Hundreds of Texas Churches to leave United Methodist Church over Gays

After a controversial stance against same sex marriages and LGBTQ clergy members was upheld by a slim majority in 2019, congregations across the country are seeking to leave the denomination through a meticulous process called disaffiliation. Although the two conferences meeting this weekend do not cover the Dallas-Fort Worth area, up to 439 churches across Texas could be granted approval to leave the denomination along with their properties. In this process, the UMC is allowing churches to leave the denomination while retaining their properties and assets as long as certain steps are taken before the end of 2023. Church congregations must first reach a 2/3 majority vote in favor before being approved by their annual conference. Many conservative congregations are leaving UMC, believing the stance passed in 2019 has not been enforced. However, some churches deny leaving over LGBTQ inclusion and point to a variety of differences from finances to theology. The two regions meeting Saturday are theTexas Annual Conference, based out of Houston and covering east Texas and Tyler, and theNorthwest Texas Annual Conference, which encompasses the Texas panhandle and Lubbock. They are two of six conferences in the state. In the Northwest Conference, more than half of its roughly 200 churches are seeking approval to officially disaffiliate, a spokesperson confirmed to The Dallas Morning News. If approved at the specially called session this Saturday in Lubbock, 145 churches would sever their relationship with the UMC promptly at the end of this year. In the Texas Conference, 294 out of its 598 churches are seeking the same approval Saturday. The Texas Annual Conference is the third largest in the country, according to its director of communications, Shannon Martin. In a written statement, Bishop Scott J. Jones said he is praying for those who are leaving and he is "encouraged by the hope of new beginnings for all of our United Methodist Churches." UM News reported last week that annual conferences across the country have approved the withdrawal of 1,314 churches from its over 30,000 total since 2019. In September, 81 churches in the Central Texas Conference, which covers Fort Worth, were approved to disaffiliate in a special session. The conference currently has 185 congregations, and at least two more have voted to leave. Encompassing the Dallas area is the North Texas Conference, which includes 276 churches. While fifty-four churches have entered the process, only six have held a vote and reached the two-thirds threshold vote to leave. Ten others decided to remain with the UMC before going to a vote, as of November 2.

In the biggest day yet for the ongoing United Methodist split in Alabama, 198 congregations officially left the denomination after a vote by the North Alabama Conference meeting Saturday

And we should care because...?

Why should they be allowed to keep their properties?

If you’re out, you’re out.

Are you fucking serious R2?

What’s happening here, and what the article does not make clear is that the united Methodist church is about to vote to allow gay clergy, and to perform same-sex marriages, joining other mainstream Protestant denominations such as Episcopals, Presbyterians and Lutherans who have already moved forward.

The united Methodist churches who do not wish to participate have formed a new denomination, call the global Methodist Church, which will maintain the prohibitions on gAy progress.

This article is poorly written and is unclear. It states that the UM voted AGAINST gay rights, and now hundreds of churches are leaving, implying SUPPORT for gays. Then it states that some are leaving in the belief that the vote against gays isn't hateful enough? Which is it? Given that it's Texas, my guess would be the latter. Fuck them.

Those people really love to hate us.

The UMC’s official stance is that homosexulity is incompatible with Christianity, a sin, and disqualifies one from being a minister. The UMC also bans any celebration of same-sex unions in it's churches or amongst its clergy. These stances have gotten increased support over the last decade, and have been strengthened. However, the UMC is a global church with increasing numbers of Asian and African membership. The non-US Methodists are mostly evangelical, but American Methodists tend to be rather liberal. So, American Methodists, who have their regional church governance, have tended to nullify antigay policies or ignore them. Still, any churches or clergy who have been liberal on homosexuality have risked being defrocked, excommunicated, or tried. At the last General Conference, the strengthening of antigay official Policies, caused such a backlash among American Methodists that both sides agreed that the two sides could no longer coexist in the same denomination. Over time, bishops agreed to a plan that would allow liberal conferences to set their own policies on sexuality while allowing conservatives to retain the current stance. It also would allow churches to leave the denomination. This plan has not been voted on by the governing body, but evangelicals are fleeing the denomination in Droves already and are starting a new evangelical Global Methodist Church. The UMC still officially has conservative policies on homosexuality.

Another stake through the corpse that is organized religion.

58 Louisiana churches leave UMC

249 North Carolina churches leaving

It’s expected that 1500 and likely more churches will vote to exit this year, with perhaps a total of 3000-5000 churches exiting by the end of 2023. United Methodist Book of Discipline Paragraph 2553 allows congregations to exit with property by the end of 2023. But exits must be confirmed by votes of annual conferences, which typically meet in May or June.

Exiting churches must pay two years of apportionments and pension liabilities. In the Virginia Conference, the total equals about five or six times annual apportionments. Exiting churches there are paying from $24,000 for a 47 member church to over $600,000 for a 667 member church. But some very liberal bishops, like Bishop Easterling, who presides over Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware, along with Bishop John Schol of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania are adding exorbitant surcharges, making exit very difficult and prompting likely litigation. Over 100 churches in the Florida Conference are suing Bishop Ken Carter and the conference over an exorbitant insurance charge he has added to exit costs.

After 2023, there is no clear path for United Methodist congregations to exit the denomination without losing their property. The 2024 General Conference could approve another exit pathway but it unlikely to do so. Paragraph 2553 was ratified by the 2019 Special General Conference by less than 52 percent, with traditionalists supporting and liberals opposing. Traditionalists or evangelicals are not expected to have a majority in 2024.

UMC has had the largest number of conservatives and evangelicals among the mainline denominations. About 1/3 to 40% of the denomination will leave the UMC over liberalizing policies

What Jesus was about: "We are all God's children! Love everyone! Help one another and spend your time doing good works!"

What Evangelists and America's "Christians" are about: Money. Guns. Hate. Don't infringe on my life while I'm infringing ALL OVER your life. Posting Bible quotes with hate in their hearts.

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