I agree with my fellow elders, but I would find a way to throw the defiant ones out....in other words, a split.
I suspect that is going to be the end result x
I don’t envy you your position. May God bless you and keep you on his path, difficult though it may be, and may he give you the strength to carry on in His ways.
Though I’m retarded (retired!) I fully agree. I came to the UMC over 35 years ago from another denomination. One of the reasons I made the change was the openness; however, if they ever reach the point they are so “open minded they act like their brains have fallen out, I will be gone - split or another denomination...