From Youngstown-
The United Methodist Church’s top
legislative assembly convenes Sunday for a high-stakes, three-day
meeting likely to determine whether America’s second-largest Protestant
denomination will fracture due to divisions over same-sex marriage and
the ordination of gay clergy.
While other mainline Protestant
denominations – such as the Episcopal and Presbyterian (U.S.A.) churches
– have embraced gay-friendly practices, the Methodist church still bans
them, even though acts of defiance by pro-LGBT clergy have multiplied
and talk of a possible breakup of the church has intensified.
At the church’s upcoming General
Conference in St. Louis, 864 invited delegates – split evenly between
lay people and clergy – are expected to consider several plans for the
church’s future. Several Methodist leaders said they expect a wave of
departures from the church regardless of the decision.
“I don’t think there’s any plan
where there won’t be some division, and some people will leave,” said
David Watson, a dean and professor at United Theological Seminary in
Dayton who will be attending the conference.
Formed in a merger in 1968, the
United Methodist Church claims about 12.6 million members worldwide,
including nearly 7 million in the United States. In size, it trails only
the Southern Baptist Convention among U.S. Protestant denominations.
More here-
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