About 100 congregations left the United Methodist Church in Ohio amid the denomination’s ongoing debate over homosexuality, joining thousands of other churches in the United States that have done the same.
At a special session of the UMC West Ohio Conference held last weekend, 96 churches were granted their request to disaffiliate from the mainline Protestant denomination.
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The session which was presided over by Bishop Gregory V. Palmer ,held at the Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, with around 800 clergy and laity in attendance.
Over the last few years, more than 6,600 congregations have voted to leave the UMC amid the debate over whether to change the denomination’s rules to allow the ordination of clergy in same-sex relationships and the blessing of same-sex marriages, according to The Christian Post.
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The Ohio churches have become part of thousands of former UMC congregations that left the denomination because of the church’s stance on homosexuality.
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In June, the West Ohio Conference voted to allow 172 congregations to disaffiliate from the UMC, having allowed 80 churches to leave the denomination last year. It is estimated that the regional body covering over 50 counties has a little over 600 member congregations remaining at present.
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