Your awareness of the contents of the following documents may be critical in being an advocate for a fair process during the Discernment Process and any effort to stay United Methodist: Newly added par. The Global Methodist Churchs Convening General Conference to be held between May 1, 2023 and November 1, 2023 based on this announcement. This paragraph authorizes the presiding bishop and majorities of the district superintendents and the district board of location and building to declare that exigent circumstances exist that require immediate protection of the local churchs property. The effect of that declaration is the immediate transfer of all property and assets of a local church to the control of the conference board of trustees. A total 421 congregants voted - 295 voted to disaffiliate, but 126 voted to remain with the United Methodist Church [] This paragraph has been part of the Book of Discipline for many years. There are a number of reasons why churches may choose to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church. Any unused portion of the administrative fee will be reimbursed to the disaffiliating church by or no later than 10 days after the disaffiliation date. If this is the case the church should move forward with discernment process. The United Methodist Churchs guidebook, called the Book of Discipline, states any congregation who chooses to disaffiliate will take ownership of the church property. Originally created by Reynoldsburg UMC in Ohio. The transfer of property may happen under an allocation, exchange of property, or comity agreement, provided that such agreement shall have been committed to writing and signed and approved by the duly qualified and authorized representatives of both parties concerned.. Passed during the same legislative assembly the church law allows congregations to exit with property for reasons of conscience related to homosexuality if they meetcertain requirements. UMF remains your trusted partner in ministry. Votes about disaffiliation are never simply rational or financial. Please help us to ensure that going forward, this will be a safe, fair and peaceful process. Our goals with this FAQ are to provide clarity and accurate information about the process of disaffiliation for those who may be considering it and to dispel confusion. Or is it some percentage of that? This was denied and we were told that the guides would represent the UMC. The reasons for this trend include disagreements over theological issues and concerns about the denominations organizational structure and decision-making processes. The Trustees took the additional step of receiving feedback from the Connectional Table and reviewing other terms from other annual conferences. This can be seen in the way that the UMC has struggled to articulate a clear and consistent message on social and political issues, which has left many members feeling confused and disconnected from the denomination. Will professing members that are minors participate in the discernment process? Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. The pastor will receive a letter that can be shared with the congregation. A drastic shift in exit costs One of the main reasons for disaffiliation among Methodist churches is the growing theological differences within the denomination. Clergy who are appointed to a congregation that disaffiliates, but the clergy person continues with The UMC, the cabinet will work to identify a new appointment and will require financial support from the disaffiliating congregation to maintain salary and benefits until the next appointment. Only2553relates directly to disaffiliation. The committees role includes recommending compensation and benefits, conferring on ministry effectiveness, health and well-being and annually evaluating the pastor. The UMC Disaffiliation Requirements Timeline The Future with the Global Methodist Church To Contact StayUMC THE PROCESS In January of 2021, the Administrative Board established a leadership team to explore our relationship with our denomination. The costs to disaffiliate under par. Specifically, be a vocal advocate to make sure: Minimum duration times are observed at each phase of the process. It is then signed by the local church pastor and the chair of the local church Board of Trustees. First United Methodist Church in Washington was founded in 1800. The Guides will assist each congregation in discerning its future, not the desires of the Guide, GNJ or the UMC. The questions become who leaves, how many people leave, and how to address the losses to the remaining congregation when they leave. They will lead the congregation through this season and the Church Conference will make its decision listening for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, not to decisions that represent the UMC. They did not respond by press time. Any GNJ grants received in the present calendar year, and the past two calendar years. The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. An article by Jay Therrell, posted on the Wesleyan Covenant Association website. All six rulings from the United Methodist Judicial Council stem from questions of law raised aboutthe Book of Disciplines new Paragraph 2553 approved by the 2019 Special General Conference in St. Louis. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the General Administration Fund apportionment at 100 percent. A *possible* specially called Annual Conference has been announced for December, 2023 for additional disaffiliations. Does Elevation Church Believe in Speaking in Tongues? As with any legislative motion, an Annual Conference can choose to accept or reject the motion. The decision to disaffiliate from the UMC must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the professing members of the local church present at the church conference. This phenomenon is not unique to the UMC and is happening among other mainline denominations as well. The Brief and Bumpy History of Disaffiliation In addition to the Way Forward Plans, multiple stand-alone disaffiliation plans came to General Conference 2019. As a part of due diligence, appraisal of all local church properties by a certified appraiser is required. Disaffiliation of a congregation is not final until approved by the Annual Conference and the final term sheet fulfilled before December 31, 2023. Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. This article will explore the reasons why Methodist churches are disaffiliating and the factors that contribute to this trend. What is Lent and why does it last forty days? Property of the UMC is held in trust for the United Methodist mission and ministry. A $3,500 administrative fee to defray the cost of the discernment and disaffiliation guides that will be used by the GNJ cabinet and the board of trustees to facilitate the process. If you are the pastor and you are just beginning to explore these questions, contact your superintendent to ask for guidance about how to explore well and for detailed information about how the process of disaffiliation works in your annual conference. The annual conference may only consider such a request after the presiding bishop and the majority of the district superintendents and the district board of location and building have given their consent. Our role at Ask The UMC is to provide accurate official information about The United Methodist Church. UMF will review your account(s) and tailor the amendment to accommodate the original terms of your agreement. This page was last modified December 28, 2022, Youtube Playlist of "Moving Forward" Lecture Series. The Annual Conference will provide information on the cost required to cover pension liabilities for previous pastors and release your church from the trust clause on its property. A formal request does not commit the church to disaffiliation. How will the process ensure that only professing members participate/vote in the church conferences? What will the conference do to ensure the well-being of clergy serving in congregations that decide to disaffiliate but he/she/they decide to stay in the UMC? Take time to review all that weve done together in the North Alabama Conference. The Council of Bishops has noted that Judicial Council Decision 1379 requires that any motion to disaffiliate must to be approved, reach a two thirds majority of the professing members present and voting at the church conference. The lower thresholds to request a transfer of property named in 2548.2 do not apply as a valid vote to request disaffiliation. My administrative board did not vote to proceed with discernment; there will be no vote to disaffiliate. All property and congregational transfer costs including GNJ legal fees. Read this blog post by long time Asbury Spiritual Formation and Wesleyan Studies professor, Steve Harper. According to the United Methodist News Service, as of 2021, there are more than 100 churches have disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church. The pastor meets with the committee, but cannot be a voting member. Another factor contributing to the disaffiliation of Methodist churches is the decline in membership. A congregation can only vote on and go through the disaffiliation process once. The North Alabama Conferences Discernment Process is designed to help congregations count the costs of disaffiliation. Your Foundation remains firmly grounded in helping you achieve the dreams God has placed on your heart. Are all congregations expected to go through the disaffiliation discernment process? The following is a summary of the financial items in the term sheet. And in a situation where the congregation has acted in ways that are not compliant with the Discipline and the guidance of the district superintendent, the conference board of trustees may not offer the congregation any terms to obtain its former property or assets. Please read the guidelines thoroughly and make sure shortcuts are not being taken. 2553 expires on December 31, 2023. How were the terms determined? Your support of The General Administration Fund apportionment supports the legislative body of the denomination, the Judicial Council. It's a collection of study-committee members and church leaders who have been in the trenches with us as we navigate this process. How Many Churches Were Damaged On The Bohol 2013 Earthquake, https://www.umnews.org/en/news/over-100-churches-have-disaffiliated-from-umc-in-recent-years, How To Become A Deacon In The Catholic Church. 2553 are not insignificant. 2201 E Hebron Pkwy. Can they vote when voting on the discernment process? This disaffiliation process is a journey to find other Wesleyans who hold the same values of scriptural authority and Christocentric theology that we do. All deed restrictions must be followed by the disaffiliating congregation prior to disaffiliation. Under any process of disaffiliation, your congregation will want to avoid any situation in which you do not follow or appear not to follow the requirements as set forth by the Discipline and your conference. This is a good and sensitive question. Working through this process with the district superintendent is not only required in most conferences, but wise. Ask your questions and check out more FAQS. There, in the nation's fourth-largest city, 1,245 members voted to approve the disaffiliation, with 3% voting to oppose the split and another 4% abstaining. Doing the legwork of someone willing to speak to your congregation may make this offer difficult for your church leadership to decline. Only congregations that are seriously considering leaving The United Methodist Church (UMC) and GNJ. No this is false. I would like to know if we as a congregation could decide on voting method at our church conference for disaffiliation. of the process, the Annual Conference is able to reject the request to disaffiliate. The Discernment Team has the opportunity to decline to recommend to the Church Council moving forward with disaffiliation. While there have been rumors and articles where person have stated their opinions concerning a moving away from the denominations doctrinal standards, the UMC maintains the beliefs found in the BOD Articles of Religion and disaffiliation is strictly over issues related to human sexuality. In other denominations, such votes have resulted in people leaving the church. However, in recent years, there has been a growing movement among some churches to disaffiliate from the denomination. And as the Judicial Council decision clarifies, the "comity agreement" referred to in this paragraph is created by the Council of Bishops and affirmed by General Conference. If you have questions regarding your account(s), please fill out the form below and we will respond to you as soon as possible. For example, the denomination has been grappling with the issue of