By Nick Beam
The Southern Ohio and Kentucky District held its district conference on Oct. 6-7 at West Charleston Church of the Brethren. Along with the usual business of passing a budget for 2024 and approving the slate of new board members and other leadership, a query was brought from the Living Peace congregation in Columbus, Ohio, about whether or not it is time to rescind the 1983 Annual Conference paper “Human Sexuality from a Christian Perspective.”
Obviously, this query resulted in much discussion before the conference and there were two district-wide listening sessions held for people to ask questions and share their thoughts on the query.
When it came time for the query on the business agenda of the district conference there were eight speeches in support of passing the query and eight speeches against, before the question was called for. There were 88 delegates who voted, and the outcome was, as you might guess, 44 to 44. Therefore, the query will not be sent to the Standing Committee of Annual Conference.
In speaking with one of the writers of the query, they are still processing the outcome and waiting on the results of other queries coming to other district conferences this fall. In the meantime, we will continue to move forward as a district as gracefully as possible in light of our diversity.
— Nick Beam is interim district executive minister of the Church of the Brethren’s Southern Ohio and Kentucky District.
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