More than one million United Methodists quit the church overnight after sex rule change

More than one million United Methodists have quit the church overnight over new rules about homosexuality. 

During a North Carolina conference in early May, the United Methodist Church - a global denomination of Protestantism based in the US - changed some regulations to allow gay pastors and same-sex marriage.

The Ivory Coast division - which has an estimated 1.2 million followers - responded by accusing the international leaders of 'deviating from the Holy Scriptures' and 'sacrificing its honor and integrity to honor the LGBTQ  community'. 

Bishop Benjamin Boni, who is president of the division, said it voted to separate from the umbrella church during a May 28 gathering in the Jubilee Temple of Cocody, 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'. 

The move marks a huge blow to the United Methodists Church, as the Ivory Coast division known as EMUCI is the largest overseas jurisdiction, accounting for around 12 percent of the worldwide membership. 

EMUCI joined the United Methodist Church in 2002. The umbrella church was the result of a merge between the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church in 1968. 

Questions surrounding homosexuality have been a point of contention for the church for many years, with it previously upholding bans on same-sex marriage and the inclusion of homosexual pastors. 

The first openly gay Bishop in the United Methodist Church Karen Oliveto spoke about the divisions last year.  

'There's a whole segment of the church that's leaving because they don't want to be an inclusive church,' she told CBS News Colorado.

She most recently spoke out against the UMC Book of Discipline description of homosexuality being “incompatible with Christian teaching” - which has now been removed…

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13489625/united-methodists-quit-church-sex-rule-change.html

[TBC: The issue in not inclusion. The overseas Methodists know from 1 Corinthians:10:13There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
See All... that all temptations (including homosexuality) can be forsaken and that God has provided a way of escape. Paul had already noted this in 1 Corinthians 6. He spoke of members of the church who formerly had been fornicators, adulterers, idolaters, homosexuals, thieves or drunkards (verses 9-10). Verse 11 contains the wonderful news that “such were some of you: but you are washed, you are sanctified; you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Consequently, they have a message of hope, something that too many American churches no longer offer.

John Wesley was a Methodist traveling preacher, and founder of the Methodist Church. After his conversion in 1738 he dedicated himself to promoting “vital” and “practical” religion and to preserving and increasing the life of God in men's souls. In these “inclusive” Methodists, the Wesleys and their fellow workers would not be allowed to preach the Gospel which prompted the “Great Awakening.” When that message was preached in the “highways and byways” of England, they were not allowed to include “members of the church who formerly had been fornicators, adulterers, idolaters, homosexuals, thieves or drunkards” in the Anglican Church. The rest was history.]