African Methodist Episcopal Church approves committee to study sexual ethics and LGBTQ issues

The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) has decided to appoint a committee to research sexual ethics discernment, according to a report published July 12, 2021. The decision came days after the close of the denomination’s General Convention, which the source describes as its annual gathering, held the previous week in Jacksonville.

The AME is one of the larger Black mainstream denominations, with about 7,000 congregations. At the convention, the church considered various business matters, including responses to Black Lives Matter, voting rights and several other cultural issues. It also appointed four new bishops, including its first biracial bishop.

In the days after the convention, a resolution was submitted and approved to create a sexual ethics discernment committee. According to the source, the committee would work to identify, study and explain all relevant Scriptures on sexual orientation and gender identities before relating them to the AME’s doctrines and traditions.

The committee will also hear testimonials from LGBTQ+ individuals of African descent, both within and beyond the AME Church. The resolution’s stated purpose, as quoted in the report, is to hear from people affected by the church’s position on these matters. Listening to those most affected before drawing conclusions reflects the call to truth and fairness (Proverbs 18:17).

Bishop Anne Henning Byfield told Religion News Service that the committee “really allows us to pray, to seek God’s leadership in this and to give all persons — but particularly persons in the LGBTQ community in our congregations — (the opportunity) to begin to share and talk.” The committee will be composed of 40 church members and led by one of the bishops.

Rev. Jennifer Leath, who co-authored the resolution, told RNS she was disappointed that AME leadership had not done more before now. She also said she recognized that “we have to take time and necessary steps to understand the will of the body,” particularly in a denomination with 2.5 million members worldwide.

Source: Read the original report