(RNS) — After their congregation took a straw poll that showed the majority of members were in favor of breaking away from the United Methodist Church, Michael and Heather Hahn had to make a decision.
Should they stay with the church until it takes a final vote to disaffiliate?
Should they lobby members to remain a part of the denomination now embroiled in a drawn-out split over human sexuality?
Or should they move to another church as soon as possible?
In March, the couple chose to cut bait and left for another United Methodist church about 5 miles north of their home in Oak Ridge, North Carolina, a small, bedroom community of Greensboro.
“Ultimately where we ended up was, ‘There probably isn’t an opportunity to sway people from the path they’re on,” said Michael Hahn. “It’s probably time to look for another congregation to connect with.’”
The Hahns — Michael is a human resources professional; Heather is a schoolteacher — believe LGBTQ people deserve all the church rites of straight people.
They found a like-minded congregation at Stokesdale United Methodist, a rural church that voted to become a “Lighthouse Congregation” two months ago. The new designation describes a congregation eager to serve as a refuge for people who want to remain in the denominational fold.
Across the country, Methodists have begun a process akin to what social scientists describe as “sorting,” where people seek out like-minded communities with similar political, social and cultural worldviews, in this case religious.
