Presbyterian and gay marriage
US Presbyterian church recognises queer marriage
The largest Presbyterian denomination in the US will formally recognise same-sex marriages after decades of debate.
With nearly 1.8 million members, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is the biggest Protestant group in the US to endorse the ceremonies.
The move was supported by the church's top legislative body last year, but required approval from a majority of the denominations' regional districts.
A New Jersey district delivered the critical vote on Tuesday.
The new church policy reads: "Marriage involves a one-of-a-kind commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to affection and support each other for the rest of their lives."
But the denomination has included a provision that no clergy would be compelled to preside over a gay marriage or host such a ceremony on church property. A number of districts have voted against the rule change.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved the ordination of gay pastors, elders and deacons in 2011, which led to many conservative congregations to leave the denomination.
The fracture may have paved the way for the approval of same-sex unions.
The change will
Presbyterian Church in Ireland votes against same-sex attracted membership
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has adopted a recent policy that means anyone in a same-sex relationship cannot be a packed member of the Church.
It also means their children cannot be baptised.
The shift comes after the Church cut ceremonial ties with the Church of Scotland due to its more liberal attitude to same-sex relationships.
Not everyone in the Church agreed with the adoption of the novel rules on membership and baptism.
There was a lengthy debate on Friday morning at the annual meeting in Belfast of the decision-making General Assembly.
The debate lasted more than an hour and more than 20 people spoke.
The Reverend Cheryl Meban, a chaplain at Ulster University, urged the Church not to adopt the policy.
'Credible profession of faith'
The Rev John Dunlop, a former moderator, said it was a "highly sensitive" issue and cautioned against adopting any formal rules on the matter.
However, another former moderator, the Rev Stafford Carson, argued that the Church needed to make its position clear that it was not in favour of lgbtq+ relationships.
The po
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Presbyterian Church (USA)
BACKGROUND
With its roots in the 16th century teachings of John Calvin, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) boasts 1.4 million members who participate in more than 10,000 congregations across the country. The largest Presbyterian group in the land, the denomination was formed in 1983 when the southern-based Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (PCUS) joined the northern-based United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) to establish a single unit. The Presbyterian Church (USA) remains clear from the Presbyterian Church in America, which tends toward less inclusive policies.
The Presbyterian name derives from the Greek word for “elders” – lay leaders who govern the church and are chosen by its congregants. According to the denomination’s web site, elders serve closely with clergy to, “exercise direction, government, and discipline and have responsibilities for the existence of a particular church as adequately as the church at large.” Elders serve at every level of governance from “sessions,” which govern a unattached church, to “presbyteries,” consisting of regional church communities, to the General As
Presbyterian Church Leaders Declare Gay Marriage Is Christian
DETROIT — The foremost legislative body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted by big margins Thursday to recognize lgbtq+ marriage as Christian in the church constitution, adding language that marriage can be the union of "two people," not just "a man and a woman."
The amendment approved by the Presbyterian General Assembly requires approval from a majority of the 172 regional presbyteries, which will vote on the change over the next year. But in a separate policy change that takes effect at the end of this week's meeting, delegates voted to allow ministers to preside at gay weddings in states where the unions are legal and local congregational leaders permit . Nineteen states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage.
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The votes, during a national meeting in Detroit, were a sweeping victory for Presbyterian gay-rights advocates. The denomination in 2011 eliminated barriers to ordaining clergy with same-sex partners, but ministers were still barred from celebrating gay marriages and risked church penalties for doing so. Alex McNeill, executive direc