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The Church of God (Cleveland, Ten­nessee) has decided to permit women to serve on local church councils but to maintain its rule that they cannot be ordained as bishops.

By a narrow vote during its recent General Assembly, the denomination changed its policy on congregational councils by deleting the word male from its previous statement saying "members of the Church and Pastor's Council shall be loyal male members of the church."

The Church of England will proceed with legislation to allow the ordination of women bishops, despite fierce opposition from Anglican traditionalists. After a marathon 12-hour debate in York, the church’s General Synod on July 12 rejected calls for further delays in developing a draft law to allow female bishops. The earliest women bishops could be ordained is 2014.

But the decision did little to tamp down furious infighting that some fear could prompt conservatives to defect to the Roman Catholic Church.