An initial statement from Methodist Evangelicals Together
following the 2019 Methodist Conference

Methodist Evangelicals Together is saddened by many of the decisions made by the 2019 Methodist Conference concerning the marriage and relationships report, ‘God in love Unites Us’. Among the most significant proposals are that the church should no longer require celibacy for the unmarried – meaning cohabitation as well as marriage is something that could be celebrated – and that the marriage of same-sex couples could be conducted on church premises.

Between now and Spring 2020, the above proposals will be debated at various levels within the Methodist Church. Whilst we are aware that evangelical Methodists are considering leaving the denomination, we encourage people to stay for as long as possible to continue to make the case for remaining faithful to the teaching of the Bible throughout the forthcoming consultation. We urge people to engage in this process of consultation, and to continue to make the case for retaining the understanding of marriage solely as the life-long union of one man and one woman and the only appropriate context for sexual intimacy. Such an understanding of marriage and relationships, we believe, is good news for all creation. MET’s Remaining Faithful study guide, and other helpful resources, are available from www.methodistevangelicals.org.uk/remaining-faithful. We continue to pray for grace and guidance for the Methodist Church and its members at this time.