UK Methodist Church votes to allow same-sex marriages

Proposal at Conference passes with 254 votes in favour and 46 against

A campaign group says the vote was a 'momentous step on the road to justice and inclusion'. Jeff Topping/The National

Britain’s Methodist Church announced on Wednesday that same-sex couples will be allowed to get married on its premises.

After debates at the Methodist Conference, the proposals to allow same-sex marriages were passed with 254 votes in favour and 46 against.

The church said ministers who opposed the changes would not be forced to conduct same-sex marriages.

The church has a membership of 164,000, making it the fourth-largest denomination of Christian churches in the UK.

Dignity and Worth, a campaign group in the church, said the vote was a “momentous step on the road to justice and inclusion” after many years of sometimes painful conversations.

Rev Sam McBratney, who chairs the group, praised the “courageous step” taken by the church.

Same-sex marriage is not allowed in the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church, although smaller religious groups such as the Quakers in Britain support it.