AP News: United Methodists repeal longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — United Methodist delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding “self–avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers.
Delegates voted 692–51 at their General Conference — the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming margin contrasts sharply with the decades of controversy around the issue. Past General Conferences of the United Methodist Church had steadily reinforced the ban and related penalties amid debate and protests, but many of the conservatives who had previously upheld the ban have left the denomination in recent years, and this General Conference has moved in a solidly progressive direction.
Applause broke out in parts of the convention hall Wednesday after the vote. A group of observers from LGBTQ advocacy groups embraced, some in tears. “Thanks be to God,” said one.
The change doesn’t mandate or even explicitly affirm LGBTQ clergy, but it means the church no longer forbids them. It’s possible that the change will mainly apply to U.S. churches, since United Methodist bodies in other countries, such as in Africa, have the right to impose the rules for their own regions. The measure takes effect immediately upon the conclusion of General Conference, scheduled for Friday.
The consensus was so overwhelming that it was rolled into a “consent calendar,” a package of normally non–controversial measures.
“It seemed like such a simple vote, but it carried so much weight and power, as 50 years of restricting the Holy Spirit’s call on people’s lives has been lifted,” said Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly lesbian bishop in the United Methodist Church.
“People can live fully into their call without fear,” said Oliveto, of the Mountain Sky Episcopal Area, which includes Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. “The church we’ve loved has found a home for us.”
Also approved was a measure that forbids district superintendents — or regional administrators — from penalizing clergy for either performing a same–sex wedding or for refraining from performing one. It also prohibits superintendents from forbidding a church from hosting a same–sex wedding or requiring it to.
That measure further removes scaffolding around the various LGBTQ bans that have been embedded in official church law and policy. On Tuesday, delegates began taking such steps.
Delegates are also expected to vote soon on whether to replace the denomination’s official Social Principles with a new document that no longer calls the “practice of homosexuality … incompatible with Christian teaching” and that now defines marriage as between “two people of faith” rather than between a man and a woman.
The changes are historic in a denomination that has debated LGBTQ issues for more than half a century at its General Conferences, which typically meet every four years.
About 100 LGBTQ people and allies gathered outside the Charlotte Convention Center after the vote — many with rainbow–colored scarves and umbrellas — to celebrate, pray and sing praise songs accompanied by a drum.
Angie Cox, an observer from Ohio, said she has gone before her conference’s board of ordained ministry six times but was “told no just because of the prohibition on LGBTQ clergy.” She said Wednesday’s vote “means I might be able finally to live fully into my calling.”
The vote follows the departure of more than 7,600 American congregations — one–quarter of all UMC congregations in the U.S — reflecting conservative dismay over the denomination not enforcing its LGBTQ bans. The departures took place between 2019 and 2023 under a temporary window enabling congregations to keep their properties under relatively favorable terms.
The conference on Wednesday voted formally to close that window, over the pleas of conservatives who wanted it extended, particularly since the original window only applied to U.S. and not international churches.
“To limit its function to the United States (portion of the) United Methodist Church, that is a form of disfavor for the church in Africa,” said the Rev. Jerry Kulah, a delegate from Liberia.
Dixie Brewster, a delegate from the Great Plains Conference covering Kansas and Nebraska, called for a path for her fellow conservatives to disaffiliate smoothly. “We want a place to go peacefully,” she said. “We will not be disruptive. I do love all, I love my homosexual friends. I just view the Scriptures a different way.”
But others said the disaffiliation process of recent years tore apart congregations and families.
“We cannot continue to center the voices of distrust,” said delegate Lonnie Chafin from Northern Illinois.
Some pointed out there are other ways that congregations and entire conferences can still disaffiliate — noting that the General Conference last week approved the departure of some churches in the former Soviet Union — though others say this is overly burdensome.
This week’s votes could prompt departures of some international churches, particularly in Africa, where more conservative sexual values prevail and where same–sex activity is criminalized in some countries.
The conference actions represent “a serious drift away from the truth,” Kulah said in an interview. “The church is now buying into culture. The Bible has not changed, but the church has changed.”
Last week, the conference endorsed a regionalization plan that essentially would allow the churches of the United States the same autonomy as other regions of the global church. That change — which still requires local ratification — could create a scenario where LGBTQ clergy and same–sex marriage are allowed in the United States but not in other regions.
The church’s 1972 General Conference approved a statement in its non–binding Social Principles that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching” — a phrase omitted in a proposed revision to the Social Principles that is also headed for a conference vote this week.
The now–repealed ban on clergy who are “self–avowed practicing homosexuals” was originally enacted in 1984, when the conference also voted to require “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness.”
The denomination had until recently been the third largest in the United States, present in almost every county. But its 5.4 million U.S. membership in 2022 is expected to drop once the 2023 departures are factored in.
The denomination also counts 4.6 million members in other countries, mainly in Africa, though earlier estimates have been higher.
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Flashback: here’s what it was like for 50 years in the “United” Methodist Church: two samples pro and con, of FB comments from 2020. Similar divisions have rocked & divided numerous other denominations, including this blog’s hometown folks, the Quakers. (More on that here.). But now, a blast from the Methodist past:
Jason Butler, progressive Raleigh NC UMC pastor, Facebook 10-2020,
On the UMC:
A lot of buzz is going on about the “UMC split” news and a bunch of folks parsing out the details of the latest “protocol” so here are some unsolicited thoughts on the UMC on this Tuesday.
