“Inclusive language has been a long-term project in the UCC for at least three decades,” the Journal quoted the Rev. Greg Bain, pastor of Grace-Immanuel United Church of Christ in Louisville, as saying. It was a decision to use “a broader definition” of God, said Bain, who was part of the denomination’s national executive council until recently.

The UCC, considered more liberal than most other Christian denominations, also allow ceremonies to sanctify same-sex unions. The General Synod in 2005 passed a resolution making the United Church of Christ the first major Christian legislative body in America to support “equal marriage rights for all people, regardless of gender.” However, some congregations did not support the resolution.

“The General Synod, through sound biblical and theological reflection over many years, has affirmed the full dignity, humanity, and worth of all persons regardless of sexual orientation, an affirmation grounded in our creation in the image of God,” read the Synod’s statement. “We have called for the removal of one’s sexual orientation as a barrier to ordination and to all other forms of service in the church. We understand baptism to be the foundation of one’s incorporation into the body of Christ, affirming the primacy of grace over every other category of human accomplishment or failure or human status, including sexual orientation,” it added.