The 1.3-million-member United Church of Christ ( UCC ) could become the first prominent Christian denomination to endorse full marriage equality—regardless of gender—if the church's general council approves a proposed resolution this summer.
According to a UCC release the controversial measure, which was brought forward by the UCC's Southern California-Nevada Conference, became public on Apr il 21 when proposed resolutions were made available online at www.ucc.org/synod. The UCC's General Synod will meet July 1-5 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
It marks the first time the church's General Synod has been asked to address the issue of marriage equality outright. The Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president, told United Church News he would not make a statement about the proposal until he has had an opportunity to listen to different perspectives from within the denomination.
Earlier this year, the Cleveland-based denomination found itself at the center of the marriage debate when it launched a national television advertising campaign that featured a gay couple, among others, being excluded from a symbolic church. CBS and NBC executives rejected the 30-second ads, calling them issue-advocacy spots. CBS argued the UCC's 'bouncer ad' was a political statement about same-gender marriage—a claim that church leaders rejected.
The UCC news release also stated that some church members and ministers will undoubtedly oppose the proposal. According to the statement, eight geographically diverse congregations have already joined together to offer a counter-resolution calling the church 'to embrace the scriptural definition of marriage.'
The UCC and its predecessor bodies have a long history of 'firsts' on issues of social justice, according to its Web site, www.ucc.org . Among some of the milestones the church claims are being the first church to advocate for democracy and self-governance ( 1630 ) , among the first to stand against slavery ( 1700 ) , the first predominately white church to ordain an African-American pastor ( 1785 ) , and the first to ordain an openly gay man ( 1972 ) .