PCUSA votes clergy monogamy overture out of order, refers for further study: 'Moral chaos'

A committee of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) recently voted that a controversial overture to mandate monogamy among ordained clergy is out of order, but referred it for further study.

CON-10, formerly OVT-044 and titled "On Requiring Ministers of Word and Sacrament to Be Monogamous," was referred last Wednesday by a 45–12 vote of the PCUSA's Constitutional Interpretation Committee to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, according to The Presbyterian Outlook.

CON-10 sought to amend the denomination's Book of Order to require clergy "in any relationship of a sexual nature" to be "living in a monogamous one." The Constitutional Interpretation Committee did not vote for or against CON-10, but deemed that it did not meet procedural standards for a constitutional amendment or authoritative interpretation.

The committee acknowledged the concerns expressed in the overture, however, and recommended forwarding them for inclusion in GEN-09, a broader overture to fund and develop new theological framework documents for addressing contemporary issues of sexuality, relationships and family life.

The overture, submitted by the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca in New Mexico, was drafted by conservative Gen Z members of Presbyterians for the Kingdom, an organization in the PCUSA dedicated to pushing back against encroaching liberalism in the denomination by restoring orthodox, confessional Reformed theology.

Richard Ackerman, a seminarian at University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and a board member of Presbyterians for the Kingdom, co-authored the overture and addressed the committee during comments last week, The Presbyterian Outlook reports.

"The biggest stumbling block for people joining [a church] is the perceived sexual anarchy of the PC(USA)," he said. "My generation grew up in a cesspool of moral chaos, and those seeking answers from the church need stability."

Ackerman, whose X account "Redeemed Zoomer" has more than 38,000 followers, also posted a YouTube video on June 7 explaining that part of the strategy behind the overture was to expose how radically liberal some elements within the PCUSA have become.

"The reason this is necessary is because our goal is to expose the radical left to the moderate left [in the PCUSA]," said Ackerman, who argued that theological liberalism has often prevailed in mainline Protestant denominations because conservatives have historically chosen schism over reform.

In an X post on Monday responding to a news story about the overture's referral, Ackerman acknowledged it was deemed out of order "for using constitutionally invalid language," but added, "Still, the liberals wanted to shoot it down and they failed."

The overture and the pushback it received within the increasingly liberal PCUSA prompted national headlines. Three committees in the denomination — the Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice, the Advocacy Committee on LGBTQIA+ Equity and the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy — appended "advice and counsel" against the overture after it was introduced.

The Advocacy Committee on LGBTQIA+ Equity said the overture "potentially creates a number of problems," accusing it of using vague language and conflating polyamory and polygamy, which it noted, "are not the same thing."

The Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice said it could not support the overture "because it extends beyond the Church's call to form disciples into an attempt to regulate the private lives and relational structures of individuals in ways that risk harm rather than healing."

The Women and Gender Justice committee said "that the role of the Church is not to impose uniformity of personal life but to cultivate communities marked by justice, accountability, and love," and argued that the overture "frames moral character through a narrow relational mandate that does not, in itself, prevent harm."

More Light Presbyterians, an LGBTQ-affirming advocacy network representing hundreds of PCUSA churches, also opposed the overture, claiming in a statement in May that it "represents a step backward" and "raises significant theological, pastoral, and justice concerns."

Protestia, a popular Christian X account, has posted multiple clips in recent days of figures in the PCUSA commenting on the internal debate over polyamory, which is the practice of having multiple romantic or sexual relationships at the same time with the consent of all involved.

In one Protestia clip posted Monday, the Rev. Avery Arden, who uses "they/ze" pronouns and serves on More Light Presbyterians' national board of directors, argued in favor of polyamory, claiming that the Book of Ruth and the relationships between Boaz, Ruth and Naomi have "polyamorous resonances."

Rev. Avery Arden, (they/ze) who is part of the PCUSA and living in a polyamorous marriage, explains that the story of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz is queer and poly.

This is evident after the two women bring Boaz into their queer relationship, forming a consensual throuple. pic.twitter.com/9fFP1dmTKi

— Protestia (@Protestia) June 29, 2026

In another clip posted Sunday, the Rev. Bethany Benz-Whittington, who serves as stated clerk for the PCUSA's Presbytery of Genesee Valley in New York, dismissed the monogamy overture as "ridiculous for many, many reasons" and said it was "bad polity" for attempting to define "what love is allowed to be."

"Why would the Spirit have moved us to have broader and more inclusive understandings of what love is, to then throw up a wall and say, 'But stop, stop there?'" she asked. "We've been doing good work for a long time, and this is more than a roadblock. It's a wrench in the gears. Let's not be those people who do things like that."

PCUSA 'pastor' Bethany Benz-Whittington blasts attempts to PROHIBIT clergy from being polygamous or polyamorous at the upcoming General Assembly, saying doing so is "UNBIBLICAL" and antithetical to the principles of 'sempre reformanda.' pic.twitter.com/8j5l4Lu0Qn

— Protestia (@Protestia) June 28, 2026

The PCUSA, though still the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, lost more than 26,000 members and 128 congregations in 2025, according to a new report shared Monday with The Christian Post. Membership has cratered over the past quarter-century, dropping from more than 2.5 million in 2000 to just over 1 million as of last year.