Twenty years ago, Beth Stroud was defrocked as a United Methodist Church pastor after disclosing her committed same-sex relationship to her congregation in Philadelphia.
On Tuesday night, less than three weeks after the UMC repealed its anti-LGBTQ bans, she was reinstated in a closed meeting of clergy from the UMC’s Eastern Pennsylvania region.
Stroud surpassed the two-thirds vote requirement to become a full member and pastor in the UMC, with Bishop John Schol of Eastern Pennsylvania expressing gratitude for the church’s acceptance of LGBTQ individuals.
Overwhelmed with emotions after the vote, Stroud described feeling disoriented and unable to speak during the poignant moment in the meeting room.
Receiving the red stole symbolizing full ordination, Stroud joined her fellow clergy in a procession into a worship service, marking her return to the ministry after her 2004 ouster due to the church’s anti-LGBTQ policies.
The recent UMC conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, overturned the longstanding anti-LGBTQ policies, offering clergy like Stroud a path to seek reinstatement.
Now at 54, Stroud is not planning an immediate return to full-time ministry, as she has taken on a teaching position at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
Despite the new academic role, Stroud desired to regain the options available to an ordained minister as she seeks a congregation near the Ohio campus, emphasizing the significance of having the opportunity to serve in a ministry.
Reflecting on the UMC’s deliberations on the anti-LGBTQ policies, Stroud initially felt anger and sadness at the missed opportunities to continue her pastoral work.
Stroud acknowledged the challenges she faced following her defrocking, including undergoing cancer treatment and divorcing her wife, with whom she shares parenting responsibilities for their daughter.
Had she not been defrocked, Stroud believes her life would have taken a different course, allowing her to further develop her ministry and impact more lives positively.
The process leading to Stroud’s ouster began in 2003 when she informed her congregation about her relationship, prompting the church’s legal fund to support her defense and hiring her as a lay minister post-defrocking.
The UMC does not have precise figures on the number of defrocked clergy due to anti-LGBTQ bans or the potential reinstatements that could follow, highlighting the complexity of the church’s handling of LGBTQ matters.
