Woman minister re-appointed – as a man

A woman who has served as minister at St. John's United Methodist Church in Baltimore for five years has been re-appointed to the position – as a man, according to church officials. The announcement came at the Baltimore-Washington annual conference of the UMC, where the former Ann Gordon announced the change to Drew Phoenix, and talked of a "spiritual transformation" since the sex change procedure. The move was not without challenge. Some ministers asked for a "ruling of law," a move which automatically takes the issue to the church organization's highest court, the Judicial Council, which will be meeting next in October. The church denomination "officially" disapproves of homosexual behavior, but has no explicit policy regarding sexual identity changes or sex change operations, officials said. Gordon/Phoenix' congregation is among those that support what the members call the "reconciling" movement within the church, and campaigns to reject the church's traditional biblical teachings on marriage and sexual ethics. In a statement on the conference website, Gordon/Phoenix explained that the change was to reflect "my true gender identity."
"My transition to live fully as the male I know myself to be is very personal and deeply spiritual. As a Christian, I worship God – I AM. People frequently asked Jesus, 'Who are you?' His response was, 'Who do you say I am?' 'Who do YOU say YOU are?' I believe that our spiritual path is, in great part, the answer to: Who am I? I am..." said the statement.