- UMC bishops approved gay pastors and same-sex marriage in the US in early May
- The Ivory Coast church division responded by defecting on May 28.
- Leading bishop Benjamín Boni criticized the umbrella church for siding with LGBT
More than a million United Methodists left the church overnight over new rules on homosexuality.
During a conference in North Carolina in early May, the United Methodist Church – a global denomination of Protestantism based in the United States – changed some regulations to allow gay pastors and same-sex marriage.
The Ivory Coast chapter, which has approximately 1.2 million followers, responded by accusing international leaders of “deviating from the Holy Scriptures” and “sacrificing their honor and integrity to honor the LGBTQ community.”
Bishop Benjamin Boni, president of the division, said he voted to separate from the umbrella church during a meeting on May 28 at the Cocody Jubilee Temple, Abidjan, on the southern coast of the West African country.
He said in a statement that the decision to separate after more than 20 years was made “for reasons of conscience.”
Bishop Benjamin Boni (pictured), president of the division, said the separation was formalized during an “extraordinary session” on May 28 in Abidjan, on the west African country’s southern coast.
The move is a blow to the United Methodist Church, as the Ivory Coast division known as EMUCI is the largest foreign jurisdiction, accounting for about 12 percent of members worldwide.
EMUCI joined the United Methodist Church in 2002. The umbrella church was the result of a merger between the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church in 1968.
Issues around homosexuality have been a point of contention for the church for many years, previously advocating for a ban on same-sex marriage and the inclusion of gay pastors.
The United Methodist Church’s first openly gay bishop, Karen Oliveto, spoke out about the divisions last year.
“There is a whole segment of the church that is leaving because they don’t want to be an inclusive church,” he said. CBS News Colorado.
The United Methodist Church, a global denomination of Protestantism based in the United States, made the decision at a conference in North Carolina in early May. (Pictured: three UMC bishops)
In the photo: United Methodist Church of Ivory Coast. Cocody Jubilee Temple where the historic separation was formalized on May 28
The United Methodist Church’s first openly gay bishop, Karen Oliveto (pictured), spoke out about the divisions of the past year.
‘They are building a church based on who they leave out. And one has to ask: if you are building a church based on how you are letting go, are you letting Jesus in?
Oliveto remains in office at Mountain Sky, which covers Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, even though her election was declared invalid after she came out in 2017.
He recently spoke out against the UMC Book of Discipline’s description that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching,” which has now been removed, as of April 2024, according to the christian publication.