Global Methodist Church

In 2016, at the United Methodist Church's General Conference in Portland, Oregon, delegates voted 428 to 405 to delay conversation on homosexuality and proposed a review of ecclesiastical restrictions. Despite the UMC prohibiting the ordination of "'self-avowed practicing' gay clergy", over 100 American and 1 Filipino of the clergy in attendance of the General Conference came out as gay.[6]

Two major plans regarding the UMC's position on homosexuality were suggested at the 2019 General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri: the Traditional Plan, which opposed church support of gay marriage, and the One Church Plan, which supported broader loosening of restrictions. Supporters of the Traditional Plan, citing the Book of Discipline, succeeded in passing their proposal with a delegate vote of 438 to 384.[7] Prior to the April vote, discussion of possible schisms over gay issues had grown following a February special session that recommended the Traditional Plan.[3]

On 29 November, 2020, a group of progressive Methodists launched Liberation Methodist Connexion, a new denomination that permits same-sex marriage but does not require members to surrender their affiliations with other denominations.[8] Another progressive denomination, The Liberation Project, was announced in October 2020. Both denominations originated from the UMC's UM-Forward caucus and have announced their intent to not entirely separate from the UMC and to continue influencing the UMC.[9]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans to discuss and formalize the Global Methodist schism–including that of the Global Methodist Church–were delayed until 2022. In August and September of that year, the UMC General Conference is expected to vote on the proposal referred to as the "Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation".[4]