UMC Bishops Confirm Ruling Does Not Overturn Local Gay Wedding Bans

UMC Bishops Confirm Ruling Does Not Overturn Local Gay Wedding Bans

The leadership of the United Methodist Church has clarified that a recent decision by its highest court, which permits pastors to decide whether they will officiate same-sex weddings, does not override regional bans on such unions. The Judicial Council ruled last month that church trustees could not prohibit pastors from performing same-sex wedding ceremonies.
  • Bishop T.D. Jakes Transfers Leadership of Potter’s House to Daughter and Son-in-Law
    Bishop T.D. Jakes announced during a church service on Sunday that he is handing over the leadership of The Potter's House megachurch in Dallas, Texas, to his daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and son-in-law Touré Roberts. “I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me and you be sheep without a shepherd,” Jakes, who suffered a heart attack in last November shared with his congregation at the end of his sermon.
  • NC Church Calls on Trump Administration to Halt Deportation of Afghan Christian Refugees
    Members of a North Carolina church are urging the Trump administration not to deport nearly two dozen Christian refugees from Afghanistan. Julie Tisdale, a seminary student who attends Church of the Apostles in Raleigh, is among those advocating for the Afghan Christians who received emails instructing them to leave the country by a deadline that passed about a week ago.

James River Church Announces Departure from Assemblies of God

Missouri's Mega Church, James River Church, has announced its unanimous decision to end its affiliation with the the Assemblies of God(AOG). In a statement to The Christian Post on Thursday, the church clarified that while it will no longer be part of the Assemblies of God, it remains committed to its doctrine.
  • Jamal Bryant Rejects Target's DEI Settlement Proposal, Announces Full Boycott
    Pastor Jamal Bryant has declared that Target's commitment to invest $2 billion into black-owned businesses by July 31 is inadequate to resolve the ongoing dispute regarding the retail giant's decision to reduce its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This rejection of the offer comes shortly after Target CEO Brian Cornell held a meeting in New York City with Rev. Al Sharpton.
  • John MacArthur Declares He's Ready to Return: ‘Rumors of My Death Have Been Exaggerated’
    Pastor John MacArthur has announced his readiness to return to the pulpit at Grace Community Church after a year fraught with significant medical challenges. In a video shared on Grace to You's social media platforms, MacArthur, 85, remarked, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” expressing enthusiasm for resuming his ministerial duties.
  • Greeters and Pastor Meetings: Top Ways to Welcome Guests at Churches
    A recent survey conducted by Lifeway Research has revealed the most effective methods used by U.S. Protestant churches to make guests feel welcome. The survey, which included responses from 1,003 Protestant pastors and was conducted from August 8 to September 3, 2024, found that having greeters at entrances and offering the opportunity to meet the pastor after services were the most popular practices, each supported by 91% of the pastors.
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  • At Least Seven Liberian Properties at Center of UMC and Global Methodists Legal Battle

    The United Methodist Church (UMC) and the Global Methodist Church (GMC) are engaged in a legal dispute over at least seven properties in Liberia. Bishop Samuel J. Quire Jr., head of the UMC Liberia Conference, confirmed to UM News that the church property cases are being litigated in the country’s courts.

  • Judge Dismisses Gender Bias Lawsuit Against Abyssinian Baptist Church

    A federal judge has dismissed a gender discrimination lawsuit against Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City and its search committee chair, Valerie S. Grant. The dismissal was based on the First Amendment's "ministerial exception." The ruling was issued on Monday by U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho of the Southern District of New York. It follows a lawsuit filed in December 2023 by Rev. Eboni Marshall Turman, a Yale Divinity School professor and the youngest pastor ordained at Abyssinian in 2

  • NewSpring Church Leaves Southern Baptist Convention Over Women Pastors Debate

    NewSpring Church, a megachurch based in South Carolina, has officially announced its decision to leave the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) due to its support for women in pastoral leadership roles. In an update on its website titled “SBC Withdrawal Update,” the church mentioned that “our involvement with the SBC has been questioned, particularly regarding our stance on women in ministry.”

  • Pew Study Reveals Over 20% of Adults Leave the Faiths They Were Raised In

    A recent Pew Research Center study conducted across 36 countries reveals that more than 20% of adults have departed from the religious groups in which they were raised. This trend, known as "religious switching," has resulted in notable declines for Christianity and Buddhism, while an increasing number of adults now identify as religiously unaffiliated.

  • Violence Against UMC Bishop and Methodists in Nigeria Amid Ministry Efforts

    A United Methodist Church bishop was attacked while engaged in ministry work in Nigeria, resulting in damage to a vehicle used as part of his entourage. UMC Council of Bishops President Tracy Malone announced the attack in a statement on Wednesday, reporting that Bishop Ande Emmanuel and other UMC members traveling with him in the Nigerian Episcopal Area were assaulted by an unspecified party.

  • T.D. Jakes Reveals He Suffered a Heart Attack, Shares Near-Death Experience

    Bishop T.D. Jakes, the founder of the Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, has revealed that the health incident he experienced while preaching on November 24 was a heart attack. In an interview with NBC's Craig Melvin on the "Today" show, Jakes explained, “You know, I didn't really realize what was happening to me on stage until I got to the hospital in an ambulance. And [I was] fussing that it happened on stage, by the way, because I didn't want it to happen.”

  • Dave Dummitt Resigns as Willow Creek Senior Pastor to Follow New Aspirations

    After serving as senior pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago for five years, Dave Dummitt announced to the congregation on Sunday that he is stepping down to pursue other dreams. Willow Creek Elder Board Chair Harold Engelmann confirmed that Shawn Williams, the current pastor of the South Barrington campus and executive pastor of weekends, will replace Dummitt as the church's new senior pastor starting in April.

  • Email Threat Results in Arrest of Man Who Menaced Church Members with ‘Butchering’

    A man in Memphis, Tennessee, has been arrested for allegedly sending a threatening email to the choir director of St. Louis Catholic Church, warning that he would “butcher people in that church with a machete” if his demands were not met. Authorities identified the suspect as Zachary Liberto, who faces terrorism charges and is being held on a $200,100 bond.
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