Today, a group of 16 bishops and UMC leaders have released a proposal to split the United Methodist Church into at least two denominations overissuesofLGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex marriages being solemnized in their churches. The proposal is called Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace through Separation.
The split, should it be approved at the General Conference in Minneapolis this May, will include a new denomination that will split off from the UMC to follow the anti-LGBTQ+ Traditional Plan that disallows same-sex marriages and LGBTQ+ clergy, while the existing UMC would become an LGBTQ+-affirming denomination permitting LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex marriages.
The United Methodist Church, the third-largest Christian denomination in the U.S., is set to split the entire church due to conflicting positions on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage.
Church leaders unveiled a proposal to allow “traditionalist” Methodists to form a new denomination that would not allow LGBTQ clergy or perform same-sex unions on Friday, while the existing church would adopt inclusive policies, according to the church’s news site, UM News. The plan would need to be approved at the United Methodist General Conference, scheduled for May in Minneapolis.
United Methodist Church bishops and leaders are proposing a split into more than one denomination in a bid to resolve years of debate over LGBT clergy and same-sex weddings, according to the church's official news agency.
The proposal, from a 16-member group of bishops and church leaders, says a separation was "the best means to resolve our differences, allowing each part of the Church to remain true to its theological understanding, while recognizing the dignity, equality, integrity, and respect of every person."The restructuring comes after a contentious General Conference of the second-largest Protestant denomination in the US voted last year to reinforce the church's stance against ordaining gay clergy and performing same-sex weddings.
Acceptance of queer people has long caused a rift within Methodism, with growing numbers of churchgoers supporting the ordination of gay clergy and performing of same-sex marriages. A heated conference last year failed to resolve the growing conflict, when a resolution to allow same-sex marriages and clergy was narrowly defeated in a final vote.
Now a group of 16 bishops has offered a plan to effectively split the church–and its funds–over a four year period. The divide will create two new denominations: a “traditionalist” group, which will still oppose any acceptance of queer people, and a more progressive branch, set to begin ordaining and marrying LGBTQ people.
Key leaders within the United Methodist Church have announced an agreement outlining how America’s third-largest religious denomination will split over the issue of LGBTQ inclusion.
The UMC’s traditionalist wing, which has steadfastly refused to ordain or preside over the marriages of LGBTQ parishioners, will split off and form a new denomination, according to a proposal published on Friday. According to the proposal, the conservatives would leave with $25 million and their local church properties.
The planned schism would allow the remaining churches to reconvene at a later date and potentially remove controversial language from the church’s rulebook that claims “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” LGBTQ Methodists and their allies have long argued that this language is harmful.The agreement was reached by a 16-member group composed of representatives from different factions of the UMC, including the conservative Wesley Covenant Association and the LGBTQ-affirming Reconciling Ministries Network. Bishops from the U.S., Africa, Europe and the Philippines participated. Kenneth Feinberg, a mediation lawyer who helped oversee victims’ compensation funds after 9/11, was brought in as an outsider to help the leaders reach a deal.