The UMC General Conference: What Happened?

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The nearly 7700 churches that exited United Methodism can feel vindicated that the recently concluded General Conference acted as anticipated, effectively divorcing sex from marriage in church teaching and policy. 

Clergy are no longer specifically required to be celibate if single and monogamous in male/female marriage. Along with homosexual behavior, these have been removed as chargeable offenses for clergy. Instead, “immorality” as a chargeable offense is now undefined.

Specific bans on adultery and sex before or outside marriage were in §2702 of the Book of Discipline. They were removed in committee a by 32-13 vote and in plenary by 474-206, rejecting a minority report not disputing the deletion of homosexual behavior but asking to retain as chargeable “not being celibate in singleness, or not faithful in a marriage.”

Those seeking ordination are no longer expected to demonstrate “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness,” as was stated in §304. This deletion was approved in committee by 30-19 and in plenary by 544-121. The final language says aspiring ordinands are to seek “social responsibility and faithful sexual intimacy expressed through fidelity, monogamy, commitment, mutual affection and respect, careful and honest communication, mutual consent, and growth in grace and in the knowledge and love of God.” Marriage is not mentioned there.*

Bans on celebrating same-sex unions were deleted. A new paragraph was added as 340.3 declaring: “No clergy at any time may be required or compelled to perform, or prohibited from performing, any marriage, union, or blessing of any couple, including same-sex couples. All clergy have the right to exercise and preserve their conscience when requested to perform any marriage, union, or blessing of any couple.” This language passed in committee by 41-21 and in plenary 479-203.

The ban on funding gay caucus groups or homosexual advocacy in §613.19 was deleted in committee by 55-6. It passed on the plenary consent calendar by 667-54 in a package of legislative items with large committee majorities.

United Methodism’s new sexual teaching was most vividly shown in the revised Social Principles, which had taught in §1621 that “sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.”

But the proposed revision, approved by 45-15 in committee and 523-161 in plenary, says we “affirm human sexuality as a sacred gift and acknowledge that sexual intimacy contributes to fostering the emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being of individuals and to nurturing healthy sexual relationships that are grounded in love, care and respect.” 

It celebrates that sexuality is “expressed in wonderfully diverse ways.” Likewise, “We affirm the rights of all people to exercise personal consent in sexual relationships, to make decisions about their own bodies and be supported in those decisions.”

The plenary amended this language by 497-189 with, “Within the church, we affirm marriage as a sacred lifelong covenant that brings two people of faith, an adult man and woman of consenting age, or two adult persons of consenting age into union with one another….”

Conferences and churches are now banned from discrimination against clergy based on “sexual orientation.” §425.1 now says: “Open itineracy means appointments are made without regard to race, ethnicity origin, gender, color, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or age, except for the provisions of mandatory retirement. Annual conferences shall, in their training of staff-parish relations committees, emphasize the open nature of itineracy and prepare congregations to receive the gifts and graces of appointed clergy without regard to race, ethnicity origin, gender, color, disability, marital status, economic condition, sexual orientation, or age.” This passed in committee by 37-12 and in plenary by 696-91.

On abortion, the Social Principles language was largely left alone but a new resolution declares: 

The United Methodist Church affirms this statement and upholds a person’s right to an abortion after informed consideration with their family, medical practitioners, pastor, and other pertinent counsel. State and federal laws and regulations prohibiting abortion violate a person’s right to the full range of reproductive health care, and, potentially, life.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that United Methodists pledge solidarity with those who seek reproductive health care, including abortion, by taking active measures, including accompanying people to medical appointments when necessary.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that United Methodists and their churches will support a person’s right to reproductive health care, including abortion, through personal prayer, letter writing campaigns to their legislators and, when necessary, peaceful protest.

This resolution passed in committee by 52-1 and was approved in plenary on the consent calendar.

Some United Methodists had hoped that a disaffiliation process for churches such as existed from 2019-2023 under §2553 might be renewed. This proposal was defeated 62-12 in committee and in plenary by 519-212.

Progressives swept the table at General Conference, opposed only by Africans and a smattering of remaining U.S. traditionalists, with perhaps a few Filipinos and Europeans. One third of the delegate seats were supposed to have been African. But visa problems kept 25-30% of African delegates from attending.

Millions of United Methodists in Africa now must choose whether to stay in a denomination where they are the majority but are effectively disenfranchised by perennial visa problems and more so through an unfair delegate representation formula. General Conference approved a regionalization plan that would allow Africa to set its own marriage policy. This plan must also be approved by two thirds of all voters at United Methodist annual conferences globally. Even if it passes, Africans may prefer to move on, untethered to a denomination controlled by U.S. progressives.

Remaining U.S. traditionalists whose churches did not exit under the now lapsed §2553 must also choose. Will they remain in a denomination that rejects universal church teaching on marriage and sexuality? 

No doubt many will, out of loyalty to their local congregations. But as other Mainline Protestant denominations that liberalized on sex, United Methodism’s sixty-year membership decline will now accelerate. This loss is compounded by the 25% of its churches that exited under §2553, an unprecedented mass exit among the Mainline denominations.

Hopes for a vibrant Methodist movement in America now mainly rest with the nearly 7700 former United Methodist churches and with other Wesleyan denominations that are still orthodox. The nearly 7700 churches that escaped a crumbling denomination, often at great costs, are now liberated to be more Wesleyan and evangelistic. Let’s see what they do, and what God does.

Mark Tooley is the President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy.

*This paragraph has been amended for correction.