Moments after a church jury found Rev. Gregory Dell guilty of breaking church law by performing a “holy union” for two gay men, the counsel for the United Methodist Church asked that Dell be removed from his ministry.
The “penalty phase” began just after Dell, pastor of Broadway Methodist Church on Chicago’s North Side, was convicted by a panel of 13 local pastors.
“Significant damage and confusion has been inflicted on this branch of the body of Christ,” said Rev. Stephen Williams, the church counsel who asked the jury to revoke Dell’s ordination.
“I do not believe Greg Dell wants to destroy the temple of God, but I do believe his acts are destructive,” Williams said. “They hurt people who put their faith in this institution.”
As he spoke, however, Williams could not hold back tears, saying he considered Dell a brother and a friend.
Despite what some see as an extremely divisive issue for the denomination, the unusual proceeding often resembled a Sunday church service more than it did a trial.
For two days, the jury sat in the first three pews of the First United Methodist Church of Downers Grove listening, praying and sometimes singing.
“I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together,” they sang just before their deliberations.
After nearly four hours of talks, the panel voted 10-3 to convict Dell, who has served as a minister for 29 years. Nine votes, or a two-thirds majority, were needed for a verdict.
At issue was whether Dell was “disobedient” under a 1998 church ruling that affirmed a previous church law against ministers performing same-sex services.
As the verdict was read, Dell sat with his hands in his lap and showed little emotion. Hundreds of attendees in the large, vaulted church remained silent.
In an emotional testimony this morning, Dell admitted that he knew he broke church law when he performed the ceremony. “I know,” he said, “that the law of the church is clear.”
The 1998 ruling came down a few weeks before the ceremony joining Karl Reinhardt and Keith Eccarius at Dell’s church. Dell went ahead with the marriage only after careful consideration with fellow ministers, he testified this morning.
“I didn’t feel it was being disobedient,” he said. “I felt the only way I could be obedient was to perform that service.”
Dell choked on tears as he described what he thought was the proper role of a Methodist minister.
“The church told me to be with them (the congregation) when they’re hurting,” Dell said after a lengthy pause. “And to celebrate with them when their lives are full of joy.” And then, he said, the church told him not to minister to gays and lesbians, who he said comprise 30 percent of his congregation.
“I make mistakes, but I don’t think I did when I celebrated this service,” he said.
Earlier today, Reinhardt and Eccarius testified on Dell’s behalf.
Reinhardt described preparations leading up to the ceremony as typical of any wedding, even if the marriage was not legal.
For instance, Reinhardt said that he and Eccarius went through seven counseling sessions with Dell before the Sept. 19, 1998 ceremony, and Dell even asked them
to do a computer match to see if they were compatible.
“We love each other,” Reinhardt said. “We want to spend the rest of our lives together in a monogamous relationship.”
Reinhardt also discussed Dell’s reaction when he and Eccarius asked him to perform the ceremony.
“He said he was delighted that we wanted him to do it,” Reinhardt said to reporters after his testimony.
When asked if he and Eccarius would leave the church if Dell were dismissed, Reinhardt said they would not.
“A struggle needs to take place by members within the organization,” he said. “This is just the beginning of the conversation.”
Eccarius said his testimony was more difficult than he thought it would be, because he didn’t realize “what’s at stake.”
“It’s not just a job for Greg. This is Greg’s livelihood,” he said.
Also testifying on Dell’s behalf was James Reed Jr., a member of Dell’s church. After his testimony, he said the congregation is preparing for Dell’s possible suspension.
“It’s not easy to talk about,” Reed said. But, he added that the congregation plans to ask retired pastors to step in to replace Dell in his absence.
Another congregation member, Terry Vanden Hoek, who joined the church in 1996, after his testimony called Dell “an amazing man.”
“He’s restored my faith in the church,” Vanden Hoek said. “I think they (the church) actually do care about people.”
The penalty phase could last until this evening or continue into tomorrow.
