Most Protestant pastors oppose gay marriage, mainline support stalling: survey

June 7, 2024

A previously growing trend of support for same-sex marriage among mainline clergy, appears to be stalling according to a report by Lifeway Research.

The Christian Post reports that most Protestant pastors surveyed in the U.S. continue to oppose same-sex marriage.

In a report released last week, Lifeway found that in 2023, 21% of Protestant pastors said they saw “nothing wrong” with gay marriage. That number has declined from 24% who responded the same way in 2019.

Scott McConnell is the executive director of Lifeway Research and noted that less than half of theologically progressive pastors said they support same-sex message.

McConnell said, “Previous growth was seen most clearly among mainline pastors, and that level did not rise in our latest survey. Debates continue within denominations at national and judicatory levels on the morality of same-sex marriage, yet the overall number of Protestant pastors who support same-sex marriage is not growing,”

The report drew from a survey of 1,004 Protestant Pastors and was conducted August 29, 2023 through September 20, 2023 with a 3.2% margin of error.

According to the Christian Post, only 7% of Evangelical pastors surveyed said that they supported same-sex marriage and that only 8% of pastors of churches with over 250 regular attendees expressed support.

The findings of the survey appear to be backed up by data from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) which released its 2023 American Values Atlas earlier this year.

PRRI found a similar decrease in support for same-sex marriage and LGBT nondiscrimination policies among the general population.

Photo: top, Credit: iStock/Joyfully Cheryl