The United Methodist Church, America’s second-largest Protestant denomination, upheld it’s position against homosexuality after delegates at a crucial conference voted Tuesday to strengthen the church’s bans on same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBT clergy.
At the final day of the UMC’s meeting, delegates defeated a proposal that would have let regional and local church bodies decide for themselves on gay-friendly policies.
After several more hours of debate, the conservatives’ proposal, called the Traditional Plan, was approved by a vote of 438-384.
Opponents unsuccessfully sought to weaken the plan with hostile amendments or to prolong the debate past a mandatory adjournment time set to accommodate a rally in the arena.