Home Christian News United Methodist Group Urges Bishops to Allow UMC Churches to Exit Denomination

United Methodist Group Urges Bishops to Allow UMC Churches to Exit Denomination

However, as the open letter notes, the Book of Discipline — the denomination’s policy book — already offers procedures for churches to disaffiliate with property under limited conditions.

The newest of these is in Paragraph 2553, which permits disaffiliation by Dec. 31, 2023, “for reasons of conscience” related to homosexualityThat procedure comes with a hefty price tag, with churches responsible for paying certain obligations including a share of their conference’s pension liability — that is, what conferences will owe retirees.

So far, dozens of United Methodist churches have used Paragraph 2553 to depart. Most identify as traditionalists, but some progressive congregations also have used the procedure to disaffiliate. Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in Marietta, Georgia, has invoked the paragraph in its lawsuit against the North Georgia Conference.

However, the Discipline has another option: Paragraph 2548.2 allows local church trustees — with conference approval — to join “another evangelical denomination.” In 2019, a large church in the Texas Conference voted to join the Free Methodist Church denomination, using this provision.

That paragraph might work for congregations to join the still-in-progress Global Methodist Church, but the new denomination has not officially launched.

The open letter does not cite any particular paragraph in the Discipline.

Many of the letter’s signers are United Methodists who have expressed a desire to stay in the denomination. Many also come from the progressive and moderate side of the denomination’s theological spectrum, but they are hoping to draw more traditionalists to the cause.

“For all our disagreements, I am confident that every last one of us would love to be able to give less attention to church politics and more to our mission and ministry,” the Rev. Rebekah Miles, one of the initial signers and a reserve delegate from the Arkansas Conference, said by email.

“This call for grace offers one way through our current chaos. … Mainly, I am earnestly hoping and praying that together we will find a way through the sad mess we now find ourselves in as a church, for the sake of Christ and the world we serve.”

This article originally appeared here.