Local clergy laud ‘monumental’ lifting of United Methodist LGBTQ+ ban
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The United Methodist Church is ending several anti-LGBTQ+ policies, including a longstanding ban on LGBTQ+ clergy.
The decision to lift the ban on LGBTQ+ clergy comes after years of disagreement on the issue, which has caused thousands of congregations to disassociate with the church.
United Methodists repeal longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy
The Rev. Sue Petro has been ordained since 1996, but in 2014, Petro — who is married to a woman — officially stepped away from the United Methodist Church because of the decades-long ban on LGBTQ+ clergy.
“I’ve known and loved Jesus my whole life. So I never needed the church to affirm my sacred worth as a human being,” Petro said. “At the age of 49, I chose to retire because I was no longer appointable, I had to. And I was outside the church for 7.5 years and honestly had nothing to do with the church.”
Over time, Petro says the church came to a place where she had an opportunity to return. Last year, she was appointed an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Grand Rapids.
“I have been blessed that our bishop and First Church have been living ahead of the denominational curve, and we’ve had open gay pastors appointed here since 2019,” Petro said.
But the Rev. Steve McCoy, First United Methodist Church’s senior pastor, says there was still a shadow lurking.
“That if there was any type of change, leadership that had a different point of view, it could end up doing some great harm, removing people,” McCoy said.
That worry is now gone. During the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, delegates lifted the ban on LGBTQ+ clergy, among other policies.
United Methodist delegates repeal their church’s ban on its clergy celebrating same-sex marriages
“We’ve turned away a lot of good people, who otherwise have gifts for the ordained ministry,” McCoy said. “So the impact of this is monumental and historic that this burden has been lifted off of us, so we can begin to repair the harm that has been done.”
Petro also lauded the decision and emphasized what it could mean for young people.
“The decisions we make at this time will determine whether those young people ever step foot in church in their lifetime,” Petro said.
Petro added that people want communities that are authentic, trustworthy and safe, and lifting the ban is a move in that direction.
“And enables us to move past welcoming into human flourishing, and that’s when the church is at its best,” Petro said.
“It gives us a great opportunity to say we can be past this, and we can go about our mission of serving people,” McCoy said.
The ban was also reversed with an overwhelming majority and without debate, which was different from previous discussions of the issue.
United Methodist Church delegates also repealed a ban on the celebrations of same-sex marriages.
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