The United Church of Christ became the first mainstream Christian denomination to officially support gay marriages on July 4th, 2005 when its general synod passed a resolution affirming "equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender."
General Synod 25, the general meeting of the rule-making body of the Church, overwhelmingly passed a resolution in support of gay marriage rights. It is the first time one of the nation’s mainstream Christian churches has expressed support of marriages for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. The United Church of Christ has 6,000 churches and 1.3 million members. Approximately 80% of the ruling body voted in support of gay marriage.
UCC's general minister and president Rev. John H. Thomas noted the significance of the vote coming on Independence Day. “On this July Fourth the General Synod of the United Church of Christ has acted courageously to declare freedom, affirming marriage equality, affirming the civil rights of same gender couples to have their relationships recognized as marriages by the state, and encouraging our local churches to celebrate and bless those marriages,” he said.
The United church of Christ's marriage equality resolution
1. affirms equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender and declares that the government should not interfere with couples regardless of gender who choose to marry and share fully in the rights, responsibilities and commitment of legally recognized marriage; 2. affirms equal access to the basic rights, institutional protections and quality of life conferred by the recognition of marriage, 3. calls for an end to rhetoric that fuels hostility, misunderstanding, fear and hatred expressed toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, 4. asks officers of the church to communicate the resolution to local, state and national legislators, urging them to support equal marriage rights, 5. calls upon all settings of the church to engage in serious, respectful and prayerful discussion of the covenantal relationship of marriage and equal marriage rights, 6. calls upon congregations, after prayerful, biblical, theological, and historical study, to consider adopting Wedding Policies that do not discriminate against couples based on gender, and 7. urges congregations and individuals of the UCC to prayerfully consider and support local, state and national legislation to grant equal marriage rights to couples regardless of gender, and to work again legislation, including constitutional amendments, which denies rights to couples based on gender.
UCC's History of Supporting Gays and Lesbians
In the early 1970s, the UCC became the first major Christian church to ordain an openly gay minister. The church declared itself to be ``open and affirming'' of gays and lesbians 20 years ago.