ordaining gay and lesbian clergy for several decades, and some churches have left the denomination over this issue. The Disaffiliation Policy approved at the 2019 Annual Conference Session sets out a framework to be followed when a significant number of members of a congregation express a desire to leave the South Georgia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 2553 of The Book of Discipline of The United . Video here (starts at 40 minutes into presentation): https://vimeo.com/722681837#t=40m. Exigent circumstances include, but are not limited to, situations where the property will no longer be used for the purposes of The United Methodist Church or the congregation is no longer in a position to maintain it for the denomination. This divide has led to a number of churches leaving the UMC to join more conservative denominations that align with their beliefs. However, the bishop and cabinet have published detailed guidelines required by our North Alabama Conference to ensure that your church takes a thoughtful, prayerful, and balanced approach to the consequential decision to disaffiliate from the UMC. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. Ask The UMC: What should United Methodist congregations know about disaffiliation? Yes. That started our discernment process. One of seven apportioned giving opportunities of The United Methodist Church, the General Administration Fund implements trustworthy administrative oversight, supports the legislative processes of the church and curates The United Methodist Churchs rich history. If all of the above steps are completed by March 31, 2023, the Annual Conference will vote at its May 2023 session. Wespath has also posted an informative FAQ about the impact of disaffiliation on continued ability to participate in the UMC's pension programs. E.g., if a church has $100,000 and 20% of the members vote against disaffiliation, then the UMC will take $20,000? Like many mainline denominations, the UMC has seen a steady decline in attendance and membership in recent decades. We cannot speak to the approach used by other conference Board of Trustees to discern and fully vet these costs, as our Trustees did. Request to Explore and Discern Disaffiliation - A Congregation's Church Council votes to explore and discern disaffiliation and the Pastor notifies the District Superintendent of the desire to engage in the disaffiliation process. Establishment of terms and conditions between the exiting local church and the conference board of trustees. This is a matter of fairness, not punitive in nature. The provisions of 2553 expire on December 31, 2023 and shall not be used after that date. The Judicial Council has ruled that paragraph 2548.2 may not be used for disaffiliation. Our lay leadership, organized through our Church Council. For more information see, https://www.umc.org/en/content/articles-of-religion, https://www.umnews.org/en/news/bishop-urges-end-to-falsehoods-pivot-to-future. This is a fast-moving, evolving situation and there are many moving parts. Tel. Ask to be part of the Discernment Team. Classes for all ages at 9 a.m. 33 Days To Morning Glory Consecration Prayer, Is Hillsong United Part Of Hillsong Church, Why Did The Catholic Church Introduce Tropes, What Does The Bible Say About Non Denominational Churches, How Politics Poisoned The Evangelical Church, Why Church And State Should Not Be Separated, United Methodist News Service. Over 100 churches have disaffiliated from UMC in recent years., The United Methodist Church. The disaffiliation plan offers a limited way to release congregations from The United Methodist Church's centuries-old trust clause, which states that church property is held in trust for the benefit of the entire denomination. Any other fees and costs identified by the GNJ Board of Trustees including but not limited to the determination that a contribution is in order related to the congregations real property. What is the Connectional Covenant? Churches will need to provide a sealed ballot box with a slot for ballots to be submitted. All congregations and ministries of The United Methodist Church hold their property and assets in trust for the denomination, and specifically for the annual conference. excerpt from a story by Heather Hahn, assistant news editor, UM News. Your district superintendent will help your congregation complete an intentional discernment process before a church conference to vote on disaffiliation is scheduled. Bishop Beard's presentation was recorded . If a pastor or a sizeable portion of a congregation makes it clear they would like to leave, dont give up and be a cheerleader for others not to give up either. Additionally, Jeff Greenway, a leader in the Wesleyan Covenant Association recently suggested that disaffiliating churches who go independent or join affliations of churches risk lacking Wesleyan connectionalism to accomplish their mission and theological drift into Reformed Calvinism amongst other risks. The bishops are prepared to pursue this outcomeunder the authority of the Trust Clause should it be required. Clergy persons who leave The UMC on their own accord or with a disaffiliating congregation, must surrender their membership credentials and join a another denomination or serve an independent congregation and the clergy person will need to be credentialed by the denomination or independent congregation. Wise congregational leadership will choose not to schedule a church conference to vote on disaffiliation if there is uncertainty about that majority. Many WCA/GMC leaders are sharing talking points designed to portray the remaining UMC as engaging in theological drift by abandoning Biblical authority, questioning the resurrection of Jesus Christ, forsaking our doctrinal standards, promoting an open canon, and other similar things. They are also deeply emotional. Reposted here, with gratitude, for further learning and insight. No, the timeframe for the administrative board/church council to discern disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church under 2553 has now passed. At what point in the process will clergy appointed to the congregation discerning disaffiliation have to express their personal decision regarding disaffiliation? Nearly half of the UMC congregations. The term sheet is reviewed by the Disaffiliating Congregations Church Conference via special session that votes by two-thirds to accept the