The Uned Methodist Church moved toward beg more progrsive and LGBTQ-affirmg durg U.S. regnal meetgs this month that clud the electn of s send openly gay bishop. Conservativ say the velopments will only accelerate their ex om one of the natn’s largt Prottant nomatns.
Contents:
- OVER 6,000 UNED METHODIST NGREGATNS VOTED TO LEAVE THE NOMATN AS BE MORE FLEXIBLE WH GAY MARRIAGE AND LGBTQ+ MISTERS
- UNED METHODIST NSERVATIV TAIL BREAKAWAY PLANS OVER GAY CLN
- UNED METHODIST CHURCH MOV TO ALLOW LGBT CLERGY AND GAY MARRIAGE
OVER 6,000 UNED METHODIST NGREGATNS VOTED TO LEAVE THE NOMATN AS BE MORE FLEXIBLE WH GAY MARRIAGE AND LGBTQ+ MISTERS
David Gura speaks wh Rev. Kimberly Stt about last week's meetg of the Uned Methodist Church's Council of Bishops and s impedg vote on whether to orda gay pastors. * gay methodists *
Uned Methodists have long bated LGBTQ rights the church, cludg the ordatn of LGBTQ clergy and a clergy's thory to marry same-sex upl, for bate reached an flectn pot 2016 after hundreds of Uned Methodist clergy me out as gay and when a regnal nference elected the first openly lbian bishop. Ultimately, legat approved a proposal that did not fundamentally change the nomatn's stance on sexualy, which ntu to say "the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg. One-fifth of Uned Methodist ngregatns the Uned Stat have received permissn to leave the nomatn over disagreements over same-sex marriage and gay preachers.
This year alone, 4, 172 ngregatns left, acrdg to an unofficial tally by Uned Methodist News the church forbids the marriage or ordatn of “self-avowed, practicg homosexuals, ” many church and nferenc fy those bans. Conservativ May 2022 officially lnched a new Global Methodist Church, where they plan to mata and enforce bans on thgs that clu gay misters and same-sex weddgs. Recent shifts the church2019: A vote by a General Conference was the latt of several recent s that rerced the church’s ban on gay clergy and marriage.
Many wh the nomatn are seekg to reverse bans on the ordatn of gay and lbian misters and officiatns of gay weddgs. LGBTQ+ rponseWhile some partg church allow LGBTQ+ members, ’s an unacceptable double standard when they let LGBTQ+ people attend their servic but refe to marry them, said Sonja Feist, print of the Topeka chapter of Parents, Fay and Friends of Lbians and told The Capal-Journal she didn't see how a church that bans same-sex marriage n claim to be welg to gay people.
UNED METHODIST NSERVATIV TAIL BREAKAWAY PLANS OVER GAY CLN
A mtee wh the Uned Methodist Church has affirmed a proposal on acceptg LGBT clergy and gay marriage. Ron Cogswell/Flickr Gay clergy and same-sex marriage may be allowed at Uned Methodist Church thanks to a proposal drafted by the Connectnal Table, a rpected ternatnal body of clergy members and lay people the church. On Tuday, the mtee * gay methodists *
The Church “implor fai and church not to reject or nmn lbian and gay members and iends. Homosexualy was first openly bated at General Conference 1972, four years after the formatn of The Uned Methodist Church, rultg the addn of first statement on homosexualy. While affirmg belief that persons of homosexual orientatn are persons of sacred worth who need the mistry and guidance of the church, the statement add that the church “do not ndone the practice of homosexualy and nsirs this practice patible wh Christian teachg.
Sce that time, the church has mataed the posn that “the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg. Based on the posns about homosexual practice and marriage, the Church has also mataed rtrictns regardg clergy. Pastors may not be “self-avowed, practicg homosexuals” and may not nduct ceremoni that celebrate same-sex weddgs or unns.
Wh a body of over 12 ln members globally, Uned Methodists are not of one md about how to be mistry wh lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people.
UNED METHODIST CHURCH MOV TO ALLOW LGBT CLERGY AND GAY MARRIAGE
Some members feel strongly that the church should uphold s current stanc regardg gay clergy and marriage. While the church has official statements regardg homosexualy, all members n disagree wh the church’s posns and n advote for change policy.
In 2019, a special ssn of General Conference met specifilly to addrs ongog, unrolved divisns regardg homosexualy. Its cisns strengthened rtrictns on ordatn (broang the fn of "self-avowed, practicg homosexual" the footnote to ¶304. One was to clare an abeyance (lay) on submtg or procsg plats related to homosexualy until after a procs for separatn had been approved and the nomatns that may rult om uld hold their first post-separatn General Conferenc.
The agreement about abeyance, though, beme effective immediately among s signers, and many other bishops the Uned Stat have likewise agreed to hold homosexualy-related plats agast clergy abeyance until after a post-separatn Uned Methodist General Conference 2028 term what new polici, if any, will be. The impasse over homosexualy has led to uncertaty about the Church’s future. Ngregatns to part over LGBTQ-related issu — and sd to s hight level this law forbids the marriage or ordatn of “self-avowed, practicg homosexuals, ” but many nservativ have chosen to leave amid a growg fiance of those bans many U.