First, let’s be clear here about what has happened. For the last…well…30-40 years…the conservative UMC caucus has sought to divide the UMC church around LGBTQ inclusion. And for the last 10+ the Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) has worked diligently, funded by big conservative donors, to split the UMC. That’s what they’ve wanted for years. They didn’t want a “one church plan” and didn’t want to be associated, in any way, with those they saw as “liberal.” They have gone so far as to essentially form a denomination within a denomination – equipped with leaders, seminaries, and publications. There’s no dealing with these folks – they are intent on leaving and will burn us down to get what they want. They just want their buildings and pensions and couldn’t get them without forcing the whole denomination into a public negotiation. And that’s exactly where we are right now.
But there’s something else…Last year at the special general conference we marched our delegates to a conference room in St. Louis and allowed person after person to stand up and publicly denigrate, traumatize, and otherwise verbally assault our friends in the LGBTQ+ community. And our leadership did nothing to stop it. Speaker after speaker uttered their poison as it was publicly live streamed to the world and our bishops stood on the stage hiding behind decorum and procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order. Our bishops had the chance to stand up and do the courageous thing and stop that spectacle – to be the bold and prophetic leaders that they have been called to be and refuse to allow that abuse to continue.
But votes happened and the victors danced as our friends wept and the national headline read “UMC rejects gay community.” Can’t we see the pain this has been inflicting on our friends?
All along I have heard that we should be seeking “unity.” No, friends – you cannot be unified with an abuser. I have heard pastors and leaders talk about the damage of divorce – that reconciliation needs to be pursued at all costs.
No, it doesn’t. I’m the child of divorced parents. Divorce runs in my family like brown eyes and big noses…so I know a thing or two about divorce. Yes, divorce is awful. But it’s worse being married to an abuser. So sometimes, if one party is abusive and refuses to rectify their abusive behavior then the very best thing for the abused is separation. Leave that abuser and get a lawyer. Reconciliation cannot happen when one party is continually abusing the other party and refuses to stop and refuses to change and refuses to see their role in the destruction of the other person.
Reconciliation is impossible if the abuser does not first repent.
While the bishops and centrist leaders have been trying to “reconcile” with the WCA the LGBTQ+ community has endured profound harm and the lack of bold leadership pushing back on the WCA’s public relations machine that has now also led to the LGBTQ+ community being blamed as the “issue” that the UMC is splitting.
In my opinion, our bishops do not have a responsibility to be a bishop to “everyone” – their first priority must be to protect and care for the vulnerable, the marginalized, and the traumatized. To call for repentance of those causing harm and shielding those in our care from the poisonous rhetoric coming from other Methodists.
Ladies and Gentlemen – this process has shown the world that the two things the UMC cares about most are: Buildings and Pensions.
Let’s just make it all very clear and start to be open and honest about this. No, the LGBTQ community is not the “issue” here and not the reason the UMC will split – the real reason is the fear-driven agenda of the WCA that has set out to destroy the dignity of the LGBTQ+ community in order to erect a church built on the cultural power of fear, homophobia, and white supremacy. And we should not have ever sought “unity” with that – our pastors, bishops, and leaders should have been calling it exactly what it is – sinful abuse.
But instead – we’ve normalized the abuse by allowing it to continue and now we are blaming the victims for the dissolution of our power.
So, before we go throwing around words like reconciliation, let’s first call for repentance.
A “traditionalist” comment, from a longer thread, same day:
Lawrence Kreh I am puzzled by all the anger specifically directed at traditionalist Methodists when most Christian traditions hold a traditional view of marriage: Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and closer to home, a broad span of African United Methodists. As Church of England theologian N.T. Wright has said, we should tread lightly in throwing out 2000 years of Christian experience in the span of a few years.
Secondly is the outlandish accusation that traditionalists are “homophic”. Homophobia is hatred and a sin. Some conservatives may be homophobic and need to be challenged. But enough of the stereotyping
Personal example: My oldest niece in Alabama is a lesbian with a partner of two years. She will be married next year. My relatives are Baptist and Roman Catholic traditionalists and do not believe in homosexual marriage. But they show their love for her even by helping with wedding receptionist preparations. She is welcome at all family get-togethers without being disparaged. It saddens me that people are hurt by traditionalist beliefs, but the accusations hurled at me personally are also hurtful.
One must remember that it us not the WCA that is defying 40 years of a consistent decisions by GC to retain a traditionalist view of human sexuality. Indeed, the WCA is distinct from African Traditionalists who vastly outnumber those associated with American WCA Now a deal has been cut between the mainstream UMC to set up conferences where Africans can remain in the UMC and uphold the current position on human sexuality. They will not have to deal with defiance, resistance, name-calling and shaming that occurs to traditionalists in the U.S.
I have been involved with the UMC since the 1960s and am sad to see the conflict. But it is what it is. There is no “bravo” from me on prophets who disparage each other’s character and integrity. My main lament is that the issue of human sexuality is the presenting issue since it is about changing the Discipline. Without digressing into details, it is about much more.
Finally, however, a broad coalition of leaders across the theological divide have worked on a couple of plans to stop the war and pray for both denominations moving forward. The time for hate language on both sides is over. It is an awful witness to the world around us. The time for sending attack dogs against the WCA (or progressives) is over. The time to salvage any possible good-will is upon us. Based on many comments I am reading here, it is doubtful.
A word of deep appreciation for all our LGBTQ affirming Methodist friends, who have remained so faithful and persevering over the years. You fought for this. You knew this day would come. I’m thinking particularly of a former faculty colleague who, some time ago, gave up her Methodist ordination rather than remain active clergy in a denomination that would not allow LGBTQ persons called to ministry that same opportunity that she had.