In many senses the Methodist Church has handled the issue much better than other denominations of the Christian church, but it mustn’t feel that because it has made the 1993 decisions and called for a ‘Pilgrimage of Faith’ that the journey is over, it only began there.  As Robert Hamilton Simpson acknowledges,

 
‘the church’s theology and pastoral care has often been disconnected from the sexual reality of the lives of the people who compose church membership, and this has had detrimental consequences.  It has resulted in suffering, depression, and experiences of identity crisis as persons are unable to speak about who they really are, and ultimately it has distorted individual relationships with God.’  [1]

 
The ‘Pilgrimage of Faith’ has a real potential to change this, but the Methodist Church must be proactive in engaging people.

The research has shown a definite positive foundation to the process, but also shows that it hasn’t been as successful in moving forward.  This issue effects real people’s lives, and is not just about a list of resolutions, but it’s about combating ‘repression and discrimination, to work for justice and human rights and to give dignity and worth to people whatever their sexuality’, if Methodism is going to achieve this, it needs to be active, it needs to actually work for it.