Is Pastors’ Support For Gay Marriage Increasing? Surprising Results Reveal What’s Really Happening

Despite ever-shifting cultural tides showing greater general support for gay marriage, the vast majority of Protestant pastors remain firmly opposed to same-sex nuptials.

Simultaneously, the proportion of those supporting gay matrimony appears to be stalling, according to a new Lifeway Research study.

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The faith-based research firm found 75% of Protestant pastors oppose same-sex marriage, with 69% expressing strong opposition.

An additional 21% said they “see nothing wrong with two people of the same gender getting married,” a percentage that remains statistically unchanged. Consider that 24% expressed no moral qualms with same-sex weddings back in 2019.

The 21% found in the survey is an increase from the 15% who said the same in 2010, though growth has stagnated. An additional 4% of preachers said they’re unsure where they stand.

Meanwhile, evangelical preachers have held the line against same-sex marriages, with just 7% of self-identified pastors in this cohort expressing they see no moral issue with people of the same gender marrying. The proportion has remained below 10% since 2010.

Any initial growth in overall pastoral support was seemingly driven by Mainline pastors, who increased from 32% backing gay marriage in 2010 to 46% today. It should be noted this proportion was 47% in 2019 showing, again, a stagnation among the group where growth had been most pronounced.

Other ideological and denominational differences are also worth exploring.

While 53% of Methodists support same-sex marriage, lesser proportions of Presbyterian/Reformed (36%) and Lutherans (34%) agree. Just 5% of non-denominational Christians, 4% of Baptists, and 1% of Pentecostal preachers offer the same support.

On gender and age, too, profound differences exist, with female pastors far more likely (42%) than males (16%) to support gay nuptials. And while 27% of pastors between ages 18 and 44 back gay marriage, just 15% of those 65 and older agree (as do 22% of those aged 55 to 64).

This Lifeway survey’s data were collected from Aug. 29 to Sept. 20, 2023, among 1,004 Protestant preachers. Read more about the results here.