terms of the established Disaffiliation Agreement. Another option is for the youth to sit with a sensitive adult who will help to explain to the youth the conversation and questions. What you may have heard or read about in another conference may not apply in yours. Any professing member who has not voluntarily asked to be removed from the roles or was not removed by the 2021 charge or church conference is entitled to participate and vote. Or something else? Yet, at the end(?) With the postponement of the 2020 General Conference to 2024 and the announcement by the Wesleyan Covenant Association that it will launch the Global Methodist Church on May 1, 2022, we at Ask The UMC are receiving many more questions about disaffiliation. (2021). But do the numbers match the rhetoric? Thank you so much to everyone that baked, cleaned, prepared, and shared! What is the Church's position on homosexuality? The church council should first determine: do we as leaders of the congregation believe our congregation wants to leave The United Methodist Church. Clergy persons who continue with The UMC and are appointed to a congregation that continues as a UMC congregation will their maintain membership in The UMC as a clergy person and participate in the appointment process as in the past. What should United Methodist congregations know about disaffiliation? a decision to disaffiliate by a two-thirds majority of the professing members present at a church conference (not charge conference); the payment in full of two years of that congregations apportionment commitment as set by the conference; the payment in full of the congregations pro-rata share of the conferences pension liability, based on a formula approved by the annual conference. Advocate for going the extra mile in some of the suggested discernment activities rather than simply meeting the minimum standard. The United Methodist Church is one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States, with an estimated 7 million members. The disaffiliation plan offers a limited way to release congregations fromThe United Methodist Churchs centuries-old trust clause, which states that church property is held in trust for the benefit of the entire denomination. One study showed that regular church goers are likely to overestimate opposition to same-sex marriage in their congregation by 20%. Can a congregation disaffiliate under paragraph 2548.2 of The Book of Discipline? The deadline for disaffiliations under par. Some churches may be anticipating a change in policies and rush to disaffiliate at the December 10 Annual Conference, but this is based on a unsubstantiated fear. It is not judging others (Matthew 7:1-2), but encountering Gods wisdom and understanding in others, the community of faith and ourselves for discerning Gods calling for the congregation and each of us individually. Waiting to disaffiliate could either provide better terms or prevent the possibility of an exit altogether. This can lead to a sense of isolation and frustration among churches, which can contribute to their decision to disaffiliate. Disaffiliation is complete only when all payments due are made in full, the annual conference has approved the motion of disaffiliation and the effective date of disaffiliation set by the annual conference is reached. We are not encouraging any congregation to do so, either. This paragraph does not create a right nor a process for congregations to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church. Timeline - June through September 2022. The district superintendent may have additional questions for you at that time to make sure you are working from accurate information and a clear sense of the congregations readiness for a vote. At the very least, advocate that there are voices on the Discernment Team inclined to stay in the United Methodist Church. In that ruling, the church courtalso spelled outthat any disaffiliation must include: The new Judicial Council rulings cover decisions of law that bishops made during the 2020 and 2021 annual conference seasons. The pastor meets with and participates in the discussions of theboard of trustees, but the pastor is not a voting memberunlessspecifically elected as a trustee. https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-who-has-voice-and-vote-in-a-local-church. United Methodist Foundation of North Carolina. In some cases, churches have been forced to merge or close due to financial constraints. Some experts predict that the denomination may eventually split over theological and organizational differences, while others believe that the United Methodist Church will continue to evolve and adapt in response to the changing needs of its congregations. Take time to watch and read information about the Conferences NAC3 team, designed to help make space for traditionalists, centrists, and progressives in the continuing United Methodist Church. Please provide details on the process that the two guides will follow as they assist us in the discernment process. No. What is the Term Sheet? InDecision 1422, the Judicial Council affirmed another decision by Haupert-Johnson. That's okay! The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a mainline Protestant denomination that has been experiencing a decline in membership and disaffiliation in recent years. Our staff, Dr. Jim Dean, Pastor and Music Director Kathy Wiggins. However, click here to read the covenant your cabinet has made to you concerning this matter. During an annual conference held this week in Athens, 70. A total 421 congregants voted 295 voted to disaffiliate, but 126 voted to remain with the United Methodist Church fold. These items are included by action of the General Conference and items added by the Board of Trustees with input from the Cabinet, Treasurer and Chancellor. Across the world, United Methodist regional bodies called annual conferences are negotiating with churches that wish to withdraw from the United Methodist Church over issues including. Will the Guides represent a particular theology or viewpoint about ministry with and by LGBTQ persons? The denominations Trust Clause remains in effect at all times. Assuming the amendment process mentioned above is completed. READ: Are Charismatic Churches Biblical If your church is considering or has decided to leave the United Methodist denomination, its important to know that the Foundation can still manage your funds.