40 United Methodist Clergy Pledge To Marry Gay Couples
June 2, 2011 5:49 AM 
ST. CLOUD – The debate over same-sex marriage is dividing members of the clergy within the United Methodist Church.
During their annual conference in St. Cloud, about 40 Minnesota United Methodist clergy have signed a statement saying they would marry any couple who came to them, including same-sex couples. Reverend Bruce Robbins of the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis read the statement yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. He said he initially had about a dozen of his colleagues sign the statement, by last night that number had grown to 40. The statement was a voluntary action and not a part of the annual conference.
Meanwhile, Bishop Sally Dyck says the statement itself does not break church rules. However, she says the church discipline does forbid same-sex marriage, and clergy who perform them could lose their conference membership, or clergy credentials. Robbins says that won’t stop him from performing the ceremonies.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
About 900 voting members – half of whom are clergy – are at the conference in St. Cloud this week.
There are about 75,000 United Methodist members in Minnesota, in 365 churches.
Leave a Comment