LEAWOOD, Kan. — Methodist churches around the nation are wondering what's next.
"It was shocking, but also disheartening," said Inoru Wade, board director for Kansas City's Center for Inclusion.
Members of the LGBTQ+ group were surprised by Tuesday's vote by the United Methodist Church to keep its ban on same sex marriage and gay clergy members.
"Have the church turn around and vote in a manner that doesn't give them an avenue to serve their community," said Wade.
Pastor Adam Hamilton of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection was quick to speak out about the vote.
"I was deeply disappointed and a lot of our people were because it feels like to any of our LGBTQ members or family members or friends like this was approved decades ago. But to re-approve this statement, it feels like to people that you are saying LGBTQ persons are second class in the church," Hamilton said.
Hamilton said because of the vote, the church and his congregation now have to look at their options moving forward.
"If the policy is going to continue to hurt people. To say that our LGBTQ or gay and lesbian friends are less than, then I think there's a groundswell of support of people saying, that's no longer the United Methodist church," said Hamilton.
Many have said the church splinter into two groups. Pastor Hamilton had this to say about that.
"I don't want to do that. I don't want this to divide the church. But I think there is a lot of people saying if we are going backwards, than most of us don't want to go backwards. We want to go forwards," Hamilton said.
Hamilton will speak to his congregation this weekend about the recent vote and decide where they go from here.
