A proposal to ban Presbyterian clergy from performing same-sex union ceremonies has been voted down by the church's presbyteries, the Associated Press reports.
"All it means for us is nothing changed, and we were so worried that it would," said Stuart Smith, director of the Chicago gay youth ministry Cafe Pride.
With the vote, clergy may still officiate over same-sex unions as long as they could not be confused with marriage.
The ban on such ceremonies was passed at the church's national assembly last June and was sent to its 173 presbyteries, or regional legislatures, for approval. A majority of 87 no votes was needed to vote it down, and church leaders have acknowledged that as of last week the vote stood at 87-63.
Lobbying against the ban were the groups More Light Presbyterians and the Covenant Network.
The church currently prohibits the ordination of gay clergy.
The next showdown over gay issues is expected at this year's national assembly in Louisville in June. Smith said there are between 20 and 25 gay issues brought before the assembly each year for a vote, and they range from very pro- to very anti-gay.
Smith said observers have predicted that the 3.6 million-member Presbyterian Church will split in the next five to 10 years over how to handle the question of gay acceptance. He said that schism will likely occur along geographic lines, with city congregations siding one way and rural churches the other.
He noted that "the last thing we split over was slavery," and it took the church nearly 100 years to come back together.
