{"id":16899,"date":"2026-06-05T02:41:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T21:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/as-polyamory-gains-visibility-monogamy-faces-a-vote-in-the-presbyterian-church-usa\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T02:41:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T21:11:02","slug":"as-polyamory-gains-visibility-monogamy-faces-a-vote-in-the-presbyterian-church-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/as-polyamory-gains-visibility-monogamy-faces-a-vote-in-the-presbyterian-church-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"As polyamory gains visibility, monogamy faces a vote in the Presbyterian Church (USA)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_qap4wUB7Yba?ui_title_intro=Listen+now%3A&amp;client=wp&amp;client_version=3.1.5\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>(RNS) \u2014 A proposal that would require ordained clergy to be monogamous is on the docket at the Presbyterian Church (USA)\u2019s General Assembly this summer.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pc-biz.org\/search\/3001456\">overture<\/a>, CON-10, has generated strong reactions online but not yet earned broad support from PCUSA groups. A separate <span draggable=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/myga.pc-biz.org\/search\/3001501\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">proposal<\/a><\/span> asks for theological studies on gender and sexuality, life-giving relationships and the Christian vocation of family that would support the denomination\u2019s commitment to inclusion of different familial realities. Together, these overtures show that as polyamory gains visibility in broader culture, it may have policy implications, especially in theologically progressive Christian denominations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it is the next big conversation that most mainline denominations will have,\u201d said the Rev. Claudia Aguilar Rubalcava, director of engagement for the LGBTQ-affirming nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/mlp.org\/\">More Light Presbyterians<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The board and staff of More Light Presbyterians released a <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1FS-DGrZbGfiVp9cpArhXkjNV8QSDft3W\/view?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnM4Z7tHW_0_RMkWDK7fQXhwUTggQHZlnBwc_HjL0NsG_3Cpu4CiS-o5WJy24_aem_7rp7mnENPKmfYnNrK833AA\">statement<\/a> last month, saying the proposal on monogamy targets queer communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt centers a single model of relationship as the only faithful expression of Christian life, ignoring both the breadth of biblical witness and the lived realities of many faithful people,\u201d the statement says. \u201cScripture speaks richly about covenant, mutuality, justice, and love but does not prescribe one uniform relational structure across all contexts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For More Light Presbyterians, the proposal on monogamy hits close to home. Aguilar Rubalcava told RNS that at speaking engagements, she routinely encounters polyamorous Presbyterians hungry for support. Kate Davoli, who serves as co-moderator on the board of More Light Presbyterians, told RNS they were <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/kate-davoli-is-a-polyamorous-presbyterian\/id1450661574?i=1000660038377&amp;l=fr-FR\">dismissed<\/a> from the denomination\u2019s ordination process for being openly polyamorous. (The Pittsburgh Presbytery told RNS Davoli w<span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">as \u201cadvised to withdraw from the ordination process due to current PCUSA polity requirements.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4262464\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 750px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4262464\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1-807x538.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-Wedding-Rings1-380x253.jpg 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">(Photo by Adeniuso Gomes\/Pexels\/Creative Commons)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Currently, the PCUSA\u2019s governing documents don\u2019t include the word \u201cpolyamory,\u201d which involves emotionally intimate, often sexual relationships with multiple people. In 2011, the PCUSA <span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2011\/05\/gayordinationpcusa\/\">removed language<\/a> from its Book of Order requiring ordained clergy to live in \u201cfidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness,\u201d allowing LGBTQ individuals to seek ordination in the denomination. <a href=\"https:\/\/pcusa.org\/resource\/book-order-2025-2027-interactive-version\">The Book of Order<\/a> currently defines marriage as \u201ca unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>CON-10 would explicitly require ordained ministers in the PCUSA to engage only in monogamous sexual relationships. It argues that polyamory or polygamy \u201ccan create power imbalances, emotional harm, and spiritual confusion, particularly for women, children, and historically marginalized persons.\u201d To pass, it would need to be approved by the denomination\u2019s delegates at the General Assembly (the PCUSA\u2019s highest council) which will meet June 29-July 2 in Milwaukee. It would then need to be ratified by over half of the more than 160 presbyteries, or regional governing bodies.