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Case Study: The United Methodist Church

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United Methodist Church is set to have its quadrennial General Conference in Portland next week, where the issue of inclusion of LGBT people and their ordination in the denomination will be discussed.

The conference scheduled from May 10-20 is expected to attract thousands of members to commemorate the work done by the church, and to review the policies including acceptance of gay clergy within the church ranks.

The UMC has its presence around the world, and each region selects delegates to represent their church in the conference. In 2016, a total of 864 delegates will be sent to Portland, and an additional 2,500 members are expected to attend the event.

At present, the UMC formally disregards homosexuality as being incompatible with Christian doctrine. The church's policies are hinged on Book of Discipline, which states that, "self-avowed practising homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church." …show more content…

The delegates at the UMC conference operate in much the same way as American congress to deal with church's internal politics. The representatives sit together and form a committee to review church initiatives and other proposed amendments to the rulebook, which is then followed by debate and votes on new propositions.

On May 1, 15 clergy members and candidates wrote an open letter to the church, disclosing that they were LGBTI

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