United Methodists Vote to Overturn Ban on Gay Clergy Ordination

United Methodists Make Historic Decision to Allow Gay Clergy Ordination

In a historic move, United Methodists gathered for their top legislative assembly on Wednesday and overwhelmingly overturned a measure that had barred gay clergy from ordination in the denomination. With a simple vote call and without debate, delegates to the General Conference removed the ban on the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals”—a prohibition that had been in place since 1984.

This decision marks a significant shift for the nation’s second-largest Protestant body, with some 11 million members worldwide. The United Methodists now join the majority of liberal Protestant denominations that ordain LGBTQ clergy, such as the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Church of Christ.

Bishop Ken Carter of the Western North Carolina Conference expressed the significance of this decision, stating, “We’ve singled out one group for discrimination for 52 years. And we’ve done that on an understanding of homosexuality whose origins came when it was understood to be a disease and a disorder.” He added, “Increasingly, people see that God’s spirit is in gay and lesbian people.”

The vote, which was 692–51 in favor, also included other calendar items such as a motion barring superintendents from punishing clergy for performing same-sex weddings. LGBTQ delegates and their allies celebrated the decision by singing, hugging, cheering, and shedding tears on the floor of the Charlotte Convention Center.

This reversal of prohibitive policies toward LGBTQ individuals comes after the denomination’s 2019 General Convention, where stricter bans on gay clergy and same-sex marriage were implemented. Following the 2019 convention, about 25 percent of traditionalist churches in the US left the denomination, leading to the quick reversal of these policies.

The General Conference also voted to eliminate the pathway to disaffiliation created in 2019 and directed annual conferences to develop policies for inviting disaffiliated churches to return. Still to be voted on is a measure to remove language from the denomination’s rule book that deems homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching” and defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

The decision to allow gay clergy ordination reflects a shift towards a more liberal pathway for the United Methodist Church. However, some African delegates, where homosexuality is illegal in many countries, oppose these changes on theological grounds.

As the denomination continues to navigate these changes, US Methodists are hopeful that a radical realignment of the worldwide church will allow for greater equity and customization of church practices related to sexuality. The decision to allow gay clergy ordination marks a significant moment in the history of the United Methodist Church and sets the stage for further discussions on LGBTQ inclusion within the denomination.