Methodist church gay
United Methodists end anti-gay bans, closing 50 years of battles over sexuality
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — It took just a few days for United Methodist delegates to remove a half-century's worth of denominational bans on gay clergy and same-sex marriages.
But when asked at a news conference about the lightning speed of the changes, the Rev. Effie McAvoy took a longer view.
“Oh, it didn’t take days, honey," she said.
What You Need To Know
- United Methodist Church delegates gathered last week in Charlotte for their General Conference
- The mainline Protestant denomination removed anti-gay language from its official rules, allowing LGBTQ participation in the pulpit and at the altar
- Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal and smaller mainline denominations have taken similar steps, but all have lost congregations in schisms
- The Combined Methodists counted million U.S. members in , but a recent departure of about 7, mostly conservative congregations will lower that number
It took decades of activism for a change that was "so very healing," said McAv
United Methodists elect a third openly gay, married bishop
[Religion News Service] The first two openly gay and married bishops in the Joined Methodist Church were elected to their positions under a cloud. The denomination’s rulebook did not let LGBTQ+ people to be ordained, much less consecrated as bishops.
But for the first time in its history, the United Methodist Church has elected a third openly gay and married bishop — this time in the dispel light of day.
Kristin Stoneking, an ordained pastor and the associate professor of United Methodist Studies and Leadership at Pacific Institution of Religion in Berkeley, California, was elected bishop last week in the Western Jurisdiction of the church. Her election comes three months after the United Methodists voted at their General Conference to eliminate all restrictions on the full participation of queer members.
Stoneking will oversee some churches in the denomination’s Mountain Sky Conference, which includes congregations in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and a small part of Idaho. She will be based in Denver.
“We’re not done
Stances of Faiths on Diverse Issues: The United Methodist Church
In May , 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,
BACKGROUND
The UMC traces its origins to the Methodist movement initiated in the midth century by Anglican priest John Wesley and his brother Charles. The current structure of the UMC was established in through the union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United 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, delegates (half lay leaders, half clergy) gather to consider revisions to the Book of Resolutions and the Book of D
Sexuality and the Together Methodists
Others, prefer the Episcopals, Presbyterians (PCUSA), and Lutherans (ELCA) possess taken explicit stances in support of LGBTQ inclusion. Of course, individual members of these institutions will have diverse views on the topic, and the stance of an institution does not always convey the stance of an individual member; The Merged Method Church (UMC) is a perfect example of this complexity.
The UMC is a global Protestant denomination which has significant membership in North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. While historically originating in the United Kingdom, the largest population of Methodists now lives in the Joined States, where it is the third largest religious group after Catholics and Baptists.
Every four years, the UMC meets at what they call the Methodist General Conference—a democratic body of representatives from across the world which gathers to make church decisions. In , the Conference voted to add language to the church’s rule, stating “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,” and that gay