The Reverend Gregory Dell officiated at a covenant service for two gay men who were members of his congregation, Broadway United Methodist Church in Chicago. In 1998, he was charged with “Disobedience to the Order and Discipline of The United Methodist Church.” He was convicted and suspended indefinitely but upon appeal, a subsequent ruling limited the suspension to one year. After the suspension, he returned as pastor to Broadway UMC.

There was widespread media coverage of the charges against Greg, the trial, and the appeal.

Chronology

March 26, 1999: By a vote of 10 to 3, the trial court found the Rev. Greg Dell guilty of Disobedience to the Order and Discipline of The United Methodist Church. By a vote of 13 to 0 the court found him guilty of conducting the service between Keith Eccarius and Karl Reinhardt on Sept. 19, 1998. He will be suspended from his pastoral duties July 3, until he signs and submits to the bishop a document saying that he will abide by Paragraph 65c or until the paragraph is lifted or its binding nature is changed by General Conference or Judicial Council action.

April - May, 1999: Greg Dell announces he is to become the director of In All Things Charity. Greg Dell appeals the trial court ruling.

June - July, 1999: Northern Illinois elects Greg Dell as a delegate to General Conference. In July, he leaves his pastoral position at Broadway UMC when his suspension begins.

Monday, August 9, 1999: Greg Dell's hearing.

Friday, August 17, 1999: The jurisdictional court upholds the verdict but alters his penalty, giving it a specific length of time, rather than undetermined. Bishop Sprague announces that he will re-appoint Dell to Broadway UMC on July 1, 2000.

News and Views

1998

• Greg Dell's Letter to the Congregation of Broadway UMC. October 1998.

• Letter from Bishop C. Joseph Sprague. October 12, 1998.

• Complaint Filed Against Chicago Pastor for Same-Sex Service. United Methodist News Service, October 21, 1998.

• Minister Faces Trial in Gays' Marriage. Chicago Tribune, October 24, 1998.

• Bishop Presided Over Gay Unions as Local Pastor: Charges in Chicago Spark Controversy. Columbus Dispatch, October 24, 1998.

• Gay Union Case Puts Bishop in Tough Spot. Chicago Tribune, October 25, 1998.

• Opposing United Methodist Groups React to Charges Against Pastor. United Methodist News Service, October 28, 1998.

• Another Holy Union Service Leads to Charges. United Methodist Reporter, October 28, 1998.

• Church Law Is Anti-Evangelical: Affirmation Speaks out on Charges Against Dell. October 28, 1998.

• We Are Alarmed by Clergy Support of Same-Sex Unions. "Here I Stand" editorial, United Methodist Reporter, November 11, 1998.

• Broadway United Methodist Church and Local Community Respond Swiftly to Planned Picketing by Hate Group. November 14, 1998.

• Methodists Preparing for Anti-Gay Protesters. Chicago Tribune, November 20, 1998.

• Gay Rights Activists Fight Back: A Kansas Preacher Comes to Chicago to Decry the Rights of Homosexuals and Meets Resistance in Lakeview. Chicago Tribune, November 23, 1998 ("More than 1,500 people, most residents of the North Side, gathered along Broadway and surrounded a United Methodist Church, saying they came to protect the neighborhood from what a local pastor dubbed "the power of evil" according to the Tribune.)

1999

• Cool Under the Collar. Chicago Tribune, February 21, 1999 (It has taken the United Methodist Church four months to assemble its case against Rev. Gregory Dell, though it is hard to imagine what took so long.)

• Methodist Pastor to Be Tried Over Gay Marriage. Associated Press, February 23, 1999.

• United Methodist Pastor Faces Trial for Conducting Service of Holy Union. Broadway UMC, February 23, 1999.

• United Methodist Pastor Faces Disobedience Trial. United Methodist News Service, February 24, 1999.

• Greg Dell Trial: Questions and Answers. United Methodist News Service, March 3, 1999.

• Pastor Faces Trial Over "Holy Union." Chicago Tribune, March 24, 1999.

• NPR Report. March 25, 1999.

• Methodist Pastor Faces Trial for Uniting 2 Men. New York Times, March 25, 1999.

• Who Should Be Allowed a Holy Union? Chicago Digital City Discussion.

• Greg Dell Trial. Northern Illinois Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

• Pastor Tried for Same-Sex Weddings. Associated Press, March 25, 1999.

• Photos from Downer's Grove United Methodist Church. March 25, 1999.

• Northern Illinois Confessing Association Trial Coverage. March 25-26, 1999.

• Church Divisions Evident as Trial Begins. Chicago Tribune, March 26, 1999.

• Greg Dell Trial Updates. March 26, 1999, Compiled by CORNET.

