Belmont Methodist Church Pastor Suspended For Performing Gay Marriage

A Methodist pastor has been suspended from her ministerial duties for 90 days by the Nashville area bishop after performing a marriage between two men. Rev. Pam Hawkins of Belmont United Methodist married a gay couple who had been members for 15 years.

The ceremony occurred nine months ago in North Carolina, before gay marriage was legalized in Tennessee. According to
a statement from the church, Hawkins knew a complaint would be filed to the Nashville bishop.

Hawkins’ three months off the job is without pay, but the church is soliciting donations to help cover her salary. Belmont Methodist has also issued a statement not explicitly supporting gay marriage but saying the church’s doors are open to anyone, no matter his or her sexual orientation.

At the national level, the Methodist church
still considers homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.” But there are proposals to change the denomination’s formal beliefs, known as the Book of Discipline. They could be considered at a meeting of the church’s General Assembly next year.