Which methodist church accepts lgbtq
United Methodist Church will allow LGBTQ clergy, after 40-year ban
BBC News, Washington
The United Methodist Church voted Wednesday to allow LGBTQ clergy to attend in the church, reversing a 40-year ban.
The church had forbidden "self-avowed homosexuals" from existence ordained or appointed as clergy members.
But during a national conference this week, delegates voted 692-51 to overturn the ban without debate.
People at the conference in North Carolina sang hymns in celebration after the vote, the church said.
Attendees also eased restrictions on gay marriage, passing a measure to prevent clergy and churches from being penalized for performing or waning to perform queer weddings.
"With the approvals and acceptance of the things today...we're beginning to see the unwinding, unravelling, dismantling of the heterosexism, the homophobia, the injure and the hurt of the Combined Methodist Church," Rev David Meredith said to United Methodist News.
Conservative members and congregations include left the denomination in recent years over the issues of LGBTQ clergy and gay marriage, changing the makeup of the chur
Welcome!
At Highland Park United Methodist Church, our mission is to help people turn into deeply devoted followers of Jesus. We strive to create a place that is loving and welcoming to all, without exception. We look forward to meeting you and walking with you in your faith journey. We are all in different seasons of life with diverse spiritual needs. For our siblings in Christ who are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer, we want our church to be a safe place for you to detect joy, community, worship, and grow in your faith as part of the HPUMC family.
We believe diversity is a strength and ally of our church and, most importantly, inclusion and diversity are primary in Christ’s ministry. At every opportunity, HPUMC seeks ways to be more mindful of inclusivity, knowing that learning more helps us uncover gaps that can be improved, moments for growth, and paths for impact and convert. The voices and hearts within the LGBTQ group and allies, as prized members of HPUMC, are key to each of these areas.
Speaking of expansion, our groups and spaces are growing! While every part of our church strives to be welcoming, we also know the value of safe, specified spaces. Plea
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: The Merged Methodist Church
In May 2024, the General Conference voted to remove longstanding bans on the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy and the celebration of queer 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:
- Do no harm.
- Do good.
- 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 Guide of Discipline. Decisions of the General Conference are binding until the next confer
Bishop Karen Oliveto is retiring in a few months as a United Methodist bishop.
Oliveto was passionate saying those words aloud. As the church's first openly gay bishop, her path was not always certain.
"Every morning of my ministry, I've had to wonder, is this the day 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 incorporate a new 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 52-year-old stance on homosexuality being "incompatible with Christian teaching."
"To perceive someone say, 'we need to repent of the hurt we've done.' I didn't realize my body was waiting for that," said Oliveto.
The changes, which are effective immediately, open new doors for LGBTQ members. One 24-year-old, who wished to move by J.M., is working toward becoming ordained as a deacon in the United Methodist Church.
"We have been here and we possess been fighting, and our fight has been wort
United Methodists welcome LGBTQ+ people as pastors
United Methodists include changed their rules, paving the road for what some are hoping will be a more welcoming denomination. At a May gathering of United Methodists from around the planet, members voted to extract language that excluded Gay people.
This topic was previously discussed at another General Conference in 2019. Some members were frustrated when the church voted to continue not allowing Gay pastors.
But during a recent General Conference meeting, they voted on that issue again. This time, the outcome was different.
What You Need To Know
- The Combined Methodist Church voted in May to allow Gay people as pastors, and LGBTQ+ weddings on their property/officiated by UMC pastors
- These rules have been in place since the infancy of the UMC
- This comes as some local churches have chosen to disaffiliate from the UMC, with some joining the newly formed Global Methodist Church
“I believe that taking out harmful language is only a positive thing in our in our society and in our in our denomination,” said Pastor Alicia Wood, with University United Methodist Church in Syracuse.
For many years, Merged Met