한인연합감리교회 서부지역 평신도연합회는 연합감리교회가 불법적으로 교단 헌법을 무시하고, 성경의 가르침을 불순종하여 동성애자 감독을 선출하고 동성애자 목사 안수를 주는 것을 반대해 왔다. 이러한 상황중에 2019년 연합감리교회 특별총회에서 통과된 교단탈퇴 특별법에 따라 복음주의적 교회들이 교인총회를 통해 미국 전역에서 탈퇴가 진행중에 있다.

Korean United Methodist Church Laity Network of Western Jurisdiction has been opposing the United Methodist Church's illegal actions of ordaining gay pastors and bishops in disobedience to the church's constitution and disobedience to the teachings of the Bible. In the midst of this situation, evangelical churches across the nation are in the process of withdrawing from the United Methodist Churches through the general assembly according to the special law passed at the 2019 Special UMC General Conference.

이에 2023년 3월 26일 주일에 로스펠리즈연합감리교회교회총회는 UMC 교단탈퇴를 출석교인 2/3 이상의 찬성으로 결정하였다. 그런데 4월 11일, 화요일에 가주태평양연회 서지방 감리사에 의해 로스펠리즈연합감리교회 담임목사 파송중단과 교단 추방의 통보가 이루어졌다.

Accordingly, on Sunday - March 26th in 2023, Los Feliz United Methodist Church (LFUMC) decided to withdraw from the UMC denomination with the consent of more than 2/3’s of its attending members. However, on Tuesday - April 11th, the California Pacific Conference Western District’s superintendent unilaterally notified the senior pastor of Los Feliz UMC that his appointment will be revoked and that he will be kicked out of the denomination.

하여 한인연합감리교회 서부지역 평신도연합회는 일방적이고 불의한 로스펠리즈연합감리교회 담임목사 파송중단과 교단 추방 결정 철회를 요구하며 아래 내용과 같이 규탄한다. 

Therefore, Korean United Methodist Church Laity Network of Western Jurisdiction demand the withdrawal of the unilateral firing of Los Feliz UMC’s senior pastor and the unjust banishment of the senior pastor from the denomination, and we condemn the UMC’s action as follows.

 

1. 이번 로스펠리즈교회 담임목사 파송중단 통보는 UMC 장정의 목회자 파송 규정과 절차를 어긴 것이다. 로스펠리즈교회는 연회에 새로운 목회자 파송을 요청하지 않았으며, 목회협조위원회와 어떠한 협의도 없었다. 목회협조위원회와 단 한번도 협의과정이 없는 일방적인 재파송 불가 결정통보는 UMC 장정이 정한 절차를 어긴 것이다.

1. The unilateral notification of this appointment change has never been consulted with the Staff- or Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) which violates the principles set by the UMC. The Los Feliz UMC did not request an appointment of a new senior pastor to the annual conference, and there was no consultation with the SPRC. The unilateral notification regarding the pastor’s appointment change violates the UMC principles for the appointment change.

 

2. 교단탈퇴를 결의한 후에 담임목사를 바꾸려는 처벌적 재파송 불가통보는 교인들의 신앙양심에 따른 선택을 방해하는 불공정하며, 불의한 결정이다.

2. Unilaterally forcing and trying to change the pastoral appointment while the Los Feliz UMC is in the process of disaffiliating from the UMC is an unfair, targeted, punitive action, which persecutes church member’s consciousness decision based on their faith. 

 

3. 이에 캘팩연회에 속한 교단탈퇴를 결정한 모든 성도들과 서부지역 평신도연합회는 이러한 형태의 불의하고, 처벌적인 파송을 추진하는 연회의 결정에 절대 반대한다.

3. Therefore, the Los Feliz United Methodist Church and all Cal Pac Conference Evangelical churches that decided to disaffiliate from the denomination firmly oppose the annual conference’s unjust and punitive appointment decisions.

 

4. 한인연합감리교회 서부지역 평신도연합회는로스펠리즈교회 담임목사에 대한 불공정하고 불법적인 파송중지에 교단법과 장정의 절차에 따라 법적으로 대응할 것이다.

4. The KUMC Laity Network of WJ will not comply with the district superintendent’s agenda to change the pastoral appointment. Therefore, we firmly reject the appointment change of the pastor and will respond legally in accordance with the Book of Discipline.

 

5. 서부지역 평신도들은 모두 알고 있다. 연회와 감독이 교회와 성도를 위하여 존재하는 것이지, 교회가 연회와 감독을 위해 존재하는 것이 아니다. 그러므로 캘팩연회 감독은 처벌적 파송중단 결정을 철회하고, 모든 교단탈퇴를 결의한 한인교회들과 서부지역 평신도연합회의 모든 성도들에게 이러한 상처와 아픔을 주는 모든 위협적인 파송을 중단하라.

5. We all know this. The annual conference and the bishop shall exist for the local church, not the local church is for the conference and the bishop. We ask the bishop of the Cal Pac Annual Conference to withdraw this punitive appointment change and to publicly apologize to the Los Feliz UMC and other Korean churches affected by this decision.

서부지역 평신도 연합회 일동

Korean United Methodist Church Laity Network of Western Jurisdiction