Many respondents say their membership in, loyalty to, and/or affiliation with the UMC is, for them, a calling and a witness to Christian principles. It is where God wants them to be.

Since my congregation called me openly, having decided that it openly would disregard denominational policies restricting its call/appointment system to a heterosexual pool – because the congregation felt it needed to follow its vision of the call of Jesus as Christ . . .

God’s calling.

I feel that I have been called by God to stay in the UMC. Since it is a mainline church (as opposed to an evangelical church), I am confident that it is only a matter of time before the UMC changes its stance and I can be a part of that process of change. Also despite its stance on homosexuality I agree with the vast majority of Methodist theology. I also find that Methodism fulfills my spiritual needs well with its emphasis on God's love and grace (as opposed to God's anger and judgement). Of course, I also stay because I was raised Methodist. My parents and grandparents were Methodists. I t is my heritage.

A sense of a call from God to be a part of this community.

I feel passionate about my call to ministry within the UMC, and most of the time I feel nurtured by my activity in the church. At the same time, most of the time I feel like my activity in the church is both meaningful and important to the church and to the individuals with whom I minister. Sometimes I feel burnt out, but that's usually healed with time off and time away.

God has put me here. If I had any sense I'd be far from the UMC.

I am called to be involved in the church. I feel good about it and when the day is done, I'm always proud of my work.

There are people within the United Methodist Church who give me continuing

hope that the denomination will eventually change its position on homosexuality. In the meantime, I feel called to help bring about this change from the "inside."

I feel confident that I am in the right church for me and that I am where God would have me

My ordination is sacred to me. It is the affirmation of the faith community of my calling, however I feel deep pain inside knowing that if I come out of my closet, this affirmation will be taken away. My family and many of my friends are United Methodists. I've had lots of experiences as a UMC clergy: happy and joyful, painful and full of struggles. Its hard to let go. It’s painful to be cast aside and labeled "incompatible" with the practice of Christian faith.

I love the UM Church and was called to serve it.

My membership in the United Methodist Church has been a conscious decision. I grew up unbaptised but attended a United Methodist Church until my teenage years. I attended a United Methodist-related college, and I was active in campus ministries. I am currently a student at a United Methodist seminary. I was baptised one year ago in a United Methodist church - a decision I made through much study, experience, and prayer. As a member of this denomination, I feel that I am called to give critical support to the church. I am called to hold the church and its members accountable for uplifting a Gospel that is truly inclusive - and that doesn't just mean LGBT folk, but to persons from all walks of life.

Each year I contemplate leaving the UMC because its theology and practice on this matter is getting worse, not better - - - but I'm still here, still called to be ordained and partnered.

I believe I can make the greatest impact on the UMC by remaining an ordained elder, even as I have come out as a celibate gay man. I am studying . . . theological ethics in order to gain the resources that will help me help the Church address the areas of controversy around homosexuality and come to a resolution on the issue that will be more satisfying to more people than the position we now hold. So, in a way, it is my sense of mission to the Church that keeps me loyal and affiliated. I also don't sense that God is calling me to leave the Church at this time, though I can conceive of the possibility of that happening -- for example, if conditions in the Church got unremittingly abusive with no apparent counter-voice in the Church apart from those of us at whom the abuse is directed.

I am happy GOD let me be a member of such a wonderful denomination. Hopefully I can lead the unchurched to HIM.

I really feel that I am in love with God, with Creation, and am capable of love for all people, though willing to live with reasonable constraints as to the full expression of my passion. I am often frustrated by the inadequacies of church language when it comes to love and sexuality, yet I remain involved with the UMC because its conversational nature continues to push it towards a broader theological and anthropological vocabulary -- as evidenced by the gradual spread of other forms of "inclusive language" throughout the denomination. I also remain because of the very fact of my "otherness"-- I believe the Church needs people like me to remain as witnesses and prophetic presences, for the sake of our mutual hope, health, and development.

I don't feel called to be anywhere else at this time.

My belief and trust in God that this specific church is doing GOOD work for ALL of God's people and in time the majority of the United Methodist Churches will be fighting for inclusiveness for all.

Next: Hope for Change