Posted on 11/02/2023 8:15:32 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Nearly 100 congregations in Ohio have left the United Methodist Church amid the denomination's ongoing debate over homosexuality, joining thousands of other churches in the United States that have done the same.
At a special session of the UMC West Ohio Conference held last weekend, 96 churches were granted their request to disaffiliate from the mainline Protestant denomination.
The session was held at Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, with around 800 clergy and laity in attendance. Bishop Gregory V. Palmer presided over the gathering.
In addition to the 96 disaffiliations, the session also dealt with budgetary issues, recommending the sale of two camping properties and electing additional delegates to the UMC General Conference.
"We were empowered to make some challenging decisions," said Palmer in a statement. "We brought glory to God by the patient, honest, and respectful way we engaged one another. In spite of the challenges, we have come through, our future is open because God is able."
In June, the West Ohio Conference voted to allow 172 congregations to disaffiliate from the UMC, having allowed 80 churches to leave the denomination last year. It is estimated that, at present, the regional body covering over 50 counties has a little over 600 member congregations remaining.
"Our calling is to serve this present age, even if there's a storm … in the midst of passing over. One of our storms is disaffiliation," Palmer said in a June statement.
"That's not a blame thing; it's just the way it is. It's in the book. We've given a lot of attention to it. Let me be clear. It is not our mission. We gave attention to it. We'll finish up what there is to be finished up."
Over the last couple of years, more than 6,600 congregations have voted to leave the UMC amid the debate over whether to change the denomination's rules to allow for the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of clergy in same-sex relationships.
Although efforts to change the UMC Book of Discipline to allow these things have failed, many progressive leaders within the denomination have refused to follow or enforce the rules, prompting large numbers of theologically conservative churches to leave.
A little under half of the 6,600-plus departures in recent years have gone on to affiliate with the Global Methodist Church, a conservative alternative to the UMC that was launched last year.
In September, the GMC announced that it has member congregations in all 50 states, with approximately 3,200 churches belonging to the nascent denomination.
Who is left?
Liberal congregations
Small churches who can’t afford a pastor by themselves
Older, dying congregations
Churches with pastors near retirement
I've seen that first-hand with a UMC Methodist church that had IMHO a good pastor. Except that when this kind of issue was brought years ago, instead of siding with the members who wanted the church advocacy to go back to Wesley's holiness teachings, he sided with the loud and proud hedonists in the church who wanted the church advocacy to line up more and more with the Book of Democrats.
I believe the pastor made that choice because an old bitty threatened to create a scandal and mess up the pension he expected to soon start getting. I'm not justifying his choice. But I took it as a life lesson to not let myself be in a similar situation where all my eggs are in one basket that someone of worldly influence can disrupt with their intent to take down good people doing the Lord's work.
Dear leader Zelensky says “GOOD RIDDANCE to them and GIBS-ME-MO’-BILLIONS”.
Wise choices. Time to take a stand.
He was afraid that if he told the truth, his remaining members would head for the doors.
“...One of our storms is disaffiliation,” Palmer said”
No, the storm is you, “Bishop”. Satan’s servants infiltrating themselves into the clergy. Disaffiliation is the sheep seeking shelter from that storm.
It’s hard to have a religion based on a book when you don’t believe the book. Just write your own book or pick a different book. Methodists and others have been squishy for decades.
“But I took it as a life lesson to not let myself be in a similar situation where all my eggs are in one basket that someone of worldly influence can disrupt with their intent to take down good people doing the Lord’s work.”
Even if you get in that position, sometimes you have to say “to hell with the world” and put your trust in God. Man can wipe our your fortunes, but God may restore them.
A Parson is a traveling preacher. The Methodist Church has a system set up where it’s preachers move from one congregation to another every Four or Five years. Continuity in the policy’s of the Methodist church is hard to maintain when a preacher can come in and change things and then move along when the damage is done.
What do those that remain get for giving the groomer gang of pastors in power access to their children?
My Mom told me the churches that left the UMC had to pay a fee.
I found an article about it
https://www.umnews.org/en/news/exiting-congregations-face-hefty-price-tag
The storm is disaffiliation, but, does he want to address the reasons for disaffiliation??? Does he understand why disaffiliation is happening?
Our pastor didn’t even bring it up. It’s a 2 church circuit. One is old and dying but has money and the other is younger and more dynamic but has no money. Luckily, no cemeteries. My guess is that the UMC wished we would leave.
I think it depends on the bishop.
The Free Methodist Church (more conservative but small) should be talking merger with them.
“Nearly 100 congregations in Ohio have left the United Methodist Church amid the denomination’s ongoing debate over homosexuality”
What debate? There is no ‘debate’! The UMC is all-in on every degenerate sexual deviancy imaginable and anyone who objects is going to have to leave.
One thing that is obvious now is that the UMC is not a Christian denomination. Whatever it is, it is NOT Christian!
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