Changes

===Southern Baptist===

===Southern Baptist===

Due to the autonomous nature of the Southern Baptist churches, the largest Protestant denomination, there is no universal policy within the Convention that addresses divorce, though consistent with their general conservatism, they are expected to be strict, as historically it was.<ref>Divorce, annulments, and the Catholic Church, by Richard J. Jenks, Craig A Everett p. 29</ref><ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=441</ref> Domestic abuse is grounds for divorce<ref>https://www.baptiststandard.com/opinion/voices/abuse-is-biblical-grounds-for-divorce/</ref>.  One study showed that among Southern Baptists, the top five issues of concern were divorce (53 percent), negative influences from the media (38 percent), materialism (36 percent), absentee fathers (29 percent) and latch-key kids (23 percent).<ref>[http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0,1703,A=158643&M=50011,00.html Divorce, Media & Materialism Top List of Threats to Family]</ref>

As such, each SBC church (being autonomous and independent) can set its own policies (even independent of the BF&M) regarding this issue.  Generally, though, they hold to a stricter view on the topic, usually limiting it to cases of adultery or domestic abuse.

 

The SBC also generally holds that a divorced person is ineligible to be a pastor or deacon, even if the divorce was on permissible grounds or it took place before the person became a Christian.

===United Methodist===

===United Methodist===