The cisn, opposed by progrsive members of the church and gay and lbian pastors, uld ultimately splter the church.
Contents:
- UNED METHODIST NSERVATIV TAIL BREAKAWAY PLANS OVER GAY CLN
- OVER 6,000 UNED METHODIST NGREGATNS VOTED TO LEAVE THE NOMATN AS BE MORE FLEXIBLE WH GAY MARRIAGE AND LGBTQ+ MISTERS
- UNED METHODISTS TIGHTEN BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AND GAY CLERGY
- UNED METHODISTS URGE REPEAL OF BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, OPENLY GAY CLERGY
UNED METHODIST NSERVATIV TAIL BREAKAWAY PLANS OVER GAY CLN
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.
OVER 6,000 UNED METHODIST NGREGATNS VOTED TO LEAVE THE NOMATN AS BE MORE FLEXIBLE WH GAY MARRIAGE AND LGBTQ+ MISTERS
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. Some members feel strongly that the church should uphold s current stanc regardg gay clergy and marriage.
UNED METHODISTS TIGHTEN BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AND GAY CLERGY
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.
UNED METHODISTS URGE REPEAL OF BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, OPENLY GAY CLERGY
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. 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.