials unless the United Methodist Church General Conference decides to amend the Book of Discipline at its next worldwide meeting in 2008.

She also has the option of leaving the Methodist church for another denomination that clearly affirms homosexuals' fitness for the ministry.

Stroud says she hasn't plotted a post-appeal course, but would find it difficult to leave her church.

"I'm very profoundly called to ordained ministry," she acknowledges, "but strangely, this process has made me feel more Methodist than ever. My conversations, even with people who disagreed with me, have been so rich.

"And I think I might be able to create more positive change in the world by staying where I am, as a lay minister, than by moving to another denomination where things might be easier for me," she explains.

"Ultimately, I love the United Methodist Church, and I want to see it do the right thing, whether soon or a long time from now."

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