Methodist church and gay
United Methodists Lose 1,800 Churches in Split Over LGBT Stance
Update: Disaffiliations approved by UMC conferences now total more than 5,800 churches as of June 16, 2023.
Nearly four years ago, the United Methodist Church approved an exit prepare for churches wishing to break away from the global denomination over differing beliefs about sexuality, setting in motion what many believed would be a modern-day schism.
Since then, a new analysis has set up, it’s fallen well fleeting of that.
Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again.
That analysis of data composed by the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration shows 6.1 percent of United Methodist churches in the US—1,831 congregations out of 30,000 nationwide—have been granted permission to disaffiliate since 2019. There are no good figures for international departures among the estimated 12,000 Together Methodist churches abroad.
The denomination’s disaffiliation plan gives churches until December 31 to cut ties, and many have already made recognizable their desire to exit. Those churches can hold their properties with them after paying apportionments and pension liabilities. Others are forcing the issue through civil
Bishop Karen Oliveto is retiring in a few months as a United Methodist bishop.
Oliveto was sentimental saying those words aloud. As the church's first openly gay bishop, her path was not always certain.
"Every night of my ministry, I've had to wonder, is this the day my ordination will be taken from me?" Oliveto said.
That is, until this year's United Methodist General Conference, the church's global legislative body, voted to overturn every ban on LGBTQ people. The historic changes involve a new definition of marriage as a lifelong covenant between "two people of faith," rather than solely between a man and a woman, and a repeal of its ban on LGBTQ clergy.
The General Conference also struck down a 52-year-old stance on homosexuality being "incompatible with Christian teaching."
"To listen someone say, 'we need to repent of the impair we've done.' I didn't realize my body was waiting for that," said Oliveto.
The changes, which are effective immediately, open new doors for LGBTQ members. One 24-year-old, who wished to proceed by J.M., is working toward becoming ordained as a deacon in the United Methodist Church.
"We have been here and we possess been fighting, and our fight has been wort
United Methodist Church will authorize LGBTQ clergy, after 40-year ban
BBC News, Washington
The United Methodist Church voted Wednesday to let LGBTQ clergy to assist in the church, reversing a 40-year ban.
The church had forbidden "self-avowed homosexuals" from being ordained or appointed as clergy members.
But during a national conference this week, delegates voted 692-51 to overturn the ban without debate.
People at the conference in North Carolina sang hymns in celebration after the vote, the church said.
Attendees also eased restrictions on gay marriage, passing a measure to prevent clergy and churches from being penalized for performing or declining to perform same-sex weddings.
"With the approvals and acceptance of the things today...we're beginning to see the unwinding, unravelling, dismantling of the heterosexism, the homophobia, the hurt and the harm of the Together Methodist Church," Rev David Meredith said to Merged Methodist News.
Conservative members and congregations have left the denomination in recent years over the issues of LGBTQ clergy and gay marriage, changing the makeup of the chur
Before he arrived in Charlotte for the United Methodist Church’s General Conference, Caleb Parker was trying to keep his emotions in check. As a delegate to the top legislative body for the 10 million-member church, Parker knew that his equality as a gay man would be up for debate over the next 11 days.
Parker, 41, grew up in a 200-year-old Methodist congregation outside Elizabeth Capital and came out after he left for East Carolina University. That’s when he started to reckon with a church that since 1972 had called homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
The United Methodist Church (UMC), for decades, has been boiling over this language, and over its bans on same-sex marriage and on the ordination of non-celibate lesbian and gay clergy. The struggle has sparked protests, arrests, investigations, and church trials. It’s also, for Parker, made for some frustrating experiences.
As a young grown-up, Parker attended his region’s annual conferences as a member of the Reconciling United Methodists and Friends of North Carolina, an LGBTQ-affirming caucus. “We would always have a booth, and they would always put us beside the most homophobic person with a booth,” he said. “A
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: The United Methodist Church
In May 2024, the General Conference voted to remove longstanding bans on the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy and the celebration of same-sex marriages by clergy and in churches. These changes became fully effective on January 1, 2025.
BACKGROUND
The UMC traces its origins to the Methodist movement initiated in the mid-18th century by Anglican priest John Wesley and his brother Charles. The current structure of the UMC was established in 1968 through the union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical Combined Brethren Church. The church is founded on three basic principles:
- Do no harm.
- Do good.
- Practice the ordinances of God, including prayer, Bible reading, worship, and the Lord's Supper.
The global church structure mirrors the United States government with legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch, the General Conference, meets every four years to set church policy. Approximately 1,000 delegates (half lay leaders, half clergy) collect to consider revisions to the Guide of Resolutions and the Book of Discipline. Decisions of the General Conference are binding until the next confer