Methodist Church officials intend to place a minister who underwent a sex change - from a man to a woman - on an involuntary leave of absence while the church reviews a complaint filed against her.
Bishop Felton Edwin May, in a statement, did not comment on the nature of the complaint against the minister - formerly the Rev. Richard A. Zamostny, and now the Rev. Rebecca Ann Steen - noting its confidentiality, but said that it will be processed according to church rules and that Steen's availability for appointment "may be affected by this prayerful process."
May announced the intent of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church cabinet Saturday after a closed session at the church's annual meeting in Washington in which the complaint was discussed. The annual gathering adjourned yesterday afternoon.
Steen took a voluntary leave in October 1999 to undergo the sex change. She notified the conference of her intent to end the leave, which under church rules entitles her to an assignment. However, a question of church law that might affect her appointment was raised during a clergy meeting Thursday, officials said.
Before the leave, as Zamostny, she served as a pastor of churches in Thurmont and Rockville. If assigned, Steen would become the first recognized transgendered pastor in the United Methodist Church, which has about 8.4 million U.S. members. The church bars practicing homosexuals from being pastors but has no rule against transgendered pastors.
The church allows complaints to be filed for a variety of reasons, including immorality, failure to perform work, criminal conduct or ineffectiveness as a minister. Church protocol requires the bishop to mediate between the party filing the complaint and the person it is filed against, said the Rev. Dean Snyder, a church spokesman.
If it cannot be resolved that way, the case will go to a committee, which will decide whether the complaint is valid. Snyder said the case could end up being decided by a jury made up of other clergy members.
The next question is whether the involuntary leave of absence will be imposed, said the Rev. Robert F. Kohler, who oversees recruitment and training of pastors for the church.
He said Steen's voluntary leave ends July 1, and at that point she must have an appointment or, as the cabinet wants, an involuntary leave.
A hearing on the involuntary leave is scheduled for the end of the month. If the bishop, the cabinet and the executive committee of the church's board agree, the leave will take effect July 1, Kohler said.
"The involuntary leave simply buys more time for the conference to take action. It's conceivable that the complaint could be dismissed and the leave could stand for other reasons," Kohler said.
Steen could not be reached for comment.