I find this news shocking. I’m shocked the UMC *ever had* a prohibition against homo weddings. UMC is about as lost as a church can get.
The UMC’s doctrinal legislative body is international and proportional to regular congregants, and the liberal U.S. delegates have been outvoted on the issue by the growing foreign delegations. Given that they can’t change the demographics nor persuade the foreign (heavily African) delegates, my guess is that the U.S. church will separately caucus before the next convention and adopt a U.S. (pro-gay ordination and -marriage) rule, and present it as a fait accompli to the foreign delegates, who will face the hard choice of expelling the U.S. church (and losing its considerable financial support) or tolerating its local rule.