In 2015, EMU, along with Goshen College announced in an employment policy change that it would begin hire faculty or staff members who were in a same-sex marriage. The action initially prompted a crisis within the CCCU - with two schools immediately leaving the Council - and threatened a broader split over what was seen as a challenge to the authority of Scripture. The crisis was averted with the announcement on September 21, 2015 that both EMU and Goshen had graciously withdrawn from the Council, thus preserving unity within the organization.