United Methodists vote to allow gay clergy. How will Texas churches respond?

Robert Blain, a Houston public high school teacher, saw many friends leave the United Methodist Church in recent years because of the denomination's ban gay clergy. But on Wednesday, Blain celebrated when reading news posted on X that the majority of UMC delegates at the annual General Conference in Charlottesville, N.C. agreed to remove a 40-year-old rule forbidding "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from taking leadership positions in the church. The group also voted to prevent religious leaders from penalizing clergy or churches for performing same-sex weddings.

"I'm glad this has finally been resolved," said Blain, a heterosexual lifelong UMC member that attends the St. Paul's United Methodist on Main Street in Houston's Museum District. "Some of my brothers and sisters in Christ feel differently, but that's how they interpret the word of our prayer. I truly believe the United Methodist Church is on the right side of history on this."