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The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States,and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century,its main predecessor,the Methodist Episcopal Church,was a leader in evangelicalism. The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas,Texas,by union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England,as well as the Great Awakening in the United States. As such,the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan. It embraces liturgical worship,holiness,and evangelical elements.
Same-sex marriage is legal in all parts of the United Kingdom. As marriage is a devolved legislative matter,different parts of the UK legalised at different times;it has been recognised and performed in England and Wales since March 2014,in Scotland since December 2014,and in Northern Ireland since January 2020. Civil partnerships,which offer most,but not all,of the rights and benefits of marriage,have been recognised since 2005.
The blessing or wedding of same-sex marriages and same-sex unions is an issue about which leaders of Christian churches are in ongoing disagreement. Traditionally,Christianity teaches that homosexual acts are sinful and that holy matrimony can only exist between two persons of the opposite sex. These disagreements are primarily centered on the interpretation of various scripture passages related to homosexuality,sacred tradition,and in some churches on varying understandings of homosexuality in terms of psychology,genetics and other scientific data. While various church bodies have widely varying practices and teachings,individual Christians of every major tradition are involved in practical (orthopraxy) discussions about how to respond to the issue.
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a Protestant Christian denomination in Britain,and the mother church to Methodists worldwide. It participates in the World Methodist Council,and the World Council of Churches among other ecumenical associations.
The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga is a Methodist denomination in Tonga. It is the largest Christian denomination in the nation and is often mistaken to be its state church. It has its roots in the arrival of the first missionaries from the London Missionary Society and the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist Mission Society,the latter of which cemented its Methodist identity.
A bishop is a senior role in many Methodist denominations. The bishop's role is typically called the "episcopacy",based on the Greek word episkopos (επισκοπος),which literally means overseer. Superintendent is another translation of episkopos but in Methodist churches this is a role distinct from bishop. The first Methodist bishops were appointed in America,and American Methodist denominations still recognize the office of bishop.
The Methodist Church in Ireland is a Wesleyan Methodist church that operates across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on an all-Ireland basis. It is the fourth-largest Christian denomination in Northern Ireland. The Irish Methodist Church has close links with the Methodist Church in Britain.
The legal status of same-sex marriage has changed in recent years in numerous jurisdictions around the world. The current trends and consensus of political authorities and religions throughout the world are summarized in this article.
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is a large Wesleyan Methodist denomination,with local churches across South Africa,Namibia,Botswana,Lesotho and Eswatini,and a more limited presence in Mozambique. It is a member church of the World Methodist Council.
Methodist viewpoints concerning homosexuality are diverse because there is no one denomination which represents all Methodists. The World Methodist Council,which represents most Methodist denominations,has no official statements regarding sexuality. British Methodism holds a variety of views,and permits ministers to bless same-gender marriages. United Methodism,which covers the United States,the Philippines,parts of Africa,and parts of Europe,concentrates on the position that the same-sex relations are incompatible with "Christian teaching",but extends ministry to persons of a homosexual orientation,holding that all individuals are of sacred worth.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Jersey since 1 July 2018. The States Assembly passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry on 1 February 2018. Royal assent was granted on 23 May 2018,and the law took effect on 1 July.
The organisation of the Methodist Church of Great Britain is based on the principle of connexionalism. This means that British Methodism,from its inception under John Wesley (1703–1791),has always laid strong emphasis on mutual support,in terms of ministry,mission and finance,of one local congregation for another. No singular church community has ever been seen in isolation either from its immediately neighbouring church communities or from the centralised national organisation. Wesley himself journeyed around the country,preaching and establishing local worshipping communities,called "societies",often under lay leadership. Soon these local communities of worshipping Christians formalised their relationships with neighbouring Methodist communities to create "circuits",and the circuits and societies contained within them,were from the very beginning 'connected' to the centre and Methodism's governing body,the annual Conference. Today,societies are better known as local churches,although the concept of a community of worshipping Christians tied to a particular location,and subdivided into smaller cell groups called "classes",remains essentially based on Wesley's societies.
The ordination of lesbian,gay,bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) clergy who are open about their sexuality or gender identity;are sexually active if lesbian,gay,or bisexual;or are in committed same-sex relationships is a debated practice within some contemporary Christian denominations.
Methodist views on the ordination of women in the rite of holy orders are diverse.
Sally Dyck is an American minister who is a bishop in the United Methodist Church,the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. In 2021,she will begin serving as the Ecumenical Officer of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Gibraltar since 15 December 2016. A bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriages was approved by the Parliament on 26 October 2016 and received royal assent on 1 November 2016. Gibraltar has also allowed civil partnerships since 28 March 2014.
Titus Awotwi Pratt is a Ghanaian educationist and minister. He was the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana. He has served as the head of the Methodist Church in The Gambia as well as the Bishop of Accra. He spent the early years of his ministry as an assistant minister at Roundhay Methodist Church in Leeds,United Kingdom.
Cynthia Fierro Harvey is an American bishop in the United Methodist Church and served as president of its Council of Bishops. She is the first Hispanic woman to lead the Council of Bishops. Harvey is the Resident Bishop of the Texas Annual Conference.
References
- 1 2 3 "Meet the staff". Thames Valley Methodist Circuit. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- 1 2 "New President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference elected for 2021/22". The Methodist Church. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- 1 2 Williams, Hattie (28 June 2021). "New Methodist President: 'Be better at making God's love real'". The Church Times. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ↑ Sherwood, Harriet (30 June 2021). "Methodist church to allow same-sex marriage after 'historic' vote". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ↑ "An update on the Methodist Conference from the Secretary of the Conference". www.methodist.org.uk (Press release). Retrieved 21 June 2023.