UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IS EXPECTED TO SPLIT OVER GAY MARRIAGE, FRACTURING THE NATION’S THIRD-LARGEST DENOMINATION
Many mainline denominations, including the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Church of Christ and others, already perform same-sex marriages and appoint gay clergy. But the United Methodist Church, the nation’s largest mainline denomination and the third-largest denomination of any faith in America, has fought bitterly over the issue, to the point that leaders have feared a schism over the issue for years.