Report: Methodist Leaders Reject Easing Gay Clergy, Same-Sex Restrictions

United Methodist Church leaders have rejected a measure that would have eased restrictions on gay clergy and same-sex marriages, NPR reported.

Delegates twice voted against the "One Church" plan at a special session of the church's General Conference in St. Louis, the news outlet reported.

The delegates were responding to a 2018 report from a special church commission on revising the Methodists' guiding Book of Discipline.

When it formed the commission, the Council of Bishops said it had heard many criticisms that the Book of Discipline "contains language which is contradictory, unnecessarily hurtful, and inadequate for the variety of local, regional and global contexts."

The conference also comes as an increasing number of Methodist clergy have come out as gay, NPR reported.

"They said they have not heard this message before," Jeffrey Warren, a young gay delegate from the Upper New York Conference, told delegates on Monday, NPR reported. "They didn't know God could love them, because their churches said God didn't."

Speaking against the plan was Nancy Denardo, a laity delegate of western Pennsylvania, who cited the Bible's mention of marriage as being between a man and woman.

"The One Church plan does not agree with the words of our savior," Denardo said, warning it "deceives young persons into believing that same-gender marriage is OK with God — when clearly it is not."

"The word became flesh — not the flesh becomes the word," Denardo said. She added, "I'm truly sorry if the truth of the Gospel hurts anyone."

Rev. Byron Thomas of North Georgia compared the dilemma to the church's earlier handling of race.

"In 1939, the UMC was trying to figure out what to do with black people," Thomas said, as quoted by the Iowa Methodist conference. "At that GC, the Central Jurisdiction was voted into being. The late Bishop Thomas wrote that the white folks stood up and clapped, and the black folks sat down and cried."

"I believe we are at another stand up and clap, sit down and cry moment," Thomas was quoted as saying.

The United Methodist Church claims about 12.6 million members worldwide, including nearly 7 million in the U.S. While other mainline Protestant denominations, such as the Episcopal and Presbyterian (U.S.A.) churches, have embraced the two gay-friendly practices, the Methodist church still officially bans them, even though acts of defiance by pro-LGBT clergy have multiplied and talk of a possible breakup has intensified.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.