Evangelical Methodist Church Delegates in Chemnitz, Germany, Vote to Allow Blessings of Same-Sex Couples

Delegates of the Central Conference of the Evangelical Methodist Church (EmK) voted in Chemnitz, Germany, to change the church order so that the church can allow blessings of same-sex couples and the ordination of homosexual people for pastoral service. Katholisch.de reported that the delegates decided the change at an extraordinary conference on the weekend, and that the EmK announced the decision on Monday evening. Domradio.de reported that the decisions were taken “last week” at the Central Conference, which meets every four years. The two reports thus differ on the timing and on how the conference should be described.

The EmK is a worldwide Protestant Free Church that emerged from an 18th-century movement in England. According to the reports, it has about 12 million members worldwide and about 46,000 in Germany, where Domradio.de says they belong to about 420 congregations. Harald Rückert is the bishop responsible for Germany, based in Frankfurt am Main.

According to Katholisch.de, the change would make possible in the future a “blessing of same-sex couples on the occasion of a church wedding,” and the ordination of homosexual people for pastoral service is planned. Domradio.de describes the same decision as the church wanting to enable such blessings and ordinations in the future, and says the church order is to be adapted to three points, which the report does not list.

Both reports say the resolution includes provisions for those who object. Katholisch.de reports that the EmK said pastors could not be obliged to bless same-sex marriages against their consciences, and that the concerns of congregations that do not want a homosexual pastor should be considered. Domradio.de reports the same pastoral protection and adds that there is no obligation for churches to open up to blessings of same-sex couples. It also says congregations could signal that they did not wish to be assigned a homosexual pastor. Keeping these provisions in place reflects an effort to live at peace within the community where possible (Romans 12:18).