Posted on 11/23/2022 11:47:52 PM PST by Morgana
Over 100 congregations in Florida have sued a regional body of The United Methodist Church, believing they are not being given fair terms for leaving the second-largest denomination in the United States amid its schism over homosexuality.
A total of 106 congregations filed suit against the UMC Florida Annual Conference last Thursday in the Circuit Court for the Eighth Judicial Circuit in and for Bradford County, Civil Division.
A specific issue in the lawsuit is how the departing congregations are required to pay the conference a "sum of money" to retain control of their church properties.
The complaint alleges that this payment "is determined in the discretion of the aforementioned parties, and is always substantial and often prohibitive, yet nonnegotiable and unappealable."
The plaintiffs also contend that the UMC Book of Discipline, which is the denomination's central rule book, allows for them to "amicably disaffiliate," citing Section 2548.2.
Grace United Methodist Church of Lawtey, the lead plaintiff, believes it should not have to pay to secure its property because it purchased the property long before the UMC was founded in 1968.
"The Annual Conference has taken the position that it is entitled to keep the Grace UMC Property — which was owned and paid for by Grace UMC long before The UMC and the Annual Conference ever existed — unless Grace UMC pays a substantial payment of money as unilaterally determined by the Annual Conference Defendant," the suit states.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianpost.com ...
These churches are moving to a more conservative [read: eff globohomo] grouping - the Global Methodist Church, which apparently hews to the original mission of UMC [deys agin globohomo].
GMC vs. UMC ...round 1.
Christians are a tight and forgiving bunch. Bless their hearts.
“Organized” religion Who needs it!
Religion is organized belief.
Just like the episcopalians, the establishment will try to keep assets and pay millions in lawyers fees to do so, even as they abandon or sell off the church buildings in the cases where they win.
The UMC is asking for $70,000 from my elderly aunt’s Methodist church in rural Pennsylvania. Her church voted overwhelmingly to leave the UMC. She said the UMC actually sent a lesbian couple to the church to try to collect the money.
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