United Methodist Church Leaders Agree in Principle to Split Over Gay Rights

If approved, deal would allow same-sex marriage and give opponents opportunity to form a new denomination


By Ian Lovett, Wall Street Journal, January 3, 2020

Leaders of the United Methodist Church have agreed in principle on a deal that will divide the denomination, potentially ending years of discord over the status of gay and transgender people in the church.

“There are simply some convictions and matters of conscience that do not allow people to be in unity with each other,” said Ken Carter, president of the United Methodist Church’s council of bishops .

The agreement, which was signed by 16 leaders of the church on both sides of the debate, would allow same-sex marriage in the Methodist church and allow for gay clergy members to serve openly.

Conservative churches that oppose same-sex marriage would be allowed to leave the denomination and take their property with them, a sticking point that has led to long legal battles over who owns church buildings in other denominations facing similar conflicts.

The agreement would give the conservative churches that leave $25 million to start their own denomination. Clergy members who leave would keep their United Methodist Church pensions.

For the deal to take effect, it will have to be approved at the denomination’s next general conference in May. Ken Carter, president of the United Methodist Church’s council of bishops, said that because advocates on all sides of the debate were involved in the negotiation, he is optimistic that it will pass.

The agreement follows years of rancor over LGBT people’s place in the Methodist church. Last year, the church convened a special general conference specifically to address the question. But the meeting ended without a clear resolution. Members voted against allowing same-sex marriage, but more progressive churches across the U.S. continued to conduct same-sex weddings and gay clergy continued to serve. Some prominent conservatives advocated for dissolving the denomination altogether.

Mr. Carter said in an interview that he had hoped to keep the denomination from splitting, but was convinced to give churches a path to leave after witnessing the damage that the continuing fight was causing.

“There are simply some convictions and matters of conscience that do not allow people to be in unity with each other,” he said.

Discussions that led to the proposed split began last summer and were mediated by Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and now runs similar funds for victims of clergy abuse in Catholic dioceses. Methodist church leaders from four continents, including opponents and supporters of same-sex marriage, were involved. They unanimously signed onto the agreement just before Christmas.

This article first appeared HERE.