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  • Axios Des Moines

    Iowa LGBTQ+ pastor to be ordained

    By Jason Clayworth,

    2024-06-07

    Rev. Jordan Derhammer Capek of West Des Moines United Methodist Church will be ordained as a full elder on Sunday.

    Why it matters: She's openly gay , and her ordination comes a month after the church repealed its longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy.


    Catch up fast: The United Methodist Church's world delegates overwhelmingly voted to end the ban during a May 1 General Conference, contrasting with past votes that reinforced prohibitions against "self-avowed practicing homosexuals," the AP reports .

    • The change doesn't mandate or explicitly affirm LGBTQ clergy, but it means the church no longer forbids them.
    • Delegates also approved a measure forbidding the church's regional administrators from penalizing clergy for performing same-sex weddings.

    Zoom in: Around 11% of Iowa's Methodist churches — 80 of 750 — disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church last year, mostly because of disagreements over theology and social issues.

    What's next: Derhammer Capek, who did not reply to Axios' request for comment by deadline, is one of five people being ordained during a ceremony on Sunday at 9am during the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

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    Comments / 29
    Add a Comment
    Lucy Monahan
    06-08
    this will bring a curse on Iowa!
    Karma Knows Your Address
    06-08
    I'm ordained and I stand with the LGBTQIA+ Community and will wed any couple who wants to get married. no discrimination.
    View all comments
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