Louis where delegates voted 438-384 to strengthen bans on LGBTQ-inclusive practices. and 6.5 million overseas.ĭifferences over same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy have simmered for years in the UMC, and came to a head in 2019 at a conference in St.
The United Methodist Church claims 6.3 million members in the U.S. A little more than half of the denomination’s members are overseas, notably in Africa and the Philippines. In March, the UMC announced it was pushing off the next gathering yet again - to 2024 - due to long delays in the U.S. That legislative body is the only one that could approve a tentative agreement - unveiled in 2020 after negotiations between conservatives, liberals and centrists - to allow churches and regional groups to leave the denomination and keep their property.īut the General Conference, originally scheduled for 2020, was already delayed for two straight years by the pandemic. Global Methodist Church organizers had originally expected to launch the denomination only after the next General Conference of the UMC. He suggested some bishops are intentionally blocking churches from using certain processes for exiting the denomination. Boyette criticized the actions of some members of the Council of Bishops, including the decision to further delay the General Conference.
