A New Era! United Methodist Church Opens Clergy Doors to LGBTQ+ Members

On Wednesday, church leaders at the United Methodist General Conference voted unanimously to repeal a provision that prohibits LGBTQ+ people from serving as clergy.

The vote was 692 to 51, and it came after numerous conservative members left the religion to join the Global Methodist Church. At the conference, delegates also decided to prohibit district superintendents from penalizing clergy members for performing or refusing to officiate same-sex marriages. “We honestly think that everyone is welcome in the church, no matter what. “That everyone should feel Christ’s love,” stated Rev. Catherine Nance. “People who feel called to ministry must still address questions about ministerial gifts. There are still educational requirements, but sexual orientation is not marked as a ‘yes or no.'”

While United Methodist delegates have argued whether to admit LGBTQ+ individuals to the clergy for decades, Wednesday’s decision was rather quiet. The vote was included in the conference’s consent calendar, which is a collection of non-controversial motions passed as a whole to expedite the conference.

“This passed by a vote of 90%, and it was a moment that people were just kind of stunned,” said Tim Jones, Director of Communications for the Holsten Conference in East Tennessee. “By removing the language that was currently in the Book of Discipline, it just gives more autonomy to churches.” Leaders also stated that the decision not only strengthens churches’ freedom but also conveys a message of support to LGBTQ+ people.

“Now our denomination can say, ‘We fully welcome you,'” Nance went on to remark.

“It’s not as if a light switch was flipped and everyone agreed. We understand that some individuals will continue to disagree with the outcome,” Jones stated.

United Methodist officials also expressed their hope that people will continue to attend church following the ruling. “If you disagree with the choice, I would encourage you to attend church on Sunday. We welcome you. If you are overjoyed with your decision, please attend church on Sunday. “We will welcome you,” Nance added.

The decision will take effect as soon as the United Methodist General Conference concludes this weekend. The Global Methodist Church, which is separate from the United Methodist Church, stated that it had no affiliation with the decision. The Global Methodist Church stated that it had over 4,500 churches globally. The United Methodist Church claims to have over 39,000 churches worldwide, with a church membership of about 10 million people.