Methodist and gay
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
United Methodists remove anti-gay language from official teachings on societal issues
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — United Methodist delegates on Thursday removed a year-old declaration from their official social teachings that deemed “the practice of homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching” — part of a wider series of historic reversals of the denomination’s long-standing disapproval of LGBTQ activity.
The historic vote came as delegates also approved a new definition of marriage as a covenant between “two people of faith” while recognizing the couple may or may not involve a male and a woman. That replaces an exclusively heterosexual definition of marriage and followed a debate that exposed tensions between some U.S. and international delegates.
The vote to approve a section of the church’s Revised Social Principles took place at the General Conference of the Joined Methodist Church in the penultimate day of their day legislative gathering in Charlotte.
It came a evening after the General Conference removed its long-standing ban on “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from creature o
Methodist Church apologises for 'all forms of homophobia'
BBC News NI education correspondent
The Methodist Church in Ireland has apologised "unreservedly for failures in pastoral support and care" to the LGBT community and their families.
The church also said it strongly condemned all forms of homophobia both within the church and the wider community.
However, the church has decided that marriage remain a relationship "between one man and one woman".
It has decided not to trail the Methodist Church in Great Britain in allowing lgbtq+ marriages.
The Methodist Church in Ireland (MCI) is one of the main religious denominations and is made up of about churches in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The Together Methodist Church in the US recently voted to grant LGBT clergy to serve in the church, reversing a year ban.
It is unclear whether individual Methodist churches in Northern Ireland or the Republic will have the might to allow people in same-sex relationships to continue in leadership ro
Sexuality and the Joined Methodists
Others, appreciate the Episcopals, Presbyterians (PCUSA), and Lutherans (ELCA) hold 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 show the stance of an individual member; The Combined 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 Merged 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 commandment, stating “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,” and that gay