• Pastor Found Guilty of Gay Marriage. Associated Press, March 26, 1999.

• Church Rests Case Against Rev. Dell. Chicago Tribune, March 26, 1999.

• Methodist Cleric Found Guilty In Blessing Gay Union. Chicago Tribune, March 27, 1999.

• Pastor Suspended for Gay Marriage. Associated Press, March 27, 1999.

• Methodist Cleric Faces Sanctions On Gay Union Blessing. Chicago Tribune, March 28, 1999.

• Minister Is Suspended for Officiating in Gay Ceremony. New York Times March 28, 1999.

• Pastor's Suspension Sets Precedent for Methodists. Chicago Tribune, March 28, 1999.

• Suspended Pastor's Flock Voices Its Support. New York Times, March 29, 1999.

• Parishioners Back Pastor Ousted for Gay Ceremony. Chicago Tribune, March 29, 1999.

• United Methodist News Service Trial Photos and Captions.

• Creech 'Stunned' by Penalty Against Dell. United Methodist News Service, March 29, 1999.

• Dell Stands Firm on Same-Sex Unions. United Methodist News Service, March 29, 1999.

• Editorial: A Minister's Disobedience. Chicago Tribune, March 30, 1999.

• Dell Verdict Is "Bad News" for Church. Reconciling Congregation press release, March 30, 1999.

• Good News Movement Applauds Dell Verdict, Penalty. United Methodist News Service, March 30, 1999.

• Holy Union Participant Voices Hurt, Anger Over Dell Verdict. United Methodist News Service, March 30, 1999.

• Out of the Closet at Church. Point of View by Michael Armentrout, News & Observer, North Carolina, March 31, 1999.

• Commentary: A Response to the Dell Trial by Jimmy Creech. News & Observer, North Carolina, April 2, 1999.

• Dell Plans New Role as Director of “In All Things Charity.” United Methodist News Service, April 20, 1999.

• Journalists, Church Officials and Gay Activists Examine Case of Rev. Dell on April 26. Northwestern University.

• Suspended Pastor Files Appeal. United Methodist News Service, May 13, 1999.

• Committee Sets Dell Appeal for Aug. 9. United Methodist News Service, May 19, 1999.

• Northern Illinois Elects Dell Delegate to Church's Top Meeting. United Methodist News Service, June 10, 1999.

• Pastors at Heart of Gay Debate Compare Notes: Conference Promotes Methodists' Acceptance. Dallas Morning News, August 1, 1999. (Two United Methodist ministers [Jimmy Creech and Greg Dell] - both middle-aged, straight men - have become reluctant celebrities in the gay rights struggle that is tearing apart nearly every mainline Protestant denomination.)

• Dell Appeals Methodist Suspension Over Gay-Union Ceremony. Associated Press (Chicago Tribune), August 9, 1999.

• Minister Must Wait for Ruling. Chicago Tribune, August 10, 1999.

• Suspended Minister to Regain His Pulpit. Chicago Tribune, September 17, 1999. ("After the eight-page ruling was issued, northern Illinois Bishop C. Joseph Sprague spoke with Dell by telephone to tell him that he would be reappointed as pastor of Broadway United Methodist Church on July 1. The bishop also released a brief statement that said, 'The clear and reasoned decision of the Committee on Appeals both affirms due process and the verdict, and alleviates the uncertainty the prior sentence imposed on Greg Dell, Broadway United Methodist Church, and all others affected.'")

• Penalty Upheld for Ousted Pastor, Gay-Supportive United Methodist Pastor's Suspension Continues. In All Things Charity, September 17, 1999.

2000

• "Doing a New Thing": The United Methodist Church and Homosexuality. Sermon by Bishop Jack M. Tuell, February 20, 2000. Bishop Tuell conducted the trial of Greg Dell. He says, "Look, the sovereign message of the Bible is God's redeeming, all-powerful love that overrides all else, and places specific prohibitions in the context of the time and place and situation in which they were written."

• "I was wrong," Bishop Says. Friends of Bishop Tuell, February 23, 2000. After the Greg Dell Trial Bishop Jack Tuell took a new look at homosexuality and concluded the United Methodist stance is wrong. See also Bishop Jack Tuell (1923-2014): Had Change of Heart on Gay Issues, published in 2014.

• Greg's Reflections on General Conference, The Day After. Broadway United Methodist Church, May 2000.

• Returning Minister Vows More Gay Unions. Chicago Tribune, July 3, 2000.

• Policy Regarding Legal Weddings and Holy Unions. Adopted by the Church Council of Broadway United Methodist Church on September 12, 2000.

• Church, Methodists May Part Ways Over Gay Unions. Chicago Tribune, December 7, 2000.