United Methodist Denomination Votes to Expel LGBT Pastors and Pro-LGBT Churches
America’s second-largest Protestant denomination, the United Methodist Church, is set to split, as the church’s top policy-making body set a final vote Tuesday to maintain prohibitions on homosexuality and to expel gay pastors...
Only the anti-LGBTQ “Traditional Plan” won a majority of delegates, prevailing by a vote of 56% to 44%.
That plan maintains the Book of Discipline’s statement that “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching” and that “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” cannot be ordained as ministers or be married in the church.
Moreover, the plan actually increases the enforcement of this provision. At present, there are numerous LGBTQ Methodist pastors – one, Briand Adkins, spoke at the Conference and stated plainly “I am a gay pastor” – and the denomination has not taken affirmative action to dismiss them.