Current Position on Homosexuality

General Conference 2019

Why was there a General Conference in 2019?

General Conference (GC) is the governing body of the UMC. Delegates meet every 4 years to vote on legislation for the church. However, during GC2016, a special session was called and a commission - the Commission on a Way Forward - was formed to address the singular issue of the UMC stance on homosexuality.

The Commission on a Way Forward presented three plans to GC2019. One plan removed the harmful language about homosexuality from the Book of Discipline (see What does the Book of Discipline say about Homosexuality, below) and provided that individual churches be given flexibility to make individual decisions about whether to offer marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples; a second proposed restructuring the global church, structuring it less by geography and more by “values-based connection…”; a third proposal increased the penalty to “self avowed practicing homosexuals” holding positions in the church, as well as to Annual Conferences and Bishops that did not enforce these penalties. No plan proposed by the Commission included making the entire church welcoming and affirming to LGBtQ+ persons.

Full text of the Commission’s report and the proposed plans can be found at: https://www.umc.org/en/content/way-forward-report-released-in-all-four-official-languages-of-general-confe

At GC2019, delegates approved the Traditional Plan with a 438-384 vote (53%-47%). The Traditional Plan not only maintained the current UMC bans on UMC clergy officiating same-sex weddings, but also adds minimum penalties for those clergy, and added penalties to Bishops or Annual Conferences that do not enforce the Traditional Plan. The Traditional Plan was slated to go into effect in the United States on January 1, 2020, and several months later for churches outside of the US.

Delegates at GC2019 also voted on updated procedures for any individual churches that want to disaffiliate from the UMC "for reasons of conscience" due to the stance on homosexuality.

What does the Book of Discipline say about Homosexuality?

The Book of Discipline (BOD) includes doctrines and legislation for the UMC. Proposed changes to the BOD are voted on every 4 years at General Conference. Going into GC2019, the BOD had five sections addressing homosexuality, which can be read in full at https://www.umc.org/en/content/homosexuality-full-book-of-discipline-statements. All five sections remain in the BOD today.

Protocol on Grace and Reconciliation through Separation

After the Traditional Plan passed in GC2019, it was clear that the problem was not solved, and we had not resolved our differences. In response, Bishop John Yambasu (Sierra Leone Episcopal Area) called together a group of representatives from across the global church. He gathered bishops, clergy, and laity; progressives, moderates, and centrists. This group worked with renowned mediator, Kenneth R. Feinberg, to come together to create a resolution that allows for the restructuring of the United Methodist Church through a grace-filled separation.

One important item included in the Protocol was the agreement that all complaints related to same-gender weddings be held in abeyance - held in a temporary state of inactivity - until the Protocol could be presented as legislation at General Conference 2020 (GC2020). Several bishops have formally agreed to the abeyance, which several others have chosen not to make a public statement (while not currently pursuing any complaints). Only one bishop in the US has publicly stated that she will not abide by the abeyance - Bishop Sharma Lewis, of the Virginia Annual Conference.

The Protocol was submitted as legislation for GC2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Methodist Church was unable to hold GC2020 as scheduled. It has been rescheduled for September, 2022, and the Protocol is expected to be presented as legislation at that time. Until then, Methodists globally continue to ask bishops to hold complaints in abeyance.