Jamaican Methodist Church not part of changed policy on same-sex relationships in the United States

The Methodist Church in Jamaica has reiterated that its stance on same-sex marriage has not changed, despite the move by the US based United Methodist Church (UMC) to repeal its longstanding ban on the celebration of same-sex marriages or unions by its clergy and in its churches.

 

UMC General Conference Delegates voted last week to remove several rules from the denomination's book of discipline, shifting its stance on multiple LGBT issues.

 

In response to questions about its position on the matter, the Methodist Church in Jamaica says it should not be confused with that of the UMC.

 

While explaining that that Methodist members worldwide recognise all aspects of human sexuality, the leader of the Jamaican Methodist Church stressed that there has been no permission to bless same sex marriages on its properties.      

 

Reverend Christine Gooden Benguche, President of the Methodist Church in Jamaica, stressed, in an interview with Radio Jamaica News, that it is an autonomous body and the decision by the UMC is not binding on it.

 

"The policies that govern us are associated with the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, and because we are an autonomous body, the decisions (of), or what obtains in the United Methodist Church (based in the United States), we are under no obligation (to adhere to such decisions) and it is not binding to anything related to us," she stressed.