Methodist church and gay rights

LGBTQ Rights

The United Methodist Church is in a moment of deep discernment over how to recognize and welcome LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) people as part of the life and ministry of the Church. The General Conference — the top legislative body of the denomination — adopted a motion that deferred consideration of all legislation related to human sexuality and led to the creation of the Commission on the Way Forward.

We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We therefore work toward societies in which each person’s value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened.

United Methodist Social Principles, ¶

In the midst of these debates and disagreements over internal polity, the Church remains firm in support for laws in civil society that uphold the rights of LGBTQ people.

“Certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due all persons. We are committed to supporting those rights and liberties for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation.” (Social Principles, ¶J) We support “the rights of all persons to equal

Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ 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:

  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, delegates (half lay leaders, half clergy) harvest to consider revisions to the Book of Resolutions and the Book of D

Bishop Karen Oliveto is retiring in a few months as a United Methodist bishop.

Oliveto was emotional saying those words aloud. As the church's first openly gay bishop, her path was not always certain.

"Every day of my ministry, I've had to wonder, is this the morning my ordination will be taken from me?" Oliveto said.

That is, until this year's United Methodist General Conference, the church's global legislative body, voted to overturn every ban on LGBTQ people. The historic changes include a modern definition of marriage as a lifelong covenant between "two people of faith," rather than solely between a man and a woman, and a repeal of its ban on LGBTQ clergy.

The General Conference also struck down a year-old stance on homosexuality being "incompatible with Christian teaching."

"To hear someone utter, 'we need to repent of the harm we've done.' I didn't understand my body was waiting for that," said Oliveto.

The changes, which are efficient immediately, open new doors for LGBTQ members. One year-old, who wished to go by J.M., is working toward becoming ordained as a deacon in the Unite

Sexuality and the United Methodists 

Others, enjoy the Episcopals, Presbyterians (PCUSA), and Lutherans (ELCA) possess 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 verb the stance of an individual member; The United 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 United 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 law, stating “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching,” and that gay