In a landmark decision, delegates of the United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, voted to repeal the long-standing ban on celebrating same-sex marriages or unions by clergy and in church premises. This momentous move signifies the final major reversal of a series of LGBTQ bans and disapprovals that have been part of the United Methodist Church's laws and teachings for the past fifty years.
The vote of 447-233 by the UMC's General Conference came just a day after delegates voted overwhelmingly to repeal a 52-year-old declaration that had labeled the practice of homosexuality as "incompatible with Christian teaching." This decision follows the repeal of the denomination's ban on LGBTQ clergy two days earlier.
This General Conference, the first since 2019, witnessed the most progressive group of delegates in recent memory, reflecting the departure of over 7,600 largely conservative congregations in the United States. These congregations left due to the church's apparent cessation of enforcement of its bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination.
Delegates voted to remove a section from their Book of Discipline, which previously stated, "Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches." Clergy are now empowered to conduct any marriage, according to existing law affirmed with minor revisions on Friday.
Additionally, delegates approved Revised Social Principles, which removed the statement about homosexuality being “incompatible with Christian teaching” and redefined marriage as a covenant between two adults, without restricting it to heterosexual couples, as the previous version did.
While Social Principles are not binding, the clause removed on Friday carried legal weight. Regional conferences outside the United States can establish their own rules, so churches in Africa and elsewhere with conservative views on sexuality may retain bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy. A pending amendment to the church constitution would also allow the U.S. region to make such adjustments.
The change does not mandate or explicitly endorse same-sex marriages, but it eliminates their prohibition. The change goes into effect on Saturday, following the close of the General Conference.
During discussions, Rev. Rebecca Girrell of Vermont expressed regret for initially declining a request to perform a same-sex marriage due to church rules. She later defied these rules and conducted the same-sex wedding for two military servicemen before their deployment. Samuel Cole from Liberia urged the conference not to approve the measure, arguing that it would not be accepted elsewhere in the world and noting that only a man and a woman can produce children.
In 2019, a temporary opportunity arose that allowed American churches to depart with their properties, normally owned by the denomination, under more favorable terms. While the conference voted against extending this opportunity to international churches, the conference's decisions could still lead to the departure of some international churches through different means, especially in Africa, where conservative sexual values are prevalent and where same-sex activity is criminalized in some countries.
Separately, on Friday, the General Conference removed language that made it a chargeable offense for clergy to be a “self-avowed practicing homosexual” or to perform same-sex marriages. This move, akin to previous repeals, affects a different part of church law. Some debate ensued because the measure also removed other chargeable offenses, such as being unfaithful in marriage. Nonetheless, proponents argued that other sections of the Book of Discipline permit the church to discipline ministers for immorality.