United Methodists face vote on LGBTQ issues. Will it rip the church apart?

[left-of-center2012]

The United Methodist General Conference meets this month in St. Louis. The conference meets every four years, but a special session was called to vote on a plan regarding same-sex marriage and the acceptance of LGBTQ clergy in the church. The United Methodist Church faces the possibility of a schism because of the vote. It's inevitable that people will leave the church because of how polarizing the issue is, according to congregants, clergy and experts. It's also possible entire congregations could leave the denomination. United Methodist churches and properties are currently owned by the denomination.

United Methodists represent the second-largest protestant denomination in the United States, behind churches that are part of the Southern Baptist Convention.

After the 2016 General Conference, the Commission on a Way Forward was appointed to study Scripture and come up with plans addressing sexuality in United Methodist churches around the world. Of the three most prominent plans, the Council of Bishops recommends the 'One Church Plan', which would allow churches and pastors to make decisions based on their specific congregations and conferences.

That means that United Methodist pastors would be allowed, but not required, to perform same-sex marriages. But marriages would not be performed in the church unless the congregation votes to approve them before the first one.

The 'One Church Plan' would allow annual conferences regional United Methodist leadership bodies to ordain LGBTQ pastors but they would not be forced to. An extra bishop would be made available if the assigned bishop of the conference were to be uncomfortable with the ordination.

The 'Traditional Plan' would strengthen language in the Book of Discipline to enforce current prohibitions on same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy. It would also allow conferences and individual churches to leave the denomination.

https://www.courant.com/nation-world/sns-tns-bc-relig-methodists-lgbtq-20190204-story.html

[Odoreida]

1. Prediction ...

Whichever way the General Conference decides, there will be two denominations where there was one before.

[lambchopp59]

2. Be we bigots or be we followers of Christ's altruistic teachings?

Hmm. Those early "moral majority" groups (which were neither) did irreparable damage to an entire faith.
I'll give it this much, if they choose to stick with "Republican Jeebus" will mark the beginning of the end of their churches, along with any remaining shreds of their dignity.