Methodists Uphold Church Policy On Homosexuality

On April 29, 2004, at the United Methodist Church (UMC) convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the church's Judicial Council voted 6-3 to uphold the Book of Discipline's policy on homosexuality.

The Judicial Council, which is described by the UMC as the denomination's supreme court, reaffirmed the Book of Discipline policy that "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."

Paragraph 304.3 of the Discipline reads: "While persons set apart by the Church for ordained ministry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition and the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the highest standards of holy living in the world. Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church."

According to a UMC press release, this decision affirms a ruling issued in October, 2003, that the Book of Discipline is "the law of the church which regulates every phase of the life and work of the church."