Methodists for gay marriage?

Apart from the link I will share in a moment, views in this post are my own - in true Methodist tradition, they may or may not reflect the official views of the Methodist church.

The response from the Methodist Church of Great Britain to the Government's proposals to allow gay marriage in church can be seen here. http://methodist.org.uk/news-and-events/news-releases/methodist-response-to-proposals-on-same-sex-marriage

Whilst I'm disappointed by most of it - it's wooly and tries to stay very firmly on the fence - the last sentence is important. Ultimate authority for this should rest with the church and the governing body of the denomination in question.

As a Methodist, this makes me think that the Methodist Church is in an interesting position. Most denominations will, I suspect, say no, either by force (as in the Church in Wales and Church of England) or by conviction.

So it's no from the Anglicans. It will also be no from the Roman Catholic church. I suspect that it will be no from the Baptists (though that is just a gut feeling, I have nothing concrete to base that on), and no from the Pentecostals and others of that particular evangelical ilk.

That doesn't leave many denominations left. The United Reformed Church will almost certainly say yes - they already agree to their premises being used for the registration of civil partnerships - and it will also be a yes from the Metropolitan Community Church, the Quakers and the Unitarians.

What about the Methodists? Well, it's not a question the church can ignore. It will have to come before Conference, and, I suspect, sooner rather than later. I would love to see it passed, but I am not holding my breath. I believe this is a great mission opportunity which could be handled in such a way as to allow those who object to not be forced to conduct such a service. This is currently the way we do things with regards the question of remarriage after divorce. It is up to the minister's own conscience. Not all will agree, that's fine, but it seems to me that what we have with the divorce / remarriage question is a good model which can be built upon and extended in other areas of church life. As I say, I hope that this is what Conference permits, but the question has been raised before with regards the blessing of civil partnerships, and the response then was a blanket no rather than allowing ministers to act according to what they thought best. It means that if a minister wishes to bless a civil partnership, s/he must go outside the church to do so, perhaps to the hotel or other venue where the civil partnership is being held, or perhaps to the couple's home. In some ways, taking ministry outside the church has a lot to commend it, but is this the best way of ensuring that? I suspect not.

I should also say that one of the churches where I am minister is shared with the Presbyterian Church of Wales. I have searched by so far failed to find any official statement from the PCW on these questions of human sexuality. If I thought that Methodism said nothing but took several paragraphs in which to say it, the silence of the PCW is positively deafening.