CST Celebrates Repeal of UMC LGBTQIA+ Clergy Ban
CST celebrates the recent United Methodist Church (UMC) decision to remove language that is harmful towards the LGBTQIA+ community from the Book of Discipline at its General Conference this week.
“My family knows that I have worked for an inclusive church for the last few decades. I and many CST alums have worked tirelessly to move the church to this day,” said Rev. Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, CST President Emeritus and Chief Strategy Officer. ”I am thrilled that the church that I love is becoming the kind of inclusive church that welcomes everybody.”
Kuan, who is a clergy delegate for the California-Nevada Conference, chose to give up his seat to allow Rev. Dr. Kristin Stoneking, a queer clergy reserve delegate for the conference, to cast her vote.
“In removing the language prohibiting the ordination of our LGBTQIA siblings, the church is allowing our LGBTQIA siblings to answer their call to ministry with all authenticity, without having to hide who they are,” he said.
CST joins with all of our LGBTQIA+ students, alums, staff, faculty, and allies in rejoicing over this historic move towards greater inclusivity in the UMC denomination and beyond. We also recognize how much more work there is to be done in order to fully embody the equity and inclusion of all peoples, and we recommit ourselves to the principles of compassion, justice, and belonging.
To read more about this update from General Conference, you can visit the UMC Western Jurisdiction website by clicking here.