¶630.3.1.11 Polygamy
In some of our mission districts polygamy is a current reality. This statement seeks to give
guidance to these contexts and to those who come to Canada from those contexts.
When individuals involved in a polygamist marriage confess Jesus Christ as their Saviour and
testify to their desire to follow him as Lord, the Free Methodist Church responds graciously while remaining faithful to the biblical “one man and one woman” vision of marriage. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6).
In polygamy, a man has entered into legal covenants with more than one women and, as an
honorable person, he must honor his promises. He must provide for the welfare of his wives. The church gives the family the responsibility to determine whether they will all continue to live together. As the children grow, the parents will rear them to understand and embrace a Christian view of marriage and the family.
The husband must take an interest in all of his children as a Christian father and provide for the well-being of all of his children. Such believers living in polygamous relationships cannot be given positions of leadership within the church. (1 Timothy 3:2, 13; Titus 1:6).
