Big Data: 54 people decided the United Methodist Church vote

With more than 12 million members worldwide, and over 6 million members in the United States, UMC is the second-largest Protestant denomination in the country. Sid Hastings/AP/FR158536 AP via AP

54

That’s the number of delegates who decided the United Methodist Church’s vote on whether to maintain the current rules against same-sex marriage and openly LGBTQ clergy. More than 800 church delegates from around the world voted on the measure, called the Traditional Plan, while at the group’s general conference in St. Louis Tuesday. The vote’s final tally was 438 to 384. With more than 12 million members worldwide, and over 6 million members in the United States, UMC is the second-largest Protestant denomination in the country. In 2016, 111 clergy members came out of the closet in an open letter to the church.