Just over a year ago, Bishop Tracy S. Malone, the area bishop of East Ohio Conference, was elected president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church during the bishops’ meeting at Lake Junaluska Assembly.
She became the first Black woman to be elected to lead the more than 110 bishops in the global denomination that includes Africa, Asia, Europe and Americas.
“To people of all generations, especially our young, who yearn for a more just and inclusive world, your vision and passion give [United Methodist Church] hope.”
UMC Bishop Tracy Malone
It fell upon her in the wake of the Nov. 5 election to off a response and guidance to United Methodist Church members – and the world. Her words boldly displayed her faith in The Lord, faith in justice, and faith that the church she provides leadership for will not lose sight of its goals and its purpose.
Hate did not win on Nov. 5 – unless the church allows it to change the way it does its business.
Guide by the Biblical passage, “Now faith, hope, and love remain…and the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13, on Nov. 9, 2024, Malone wrote the following pastoral letter:
May the grace of God and the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits. Amid the change and uncertainty that have resulted from the recent U.S. elections, and the ways in which these matters will impact the whole world, we remember that we are held by the enduring power of God’s love and the call to be agents of that love in the world.
We find ourselves at a critical historical juncture that future generations will scrutinize. It presses upon the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, a worldwide body, to speak and act with moral clarity, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ and our commitment to justice and compassion for all.
We affirm the inherent dignity of all God’s children. As our Social Principles remind us, “God calls all members of the human family to recognize and protect the dignity and worth of all people.” The lessons of history teach us the dangers of silence in the face of threats to human rights. Therefore, we cannot remain silent. We call upon all United Methodists to exercise their faith and to pray, speak, and act for justice and peace.
Our baptismal vows call us “to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” We therefore reject rhetoric, policies, and actions that demean or discriminate against any of God’s children and will be vigilant in defending the rights of the vulnerable and speaking out against oppression.
To people of all generations, especially our young, who yearn for a more just and inclusive world, your vision and passion give us hope. We commit to working alongside you to build the beloved community that reflects God’s kingdom on earth. In the days ahead, we will continue this vital work uninterrupted and with renewed vigor. And we commit ourselves to prayer for our political leaders around the globe.
The Social Principles Malone refers to “are a prayerful and thoughtful effort of the General Conference to speak to the issues in the contemporary world from a sound biblical and theological foundation,” according to the United Methodist Church.
They include:
Community of All Creation – All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it.
The Economic Community – Professing that all we are and all that we possess, belong to God.
The Social Community – Affirmation that human beings are made for God and for one.
The Political Community – The support of structures in the church and in civil society that honor the basic freedoms and rights of all human beings and protect God’s creation.
Malone’s writings are based on a philosophy of the United Methodist Church, which is shared in The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church (2016):
The United Methodist Church believes God’s love for the world is an active and engaged love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers. So, we care enough about people’s lives to risk interpreting God’s love, to take a stand, to call each of us into a response, no matter how controversial or complex.
The church helps us think and act out a faith perspective, not just responding to all the other ‘mind-makers-up’ that exist in our society.”