The United Methodist Church has lifted a nearly 40-year-old on ordaining gay clergy – a major shift in one of the country’s largest denominations.
On the heels of a massive exodus from the increasingly liberal denomination, the remaining leaders approved the pro-LGBT move at their annual conference Wednesday and formally enshrined a shift that was years in the making.
In a 692-51 vote, church leaders passed several rules removing the ban on gay clergy and the penalties for holding same-sex marriages, according to United Methodist News Service (UM News).
Progressive congregations have long been pushing to become more accepting of LGBTQ lifestyles, despite biblical prohibitions, leading to deeper divisions and departures from the denomination.
Many conservative congregations have already left the denomination because, despite the UMC forbidding the marriage or ordination of practicing homosexuals, some churches and clergy have defied those bans in recent years.
According to the UM News, over the last five years, 7,660 congregations, or about 25% of the group’s U.S. churches have completed the required steps and withdrawn from the denomination.
The UMC put into place a temporary exit policy that expired on December 31 last year. Under paragraph 2553 of the United Methodist Book of
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