<\/p>\n<p>But the overture seems unlikely to pass. To date, only the presbytery that submitted the overture on monogamy, the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca in New Mexico, has endorsed it. Three advisory committees have recommended voting against the proposal, saying it attempts to legislate individuals\u2019 intimate lives, imposes a too-narrow definition of family and contains confusing language. Yet another committee said the overture doesn\u2019t follow the protocol for amending the denomination\u2019s constitution.<\/p>\n<p>Three committees have recommended approving a separate overture, titled \u201cBeyond Changing Families: Flourishing Relationships and Belonging,\u201d which calls in part for developing a theological framework that examines relational ethics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Davoli, who serves as a ruling elder in their congregation, noted that grassroots conversations involving polyamory, especially about how to responsibly minister to nonmonogamous congregants, have been happening in the PCUSA for years. Davoli added that polyamory may be more common than people realize; a national Kinsey Institute <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8023325\/pdf\/fpsyg-12-619640.pdf\">study<\/a> published in 2021 found that about 1 in 9 single adults had been in a polyamorous relationship.<\/p>\n<p>As polyamory gains exposure, other mainline denominations have begun to confront their stance on it. At least three Episcopal priests have renounced their ordination vows due to tensions between their church roles and family structures, and in 2024 the Episcopal Church considered, but did not advance, a resolution intending to study diverse family structures. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada <a href=\"https:\/\/assembly.anglicanlutheran.ca\/news\/convention-delegates-approve-amended-report-and-recommendations-from-task-force-addressing-homophobia-biphobia-and-transphobia\/\">voted<\/a>\u00a0in 2o23 to create national resources to support conversations that include \u201cethical non-monogamous relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p><span>Still, many Christians across the theological spectrum see their beliefs as incompatible with polyamory.\u00a0<\/span>While the PCUSA\u2019s overture on monogamy hasn\u2019t won broad support, Matthew Vines, author of \u201cGod and the Gay Christian\u201d and founder of the LGBTQ Christian group <a href=\"https:\/\/reformationproject.org\/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=16236662874&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADMkhZdMAm2qVmK39r6JaNUT2Frqf&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwxITRBhBYEiwA6mZm7b87reNvqg8O6BpQNNhR-T83evAcZxug0snU1qxpsSyAm_tduXkHDhoCNnUQAvD_BwE\">The Reformation Project<\/a>, told RNS that, given the other concerns about the PCUSA overture, it isn\u2019t \u201ca particularly accurate barometer\u201d of the level of support for nonmonogamy in the denomination.<\/p>\n<p>Vines, who describes himself as a theologically conservative Christian, was raised in but no longer belongs to the PCUSA. His organization <a href=\"https:\/\/reformationproject.org\/values\/\">promotes<\/a> the idea that the Bible supports the full inclusion of LGBTQ Christians in the church, as well as \u201cmonogamous, covenantal same-sex relationships.\u201d Vines views monogamy as reflective of monotheism and God\u2019s covenant relationship with God\u2019s people, as a stabilizing force in church communities and broader society. He believes linking polyamory to the movement for LGBTQ inclusion could undermine hard-won acceptance of LGBTQ Christians.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo the extent that you may see some movement toward greater acceptance of polyamory in mainline denominations, I do think it is a time-limited endeavor, and also an endeavor that will be limited by how quickly the more moderate to conservative elements of the affirming coalition tune in and say, \u2018This is never what we signed up for,&#8217;\u201d said Vines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Christian advocates for polyamory often point to the range of relationship models in the Bible \u2014 though many contrast polygamy, which often has hierarchical implications, with modern forms of polyamory \u2014 and emphasize the importance of safe, consensual relationships with clear boundaries. Last month, More Light Presbyterians hosted a \u201cFaithful Polyamory 101\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GzsrJjJeBXQ\">training<\/a> that framed the Trinity as modeling the kind of mutual, overflowing love that can be reflected in polyamory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ability to love our neighbor sometimes includes \u2026 a deep intimate affection that is beyond just one other person, and that actually does help us follow the one commandment to love one another faithfully,\u201d Davoli told RNS.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The General Assembly will respond to the overtures on monogamy and the proposed study of relationships by the conclusion of its meeting on July 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/06\/04\/as-polyamory-gains-visibility-monogamy-faces-a-vote-in-the-presbyterian-church-usa\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(RNS) \u2014 A proposal that would require ordained clergy to be monogamous is on the docket at the Presbyterian Church (USA)\u2019s General Assembly this summer. The overture, CON-10, has generated strong reactions online but not yet earned broad support from PCUSA groups. A separate proposal asks for theological studies on gender and sexuality, life-giving relationships [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}