Defense and resiliency fund

I got an email from Reconciling Ministries Network, which prompted me to find this story on their news blog. The story is about two United Methodist pastors in Virginia, Rev. Amanda Garber and Rev. Dr. John Copenhaver, who performed same-sex marriages. There are two things to note from the message.

First, the two pastors were not defrocked. It appears they agreed to suspensions (Garber for 1 month, Copenhaver for 3) instead of facing a trial.

Second, Reconciling Ministries Network has created a clergy defense and resiliency fund, which will cover the lost salaries of both Garber and Copenhaver. The message is pastors will not be facing hardship for their actions. Alas, their churches must deal with the harm caused by the condemning language from the denomination.