Passed:
Amend ¶161, item A), as follows:
The Family-We
believe the family to be the basic human community through which
persons are nurtured and sustained in mutual love, responsibility,
respect, and fidelity. We affirm the importance of both fathers and mothers loving parents for
all children. We also understand the family as encompassing a wider
range of options than that of the two-generational unit of parents and
children (the nuclear family)., including the extended family, families with adopted children, single parents, same gender parents, stepfamilies, and couples without children . We affirm shared responsibility for parenting by men and women where there are two parents and
encourage social, economic, and religious efforts to maintain and
strengthen relationships within families in order that every member may
be assisted toward complete personhood.
2004 Book of Discipline:
A) The Family-We believe the family to be the basic human community through which persons are nurtured and sustained in mutual love, responsibility, respect, and fidelity. We affirm the importance of both fathers and mothers for all children.We also understand the family as encompassing a wider range of options than that of the two-generational unit of parents and children (the nuclear family), including the extended family, families with adopted children, single parents, stepfamilies, and couples without children. We affirm shared responsibility for parenting by men and women and encourage social, economic, and religious efforts to maintain and strengthen relationships within families in order that every member may be assisted toward complete personhood.
Reconciling Ministries Network mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform our Church and world into the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love.
