The Presbyterian Church (USA) is facing growing internal backlash after proposing a rule that would require ordained clergy to be in monogamous sexual relationships — a debate that is exposing deep divisions inside one of America’s largest progressive Protestant denominations.

The denomination is expected to vote on the proposal, known as CON-10, during its General Assembly this summer in Milwaukee. According to Religion News Service, the measure has triggered strong opposition from several official church committees and activist groups who argue the policy unfairly targets polyamorous relationships and could harm LGBTQ members.

The Sierra Blanca Presbytery submitted the proposed rule and states that pastors must “display moral character” and, “if engaged in any relationship of a sexual nature, living in a monogamous one.”

While the proposal does not mention sexual orientation, supporters say it is intended to address polyamory and polygamy within church leadership. The measure argues that multipartner relationships can create “power imbalances, emotional harm, and spiritual confusion,” particularly affecting women, children, and historically marginalized people. It also calls on the denomination to develop pastoral resources for individuals leaving “polyamorous or polygamous situations.”

The PC(USA), which has steadily embraced progressive changes in recent years, first approved the ordination of openly gay clergy in 2011 and redefined marriage as being between “two people” in 2014.

Now, however, the denomination appears sharply divided over whether monogamy itself should remain a standard for clergy.

Three official church advisory committees have publicly criticized the proposal. The Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice argued that the measure attempts to “regulate the private lives and relational structures of individuals in ways that risk harm rather than healing.”

The committee also warned that the requirement could “unintentionally reinforce systems of shame, silence, and spiritual coercion.”

Meanwhile, the Advocacy Committee on LGBTQIA+ Equity claimed the proposal reinforces “a narrow, culturally specific understanding of family” that privileges “a dominant cultural framework over the lived realities of communities of color and global Christians.”

That committee also pointed to a 2024 academic study claiming that individuals in polyamorous relationships report levels of relationship satisfaction comparable to monogamous couples.

A third church panel, the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, opposed the measure and instead encouraged the denomination to pursue additional study on “diverse understandings of relationships.”

Outside activist groups within the denomination have also intensified the fight.

More Light Presbyterians, a prominent progressive advocacy organization within the PC(USA), released a statement condemning the proposal, arguing that it reinforces “narrow and culturally bound definitions of relationships that have historically been used to exclude, police, and harm queer bodies and lives.”

The group recently hosted a “Faithful Polyamory 101” training event and warned that the proposed rule would move the denomination “backward” by centering on “a single model of relationship as the only faithful expression of Christian life.”

At the same time, progressive committees are backing a separate proposal to fund theological studies on sexuality, relationships, and family structures that support the inclusion of “different familial realities,” according to Religion News Service.

The debate marks another major flashpoint for the PC (USA), a denomination that has experienced decades of theological division and membership decline as it has moved in a more progressive direction on issues surrounding sexuality and marriage.

Neither the Presbyterian Church (USA) nor the Sierra Blanca Presbytery immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.