Presbyterian Church faces internal revolt after proposing clergy must be in monogamous relationships

A progressive Christian denomination is facing sharp internal backlash over a proposed rule that would require ordained clergy to be in monogamous sexual relationships.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is set to vote on the monogamy requirement at its General Assembly this summer in Milwaukee. The measure has sparked fierce debate and outrage from three official progressive church committees and polyamorous church groups, according to Religion News Service.

The PC(USA) has allowed for the ordination of openly gay clergy since 2011 and altered its definition of marriage to "two people" in 2014. The new proposed rule, known as CON-10, does not mention sexual orientation or same-sex relationships. Instead, it targets multipartner relationships, arguing that the practice of polyamory or polygamy can create "power imbalances, emotional harm, and spiritual confusion," particularly for women, children and historically marginalized persons.

The rule, submitted by the Sierra Blanca Presbytery, states that PC(USA) pastors must "display moral character" and, "if engaged in any relationship of a sexual nature, living in a monogamous one." The rule also asks the church to develop pastoral resources to help people leaving "polyamorous or polygamous situations."

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is facing internal friction ahead of its General Assembly vote this summer on whether to require its ordained clergy to practice monogamy. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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However, the proposal drew outrage from three official PC(USA) church advisory committees: the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice and Advocacy Committee on LGBTQIA+ Equity.

In its official response, the Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice claimed that requiring pastors to be monogamous attempts to "regulate the private lives and relational structures of individuals in ways that risk harm rather than healing." The committee further argued that a monogamy mandate could "unintentionally reinforce systems of shame, silence, and spiritual coercion."

The Advocacy Committee on LGBTQIA+ Equity also argued that the monogamy rule reinforced White privilege. The group claimed the mandate imposes "a narrow, culturally specific understanding of family" that "privileges a dominant cultural framework over the lived realities of communities of color and global Christians." The LGBTQIA+ panel also cited a 2024 academic study to defend multipartner relationships, claiming that polyamorous individuals report relationship satisfaction comparable to monogamous couples.

Activists within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have introduced "Faithful Polyamory" courses, arguing that traditional monogamy is an exclusionary standard that harms the queer community. (iStock via Getty)

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A third panel, the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, also disapproved of the measure, arguing that it should be rejected in favor of a separate proposal to study "diverse understandings of relationships."

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More Light Presbyterians, a prominent progressive activist group within the denomination, has aggressively lobbied against the monogamy rule. The group released a statement last month saying the proposal reinforces "narrow and culturally bound definitions of relationships that have historically been used to exclude, police, and harm queer bodies and lives."

The group, which hosted a "Faithful Polyamory 101" training last month, said the rule would take the progressive denomination "backward" by centering on "a single model of relationship as the only faithful expression of Christian life."

A proposal to ensure Presbyterian pastors remain in monogamous relationships has triggered a fierce civil war within the progressive denomination. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

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A separate proposal heavily endorsed by these same progressive committees pushes instead for the denomination to fund theological studies on gender and sexuality, relationships and the Christian vocation of family that would support the church's mission to include "different familial realities," according to RNS.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.