Dear UCG,

You have likely heard this news already, as it has trickled through congregational meetings and Board of Business reports, but the church leadership and I have had to complete several steps before making it “official.” So now, belatedly and hopefully no longer as a surprise to anyone, I offer my resignation from UCG, effective December 31, 2024. 

I came to this decision after significant prayer, discernment with wise clergy friends, and self-reflection, after a year in ministry unlike any I have ever experienced. I am sad, and not a little anxious about what the future will hold, but I am also at peace. It is my hope and prayer that this decision on my part will contribute to the peace and possibility for change and healing that this congregation needs.

It has been a tremendous gift to serve among you – to hear the stories of longtime members, and to welcome new folks to find their spiritual home here, and to care for you all. I am so proud of the work that we have done to help this congregation move toward a financially sustainable future and to have greater equity on our staff. I have been proud to be your pastor, as we bear witness to God’s wide welcome of all people, as we have sought to work for justice. I have rejoiced in worshiping with you, as we sing, and pray, and grow. I have laughed and wept with you, and rejoiced as my family found a home here as well. We have shared countless meals, and cups of coffee, and hugs.

I have been struggling to find words to explain why I have determined that, for my own health and well-being and that of the church, I need to resign. And then a friend posted a meme to social media recently, and it all clicked into place. The image showed a pizza – or what looked like a pizza. Topping one sixth of the pizza was cheese and tomato sauce and pepperoni. Another third of the pizza was topped with an entire roast chicken. The final half is covered in chocolate sprinkles and pastel M&Ms. The caption reads, “Thanks everyone for comments on the draft, here it is revised with all your edits.” 

UCG has many gifts as a congregation, but there are also some longstanding issues that need to be explored and resolved. Ours is a congregational church, but there are a host of differing opinions about what that means and how decisions get made and about who has authority to make what decisions. Our members also have wide ranging understandings of our congregational past and identity, and diverse reasons for engaging in the life of UCG.  And, because we love each other and very much do not like conflict, our church system has generally tried to accommodate everyone’s stated needs and desires for the life of the church. But what we have ended up with, in many instances over many years, is a veneer of process that masks a series of compromises that do not benefit the church as a whole. A pizza with so much going on that it causes indigestion.

To be clear, lots of churches find themselves in this kind of situation. Heck, lots of communities and our whole United States, have found themselves in this kind of situation. And I would have loved to continue to serve God through UCG as we worked through the questions of how our structures have impeded and supported our ministries over the years, and how we can and should now move forward into a changing context. But the last months have revealed a powerful desire among some in the congregation to have me leave or change, and I have been treated in ways that deeply contradict the language of covenant that brought me to UCG as Coordinating Minister and binds us together. UCG has a lot of work to do, after an even greater amount of deep discernment, but I have come to believe that it will be healthier for us all if I take myself out of the mix. If putting a whole chicken on the pizza is no longer an option, perhaps the congregation will have an easier time making something that can nourish and sustain everyone.

The next period of UCG’s life together is going to be both difficult and of critical importance. I am spending my last months as your Coordinating Minister working with all my boards and committees, with the staff, and with Talia especially, to make for as smooth a transition as possible. It is my deep desire that UCG would continue to flourish. I hope you will continue to support the ministries and the budget of this congregation, that you will be present and engaged as you are able, and that you come with a willing spirit, ready to be fed and changed by this community and ready to serve.

We will officially mark my last day with UCG on Sunday, December 22, with a gathering following the worship service at 10am. I’ll be present and preaching on Christmas Eve, too, but our focus will be on that holy celebration. We will also host a service of thanksgiving for our time together, on Sunday, November 24, at 6:30 p.m.

Grace and Peace to you,

Bromleigh