The key in many of these congregations and denominations is “Who owns the church real estate?
Many of them were set up that the denomination hierarchy owns it, not the local congregation that paid for it.
UMC has a “Trust Clause” which asserts that the Conference owns all church property.
We are contesting that clause, and the lead church in our 116 church lawsuit was formed (and the church paid for by its members!) long before there was a UMC.