United Methodist Delegates in Charlotte, NC, Repeal Ban on LGBTQ Clergy

United Methodist delegates at the General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, repealed the church’s ban on LGBTQ clergy, according to the Houston Chronicle, which reported that the repeal passed with no debate on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The repealed rule had barred “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers, and it had been in place for about 40 years, since 1984. Community reports from Western Pennsylvania described the vote as overwhelming.

The Houston Chronicle reported that on the previous day, Tuesday, delegates voted 667-54 to reverse a ban on using United Methodist funds to “promote acceptance of homosexuality.” The same report said mandatory penalties against same-sex marriages were also removed. The Chronicle did not give the date of the 667-54 vote in any other detail beyond that it took place on Tuesday.

Separate measures also addressed weddings and clergy discipline. According to the TribLive report, the conference approved a measure forbidding district superintendents from penalizing clergy for performing or refusing to perform a same-sex wedding. That measure also prohibits superintendents from forbidding a church from hosting a same-sex wedding or requiring it to do so. The Houston Chronicle similarly reported that superintendents would not penalize clergy or churches for holding or refusing to hold same-sex weddings.

Reactions from clergy varied. Brad Morgan, a Houston pastor at Memorial Drive UMC, called the decision “a historic day,” according to the Chronicle. The Rev. Dale Reese, who pastors United Methodist churches in New Kensington, Verona, Aspinwall and Penn Hills, told TribLive he expected mixed emotions among his congregations. The Rev. Debra L. Mason of Otterbein United Methodist Church in Greensburg said she felt relief that the church had reached a decision.

The reports also explained the scope of the change. TribLive noted that the change does not mandate or explicitly affirm LGBTQ clergy; the church will no longer prohibit them. It also said United Methodist bodies in other global regions may impose their own rules, so the change will likely apply mainly to U.S. churches.

The background to the vote was the 2022 departure of conservative Methodists, who formed the Global Methodist Church, mainly over tensions about LGBTQ rights, the Chronicle reported.

The measure takes effect immediately upon the conclusion of General Conference, which was scheduled for Friday, according to TribLive.