WASHINGTON — A transgender United Methodist minister will be reappointed to lead his congregation in Baltimore, church officials announced Thursday at a regional convocation.
The Rev. Drew Phoenix told the church's Baltimore-Washington conference that he had gone through "spiritual transformation" in the past year, since changing his name from Ann Gordon and receiving medical treatment to become a man.
The denomination bans sexually active gay clergy but does not have any rules about transgender pastors.
"It is my intention and hope that by sharing my story that we commit ourselves as Christians and as United Methodists to become educated about the complexity of gender," Phoenix said. "Each of us is a beloved child of God — no exceptions."
Phoenix, 48, has led St. John's United Methodist Church for nearly five years. His term expires in July, and one of the purposes of the regional meeting is to reassign ministers for periodic terms with churches.
Bishop John Schol said that the church's 50-member congregation was fully supportive, and that no objections were raised during a closed-door meeting of the clergy. St. John's, a church that describes itself as diverse and inclusive, has more than tripled its membership since Phoenix arrived. . . .
