Support for same-sex marriage is waning among pastors as most Protestant leaders continue to oppose same-sex weddings.
A report from Path of life found that support for gay rights among mainstream denominations is stagnant.
When asked, only one in five pastors surveyed said they saw ‘nothing wrong’ with gay marriage in 2023.
This figure represents a decrease from the 24 percent of ministers recorded in 2019.
Previous surveys had shown growing support for same-sex marriage, which has stagnated over the past year.
Culture wars over LGBT rights are blamed for declining support for gay marriage.
Support for same-sex marriage is waning among pastors as most Protestant leaders continue to oppose same-sex weddings. Pictured: George Harris, center left, 82, and Jack Evans, center right, 85, kiss after their wedding by Judge Garcia on June 26, 2015 in Dallas following a Supreme Court ruling
When asked, only one in five pastors surveyed said they see ‘nothing wrong’ with gay marriage in 2023
“Our research shows that support for LGBTQ rights declined slightly from 2022 to 2023, although the vast majority of Americans continue to support anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans and the right of same-sex couples to marry,” said Melissa Deckman , CEO of PRRI. .
“The growing partisan divide on these issues demonstrates the effect of the continued use of LGBTQ identity and LGBTQ rights as a wedge issue in our country’s culture wars.”
Even among more progressive denominations, 46 percent said they support same-sex marriage — nearly the same level as five years earlier.
“Individuals’ moral and doctrinal beliefs don’t tend to move often or far, so we wouldn’t expect pastors’ positions to change much,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
Levels of support varied across Protestant sects and by age and gender of ministers, with younger and female ministers respectively more likely to support same-sex marriage.
“However, the differences we see by age make it notable that the greater number of young pastors who see nothing wrong with same-sex marriage does not yet have much of an impact on the overall numbers,” McConnell added.
Evangelical leaders were among those least comfortable with same-sex marriage; only seven percent responded that they agreed with the concept.
The report analyzed responses from more than 1,000 Protestant pastors.
It found that support for same-sex marriage was higher among college-educated preachers.
Nearly a third of pastors with a master’s degree and a quarter of pastors with a doctorate support the policy.
Evangelical leaders were among those least comfortable with same-sex marriage; only seven percent responded that they agreed with the concept. Pictured: Members of the Westboro Baptist Church protest in 2014
Previous studies had shown growing support for same-sex marriage among Protestant ministers, which has stagnated in the past year
They were significantly more likely to agree with the policy than those without a college degree or bachelor’s degree, with support at nine and seven percent respectively.
Researchers also noted a geographic split, with pastors in the Northeast, where same-sex marriage was first legalized in the U.S., and the Midwest more likely than those in the South to be supportive.
Same-sex marriage was legalized federally following a Supreme Court ruling on June 26, 2015 following a case brought by Jim Obergefell, who demanded the right for his home state of Ohio to recognize his marriage to husband John Arthur.
According to the survey, leaders of smaller churches are now more likely to support unions than those of larger parishes.
“Because fewer pastors in medium and large churches are morally open to gay marriage, an even larger majority of Protestant churchgoers are in churches where their pastor does not support gay or civil marriage,” McConnell said.
However, support for same-sex civil unions was slightly higher, but there were still similar differences across demographics and locations.