Nancy Wilson (religious leader)
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Elder Nancy L. Wilson (born 1950) is an American
cleric who serves as the current Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
(MCC or Metropolitan Community Churches).
On Sunday, 29 October 2005, in Washington's National Cathedral, Rev. Wilson was installed as Moderator of the Metropolitan Community Churches in succession to the denomination's founder, Troy Perry
.
, Alberta in July 2005. In accordance with the Bylaws of Metropolitan Community Churches, Rev. Wilson's name was placed in nomination by the denomination's Moderators Nominating Committee and her nomination was ratified with the overwhelming endorsement of the lay and clergy voting delegates to the 2005 MCC General Conference. Wilson was installed as Moderator at Washington National Cathedral
in 2005.
Under Wilson's leadership the denomination has deepened its long-standing commitment to Christian social justice, becoming known as "The Human Rights Church" in many parts of the world for its human rights work in Eastern Europe, Jamaica, and Latin and South America and for its commitment to marriage equality, employment and housing non-discrimination laws, legal protections for persons with HIV/AIDS, and the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons within communities of faith.
She is only the second person to serve as Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches, which was founded in 1968, and one of the few women to serve as the leader of an international Christian denomination.
Wilson resides with her wife of 33 years, Dr. Paula Schoenwether. They both actively work for same-sex marriage
equality, having married each other in Massachusetts
. Wilson and Schoenwether were the plaintiffs in Wilson v. Ake
, 354 F. Supp. 1298, in which they asked a Florida District Court to hold that the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA) was unconstitutional. The court denied relief and held that DOMA was constitutional.
Wilson attended a Methodist church and Sunday School in her youth.
in 1972 before going on to study at Boston University
School of Theology with a Rockefeller Fellowship. She also holds an M.Div.
from SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Detroit
, served as Vice-Moderator of Metropolitan Community Church during 1993-2003 and has pastored Metropolitan Community Church congregations in Florida
, Massachusetts
, Michigan
, and California
. She is the former senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles
, the Founding Church of the Metropolitan Community Churches international movement. She most recently served as senior pastor of Church of the Trinity MCC in Sarasota, Florida
.
Local Church Pastoral Service: 2001-2005, Senior Pastor, Church of the Trinity MCC, Sarasota, Florida; 1986–2000, Senior Pastor, MCC Los Angeles, Mother Church of MCC; 1975–1979, Senior Pastor, MCC Detroit; 1974–1975, Senior Pastor, MCC Boston, Worcester, Massachusetts; 1972–1974, Associate Pastor, MCC Boston, Worcester, Massachusetts
. During 1979-1999, she served as MCC's Chief Ecumenical Officer, representing Metropolitan Community Church at the National Council of Churches
and the World Council of Churches
.
She has also been active on behalf of HIV
issues, prisoner treatment programs, and women's rights. She is the founder of the MCC Conference for Women in Professional Ministry.
In 1979, she participated in the first-ever meeting of gay and lesbian religious leaders at the White House
with President Carter
.
On April 6, 2010, she was guest of U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast.
On February 4, 2011, Wilson was appointed by USA President Obama to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for a one-year term.
(Berkeley, California, January 2002) and has been a guest speaker at Harvard Divinity School
, Vanderbilt Divinity School
, Allegheny College
, Claremont School of Theology
, and the University of Southern California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cleric who serves as the current Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
Metropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
(MCC or Metropolitan Community Churches).
On Sunday, 29 October 2005, in Washington's National Cathedral, Rev. Wilson was installed as Moderator of the Metropolitan Community Churches in succession to the denomination's founder, Troy Perry
Troy Perry
Troy Deroy Perry Jr founded the Metropolitan Community Church, a Christian denomination with a special affirming ministry with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, in Los Angeles on October 6, 1968.-Early life:...
.
Election
Wilson was elected Moderator of the denomination of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) by the Church's General Conference in CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta in July 2005. In accordance with the Bylaws of Metropolitan Community Churches, Rev. Wilson's name was placed in nomination by the denomination's Moderators Nominating Committee and her nomination was ratified with the overwhelming endorsement of the lay and clergy voting delegates to the 2005 MCC General Conference. Wilson was installed as Moderator at Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
in 2005.
