news article
From the Desk of Bishop Héctor: Updated Resource on Human Sexuality
June 24, 2025 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following note was sent electronically to United Methodists of Upper New York on Tuesday, June 24 on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez regarding human sexuality resources.
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2
Dear United Methodists of Upper New York,
Grace and peace from Jesus Christ, our Savior and Friend, be with you this Pentecost season.
Back in April, I shared the resource Our Way Forward: Graceful Conversations and Covenanting to aid congregations navigate the changes enacted by the 2020/24 General Conference of The United Methodist Church related to ministry with and by LGBTQ+ people.
After the release of the resource, the Judicial Council issued Decision 1516 that clarifies the authority of pastors about the use of church property for religious services, including marriage ceremonies. Notably, it affirms that pastors have sole discretion in deciding whether to perform any marriage, and that local church trustees cannot interfere with or restrict the use of church facilities for such services. This is a core principle of our itinerant system.
In a pastoral letter published on May 2, 2025, the Council of Bishops provided further clarity and affirmed our shared expectation that pastors exercise their authority with deep pastoral sensitivity to the congregation and community to which they are appointed, in consultation with their Staff/Parish Relationships team and Superintendent.
The Our Way Forward resource has been revised to reflect the judicial council’s decision. You can access the latest version here.
Engaging the resource and creating a covenant remain optional. Church leadership and pastors are entrusted by the cabinet to prayerfully discern together whether this process is valuable for their specific context. Congregations already self-identifying as “welcoming and reconciling” or affiliated with the Reconciling Ministries Network may find this process unnecessary for their specific context.
The United Methodist Church is a worldwide, welcoming community rooted in Jesus Christ and led by the Holy Spirit. Grounded in Scripture and guided by our doctrine and Social Principles, we celebrate diversity as a gift from God. Though we may differ on some issues, we stay united in love and in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
I pray for God’s continued blessings to fill your lives and ministries – for the glory of God.
Together in Christ’s mission,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving the Susquehanna and Upper New York Episcopal Area