40-Year Ban on Gay Clergy Struck Down

Without debate, General Conference has removed The United Methodist Church’s ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” — a prohibition that dates to 1984. General Conference during the morning plenary approved the change alongside 22 pieces of legislation on the consent calendar, which allows delegates to pass multiple petitions in bulk if they have overwhelming support in legislative committee and have no budgetary or constitutional impact. The vote on the consent calendar was 692-51, with approval at 93%. Read the United Methodist News Service story at https://www.umnews.org/en/news/40-year-ban-on-gay-clergy-struck-down. Other legislation is still pending. General Conference continues through Friday.