Many tried to tell people that would happen. Some wanted it to happen, but most were "if it doesn't affect my church, I don't care".
The Conference also voted that general church funds at the highest level can be used to support LGBTQ events and LGBTQ marriage is also approved. For now, a church may decide to not have it happen at their site and clergy can refuse to perform it, but I suspect there will be lawsuits trying to get that part overruled.
“We’ve been going on like this since the ’70s and, finally, in just a brief few minutes with no debate, it was gone.
Yeah, after 25% of the total methodist churches left because they saw the writing on the wall and many more were closed/disbanded when most of the givers left.
*BUT* since this was not a 2024 Gen Conference, but the "postponed" 2020 Conference, they kept the delegates for all the closed churches and those that left and the liberal bishops picked liberal delegates as replacements for the churches that left to pack the vote.
But in case that wasn't enough, they put in the fix even more in that they didn't send out the announcement letters to delegates in Africa until AFTER the deadlne to get a US visa application in for those dates. Africa is the most conservitive base left and they made sure 100's of delegates couldn't make it here.
Get ready to see a lot of "for sale" signs on Methodist churches around here since the Bishop for NG is strong believer in all that stuff and an vote to extend the process to allow churches to leave with their property was soundly defeated.