In a scene that left many pew-sitters stunned, a Methodist pastor in upstate New York used a Sunday service to announce a startling personal overhaul—

(Phil Phaneuf/Facebook)

one that signals just how fast parts of America’s churches are sprinting toward ideological trends rather than spiritual tradition.

Rev. Phillip Phaneuf of North Chili United Methodist Church in Rochester stepped into the pulpit on Nov. 23 wearing a rainbow stole and told the congregation, “So I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning… I’m affirming to all of you that I am transgender.” The 51-year-old pastor insisted, “I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man.”

The announcement didn’t stop there. Phaneuf also revealed a new sexual identity, telling the congregation, “I’m in the category of what they call asexual… I am not living my life in a way that involves looking for romance.”

The pastor now plans to go by Phillippa and use she/her pronouns, confirming that hormone treatments have already been underway for three months and that changes in voice, hair, and appearance are expected.

If anyone wondered how denominational leadership felt about all this, Phaneuf was quick to emphasize institutional backing. “Since coming out to my congregation, they have been overwhelmingly affirming!” the pastor told Fox News Digital, adding that the bishop had been consulted and fully supported the transition. According to Phaneuf, none of this will affect pastoral duties—“What will stay the same is my deepening love for all of you.”

But while church leadership appears enthusiastic, family unity tells a different story. During the sermon, Phaneuf disclosed that the pastor’s own parents offered no support at all: “They asked me to tell you all that they do not support me.”

This dramatic moment comes just a year after the United Methodist Church officially reversed its long-standing rules that discouraged LGBTQ+ identities within its clergy and congregations. The denomination now declares human sexuality to be “a sacred gift… regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity” and promises to “befriend and care for all persons, including LGBTQ persons.”

Regardless of where one stands, this latest pulpit proclamation makes one thing abundantly clear: the UMC’s policy shift isn’t theoretical. It’s playing out in real time, in real sanctuaries, with real consequences.

(Video Credit: Phillip Phaneuf)