INDIANAPOLIS — The United Methodist Church has decided to let clergy and pastors perform same-sex marriages, while also allowing people who identify as part of the LGBTQ community to serve as ministers.
"I lived in in constant fear every day for 5 years,” Keith Turner, Pastor of Bethel United Methodist Church, said. “Whether it was someone in my church or someone in the conference or someone anywhere in the world might choose to do their worst."
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Turner technically wasn't allowed to serve in his role since he is gay but now, he says he can breathe a sigh of relief.
"Many happy tears that day and sometimes they still show up. [There's] an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the work of the delegation,” Turner said.
But because the governing body of the church made that decision, some churches decided to disaffiliate and join the Global Methodist Church, who has a more traditional view of the Bible. They don’t agree that people of the same sex should be able to get married in the eyes of the Lord.
However, Pastor Steve Graves from Muncie says he doesn’t have any animosity towards UMC.
"I still consider the United Methodist brethren and sisters of the body of Christ,” Graves said. “I just disagree on their interpretation of scripture and some of the things they do."
He says they had to pay $46,000 to disaffiliate. He took a vote of his members so they could make the decision on if they want to no longer be part of the UMC.
Members of the LGBTQ community who serve the UMC say now is the time for healing, since for many years people who were queer were turned away from worshiping.
"This move in the church says to people that have felt excluded or pushed out from faith communities that there is place for you here,” Lan Wilson, Associate Director of Diversity, Missions and Justice at Indiana UMC, said.
Senior leaders hope this move will allow them to better serve the community.
"Churches are more than just worshiping bodies, we are part of the infrastructure of helping people in their social lives as well,” Julius Trimble, Bishop for the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, said.
Methodist Churches still have a choice when it comes to performing same-sex marriages.
According to the Indiana Bishop, there are 640 Methodist congregations in the state of Indiana.
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