The Church of England is about to banish this gay preacher just for getting married
A preacher from the Church of England has been forced to choose between getting married and staying with ministry.
Jeremy Timm said he was preparing to be expelled, in order to marry his partner.
He said he had been forced to “choose between marriage or ministry” when he and his partner Mike were making a decision whether to convert their civil partnership to a marriage.
They entered the partnership six years ago, and plan to convert it to marriage in September, in a move frowned upon by the Church of England.
The lay preacher, Timm, will have his licence to preach, or Permission to Officiate (PTO), revoked, if he goes through with the conversion, says Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.
Despite the threat, he said he plans to go ahead with the ceremony, and he and Mike have bought rings.
He made the announcement on the Changing Attitude blog, saying he had been “living with an ultimatum” since he met with Dr Sentamu.
“I was told that although my ministry was much valued, if we change our status to being married then my PTO would be withdrawn with immediate effect,” he said.
“I was faced with choosing between marriage or ministry.
“This has caused tears and soul searching, but at the weekend Mike and I had a trip to Leeds and chose two new rings to mark this new milestone in our lives together
“I have written to the Archbishop, and informed him of our intentions, and he will withdraw my PTO, and my ministry as a reader will come to an abrupt end.”
Going on, he said he would continue to preach outside the Church, if he has his licence revoked.
“I have always replied that my journey has been rooted and steeped in the Anglican tradition which is my tradition and I wanted to remain there, despite the injustice and hypocrisy I see for LGBTI folk.
“Now, I stand on the threshold of leaving, and joining the ranks of all those who feel they no longer have a place in the church,” he continued.