Under Wilson's leadership the denomination has deepened its long-standing commitment to Christian social justice, becoming known as "The Human Rights Church" in many parts of the world for its human rights work in Eastern Europe, Jamaica, and Latin and South America and for its commitment to marriage equality, employment and housing non-discrimination laws, legal protections for persons with HIV/AIDS, and the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons within communities of faith.
She is only the second person to serve as Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches, which was founded in 1968, and one of the few women to serve as the leader of an international Christian denomination.
Biography
Wilson has a long and distinguished record of service with the Metropolitan Community Church. She was the youngest person ever elected to the MCC Board of Elders in 1976 and served on the Board of Elders ever since except for a break between 2003 and 2005.Wilson resides with her wife of 33 years, Dr. Paula Schoenwether. They both actively work for same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
equality, having married each other in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Wilson and Schoenwether were the plaintiffs in Wilson v. Ake
Wilson v. Ake
Wilson v. Ake, 354 F.Supp.2d 1298, was a federal lawsuit brought about in the state of Florida, by two Florida women who had been married in the state of Massachusetts the previous summer....
, 354 F. Supp. 1298, in which they asked a Florida District Court to hold that the Defense of Marriage Act
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act is a United States federal law whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no U.S. state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state...
(DOMA) was unconstitutional. The court denied relief and held that DOMA was constitutional.
Wilson attended a Methodist church and Sunday School in her youth.
Education and experience
Wilson received her undergraduate degree from Allegheny CollegeAllegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
in 1972 before going on to study at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
School of Theology with a Rockefeller Fellowship. She also holds an M.Div.
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
from SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, served as Vice-Moderator of Metropolitan Community Church during 1993-2003 and has pastored Metropolitan Community Church congregations in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She is the former senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the Founding Church of the Metropolitan Community Churches international movement. She most recently served as senior pastor of Church of the Trinity MCC in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
.
Local Church Pastoral Service: 2001-2005, Senior Pastor, Church of the Trinity MCC, Sarasota, Florida; 1986–2000, Senior Pastor, MCC Los Angeles, Mother Church of MCC; 1975–1979, Senior Pastor, MCC Detroit; 1974–1975, Senior Pastor, MCC Boston, Worcester, Massachusetts; 1972–1974, Associate Pastor, MCC Boston, Worcester, Massachusetts
Ecumenical and human rights work
Wilson has a deep commitment to ecumenical work and human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. During 1979-1999, she served as MCC's Chief Ecumenical Officer, representing Metropolitan Community Church at the National Council of Churches
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
and the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
.
She has also been active on behalf of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
issues, prisoner treatment programs, and women's rights. She is the founder of the MCC Conference for Women in Professional Ministry.
In 1979, she participated in the first-ever meeting of gay and lesbian religious leaders at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
with President Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
.
On April 6, 2010, she was guest of U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast.
On February 4, 2011, Wilson was appointed by USA President Obama to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for a one-year term.
Public speaking
Wilson was the Guest Preacher at the Earl Lectures at Pacific School of ReligionPacific School of Religion
Pacific School of Religion is an ecumenical seminary located in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church and the Disciples of Christ, providing all necessary expectations for candidates to their ordained ministries....
(Berkeley, California, January 2002) and has been a guest speaker at Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, Vanderbilt Divinity School
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Allegheny College
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
, Claremont School of Theology
Claremont School of Theology
Claremont School of Theology is a graduate school located in Claremont, California, offering Master of Art, Masters of Divinity, Doctorate of Ministry and Ph.D...
, and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Writings
Wilson is the author of- Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus, and the Bible (Alamo Press)
- Amazing Grace co-editor with Fr. Malcolm BoydMalcolm BoydMalcolm Boyd is an American Episcopal Priest and author.-Biography:In the 1960s Boyd became known as “The Espresso Priest” for his religiously-themed poetry-reading sessions at the “Hungry i” nightclub in San Francisco. Boyd went on to become a prominent white clergyman in the American Civil...
- contributing author to Poems and Prayers in Race and Prayer edited by Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton (Morehouse Press).