A clear majority of delegates approved a recommendation by the Protestant church leadership during a nationwide assembly on Tuesday.
However, the delegates decided to leave it up to pastors of the member churches whether they want to allow gay marriages based on church law.
The move followed controversial debates about the position of the Protestant Churches, amid opposition by more conservative groups.
“The assembly of delegates has made a point to stress that different notions of marriage remain possible in the Protestant Church,” a statementExternal link says.
The Protestant Churches have a federalist structure and are one of the leading churches in Switzerland.
The other main religious denomination in Switzerland, the Roman Catholic Church, has so far refused to take a clear stance on the issue of same-sex marriage.
Moves are underway in parliament to give legal basis to same-sex marriage. The House of Representatives is due to discuss a bill next year.
Most political parties have come out in favour, except for the right-wing Swiss People’s Party and the centrist Protestant Party.
The bill does not include the issue of adoption or reproductive medicine.
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Swiss gay marriage moves a step closer
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Switzerland should pave the way to allow same-sex couples to get married and adopt children, a parliamentary committee has said.
Court decision sparks party debate on same-sex marriage
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Many Christian Democrats are no longer behind a 2016 initiative by their party because they are more open to same-sex marriage.
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While fewer people got married last year in Switzerland, the number of same-sex couples forming registered partnerships has risen.
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Seven out of ten people say gay couples should be allowed to get married in Switzerland rather than just have civil partnerships, a survey finds.
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Gay or lesbian parents are almost non-existent in the Swiss mainstream media, unlike in the United States. But are things changing?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.