The United Methodist Church voted on Wednesday to allow the Council of Bishops to appoint a commission to study the issue of whether to allow ordination of LGBT clergy or same-sex marriage.
The delegates voted 428 to 405 in acceptance of the Council of Bishops' recommendation to delay its debate on sexuality issues at this year's General Conference which gathers every four years to "revise church law and adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues," according to the UMC website.
"We recommend that the General Conference defer all votes on human sexuality and refer this entire subject to a special Commission, named by the Council of Bishops, to develop a complete examination and possible revision of every paragraph in our Book of Discipline regarding human sexuality," the recommendation titled, "An Offering for a Way Forward," reads.
"We will name such a Commission to include persons from every region of our UMC, and will include representation from differing perspectives on the debate."
According to the United Methodist Church's Book of Discipline, its governing book, homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." While many mainline Protestant denominations have allowed same-sex marriage and gay clergy, the United Methodist Church has maintained its ban for the past 44 years. Some point to the UMC's rapidly growing conservative branches in Africa and Asia as one of the possible reasons for its hesitation to change the language in the Book of Discipline despite a growing LGBT activism within the denomination's ranks.
"We will continue to explore options to help the church live in grace with one another "” including ways to avoid further complaints, trials and harm while we uphold the Discipline," the Bishops' statement reads.
