United Methodist leaders propose splitting church over same-sex marriage tensions
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United Methodist leaders are proposing to split the church and spin off a new “traditionalist Methodist” denomination after decades of fighting over same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy.
The group – made up of 16 bishops and representatives from United Methodist advocacy groups with diverse views – announced Friday they had a proposed agreement on the future separation of the second-largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. The church has more than 13 million members worldwide and several of its central agencies are headquartered in Nashville.
The proposed plan, called the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation, comes after decades of fighting over sexuality, including whether to lift the denomination’s ban on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy. In February, a special meeting of the church’s top governing body failed to find an amicable solution.
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