Asbury Votes to Separate from United Methodist Church Over Gay Marriage Ban.
Asbury votes to separate from United Methodist Church over controversies concerning gay marriage and gay leadership.
The United Methodist Church has proscribed same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay clergy. This however didn’t go well with some members. Consequently, controversies emanated among the members of the church. As a result, led some congregations to separate from the church. Since 2019, a good number of the congregations have ceased attending the church in reaction to its disapproval of gay marriage and the gay clergy ban.
On Sunday 5th March 2023, members of the Asbury United Methodist Church University voted to leave the church. While the choice to vote was welcoming to some members, others, however, frowned at it.
“It’s heartbreaking and sad” The lead pastor of United Methodist Church, pastor Harold Zimmick said, expressing his sadness over the decision of some members to vote out. “Our bond in Christ is stronger than any differences we have, and my hope is that we could be a church with a difference, knowing that our unity is in Christ. But some people feel like the issue of marriage is stronger” He Said.
Robert Square who had attended Asbury for over 25 years frowned at the impudence of the audience’s jubilation reaction to the vote. “The eruption of yells and applause after the announcement of the vote results was disrespectful to the ‘no’ voters, He said, “It was so upsetting that we had to leave immediately.
According to a report from UM News, the official news-gathering agency of the church United Methodist Church, out of 30.000 congregations in the united states, more than 2,000 churches have signed out from United Methodist Church since 2019 following the gay ban dispute.