Homosexuality and the methodist church

United Methodists remove anti-gay language from official teachings on societal issues

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — United Methodist delegates on Thursday removed a 52-year-old proclamation from their official social teachings that deemed “the train 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 modern definition of marriage as a covenant between “two people of faith” while recognizing the couple may or may not involve a man 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 523-161 vote to approve a section of the church’s Revised Social Principles took place at the General Conference of the United Methodist Church in the penultimate day of their 11-day legislative gathering in Charlotte.

It came a day after the General Conference removed its long-standing ban on “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers. Step by step, delegates include been removing anti

On 3 May 2024, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) — the largest Methodist denomination in the society — removed the language of restriction on so-called “practising homosexuals” from church law. In effect, this lifts the ban on queer clergy and queer marriages in the UMC. The approach taken allows liberty of conscience at the local level, and is an attempt to keep progressives, centrists, and traditionalists in the similar tent. It is essentially the same approach that the Uniting Church in Australia has taken.

This verdict was made possible only after around a quarter of its congregations with a more traditional stance had disaffiliated. Some of these became part of a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church (GMC), which was launched in May 2022, after decades of acrimonious debate. Others joined smaller Methodist churches, such as the Free Methodist Church and the Wesleyan Church. A not many simply became independent.

Learning to live together with difference has been a question for the church since New Testament times, and compromise solutions such as this will leave some more radical Methodists unhappy at both ends of the debate. The UMC will proba

Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: The Joined Methodist Church

In May 2024, the General Conference voted to remove longstanding bans on the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy and the celebration of lgbtq+ marriages by clergy and in churches. These changes became fully effective on January 1, 2025.

BACKGROUND

The UMC traces its origins to the Methodist movement initiated in the mid-18th century by Anglican priest John Wesley and his brother Charles. The current structure of the UMC was established in 1968 through the union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The church is founded on three basic principles:

  1. Do no harm.
  2. Do good.
  3. 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 1,000 delegates (half lay leaders, half clergy) gather to consider revisions to the Book of Resolutions and the Novel of Discipline. Decisions of the General Conference are binding until the next confer

Methodist Church apologises for 'all forms of homophobia'

Robbie Meredith

BBC News NI education correspondent

Getty Images

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 go after 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 200 churches in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The United Methodist Church in the US recently voted to allow LGBT clergy to serve in the church, reversing a 40-year ban.

It is unclear whether individual Methodist churches in Northern Ireland or the Republic will have the power to authorize people in gay relationships to persist in leadership roles.

That followed an amendment voted on by members of the MCI at their conference in Belfast.

Sexuality and the Together Methodists 

Others, appreciate the Episcopals, Presbyterians (PCUSA), and Lutherans (ELCA) include 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 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 1972, the Conference voted to add language to the church’s commandment, stating “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,” and that gay ministers and marriages are not allowed in their churches.   

Even then, this stance

homosexuality and the methodist church