United Methodists revoke ban on LGBT clergy
Delegates at the United Methodists’ General Conference voted overwhelmingly to repeal the ban on LGBT clergy, with a decisive 692-51 vote. The church will no longer restrict “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from ministerial roles. This new rule is set to take effect this Friday, signaling a significant step towards dismantling discrimination within the church. The delegates at the United Methodists’ General Conference made a historic decision to overturn the ban on LGBT clergy with an emphatic 692-51 vote. This pivotal move eliminates the restrictions on “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” in ministerial positions. The new rule is scheduled to be enforced starting this Friday, marking a crucial milestone in combating discrimination within the church.
Delegates of the United Methodists voted overwhelmingly to repeal its opposition to LGBT clergy on Wednesday.
The vote at the church’s General Conference, which tallied 692-51, saw the church remove its ban on “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from serving in the church as ordained or appointed ministers. This new rule will go into effect starting Friday when the General Conference will finish.
“With the approvals and acceptance of the things today by the General Conference, we’re beginning to see the unwinding, unraveling, dismantling of the heterosexism, the homophobia, the hurt, and the harm of The United Methodist Church,” said Rev. David Meredith, a gay and retired elder.
Beyond removing the church’s ban on hiring homosexual clergy, the church also approved of a new measure that forbids district superintendents from penalizing clergy for performing a same-sex wedding or for not performing one. The measure also prevents either forbidding or requiring a church to host a same-sex wedding.
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While Methodist churches in the United States are expected to be the most affected by this change, churches in other regions can still potentially reject this ban’s removal due to being allowed to enforce their region’s rules.
Wednesday’s decision by United Methodist delegates came about 18 months after the Mormon Church stated that it would preserve the rights of its “LGBTQ brothers and sisters” as long as the church would be given religious freedoms. The statement was delivered when Congress was working on the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex marriage in the U.S.
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