Originally created by Reynoldsburg UMC in Ohio. Has the United Methodist Church changed or abandoned its beliefs that are now outlined in our Articles of Religion, specifically, the resurrection, and the Trinity? This is permitted by the General Conference and paragraph 2553. Your district superintendent will help your congregation complete an intentional discernment process before a church conference to vote on disaffiliation is scheduled. If two-thirds of those members choose to leave GNJ, the remaining one-third will need to support to establish new or fund existing ministries for these members to join. For many congregations, this is not an easy threshold to reach. A commitment has been made by this team to honor and respect differing theological convictions of congregations and pastors in the continuing United Methodist Church, including in the appointment process. The decision to perform the ceremony shall be the right and the responsibility of the pastor. Therefore no one can require a UMC clergy person to perform a marriage ceremony. Were here to help! The provision permits such disaffiliations through Dec. 31, 2023. Q What disaffiliation provision was affirmed in JCD 1385? Notifications about the meeting are to go to all members as outlined and provided to the 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. This is important, because exactly how the process will work varies by annual conference. If Annual Conference rejects the request for disaffiliation will the conference reimburse the church any of the funds it spent to move forward with disaffiliation? Can a congregation disaffiliate under paragraph 2548.2 of The Book of Discipline? Read this blog post by long time Asbury Spiritual Formation and Wesleyan Studies professor, Steve Harper. While paragraph 2553 authorizes the conference Trustees to develop the terms, they quickly realized that congregations leaving the denomination has a broad range of impact across the conference which they may not fully understand without obtaining feedback from a larger group and vetting the options. The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. 2553 outlines the steps the congregation, the district superintendent, and the conference must take to request, meet the criteria for, and complete a disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church. The church court said the Alabama-West Florida Conference Board of Trustees acted unlawfully by closing sale on the property of a church before the annual conference voters ratified the disaffiliation agreement. The Missional Transition Support will be assessed by multiplying the three-year average of the total amount of all cash, bank balances, investments, endowments, and reserves by the percent of the votes against disaffiliation during the Church conference vote. Pastors generally do not vote at church council meetings. What is needed for spiritual discernment? A *possible* specially called Annual Conference has been announced for December, 2023 for additional disaffiliations. Everyone has a theology and viewpoint, but Guides are not representing themselves or their theology and viewpoint. 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. We'll try and provide as much clarity as we can, and you are always invited to contact the church office at (469) 568-1240 and ask for Amy Smith. This deadline represents something of a gamble for many churches wishing to disaffiliate. 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. A process for disaffiliation was established by the 2019 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. Ask to be part of the Discernment Team. If you are the pastor or other contact person designated by your conference policies and you have completed the initial steps to request your a called church conference for a vote, contact the district superintendent through the means specified by your conference. 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? What should United Methodist congregations know about disaffiliation? At our first church meeting yesterday, many members expressed concern that the pastor and his leadership were giving only biased information on disaffiliation and joining GMC. Our lay leadership, organized through our Church Council. Advocate hosting a pastor or other leader to represent the benefits of staying United Methodist. Reposted here, with gratitude, for further learning and insight. If so, will they be offered an age-appropriate presentation about whats happening? The disaffiliation will be complete by December 31, 2022. Together, guides will journey with the congregation through a spiritual discernment process that helps the church conference listen for the Holy Spirits wisdom and insight in making a decision about your relationship with The United Methodist Church. This paragraph is about transfer of property. If a congregation votes to disaffiliate from the UMC and GNJ, in order to move to the next stage, it will need to enter into a covenant with the Cabinet and the Connectional Table about ministries that may continue to be done jointly. This was denied and we were told that the guides would represent the UMC. 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. What if there are land and/or building deed restrictions on the property? No this is false. 1:41 Dozens of churches this week chose to disaffiliate themselves from the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. The provision permits such disaffiliations through Dec. 31, 2023. What will be the impact of disaffiliation on our appointed clergyperson? A sound discernment process may also be able to reduce harms that may be unintentionally caused by the results of the vote. This number is expected to increase in the coming years as more churches consider disaffiliation. All BSA settlement contributions as apportioned by the GNJ Council on Finance and Administration (CFA). 2553 are not insignificant. A congregation can only vote on and go through the disaffiliation process once. When does a disaffiliating congregation officially end its relationship with the UMC and GNJ? The denominations Trust Clause remains in effect at all times. 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. It will be even more difficult to reach if you actively organize to make sure most everyone in your congregation and their family members are present during this critical meeting. E.g., if a church has $100,000 and 20% of the members vote against disaffiliation, then the UMC will take $20,000? United Methodist Foundation of North Carolina. 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. We recommend the following engagement strategies when/if this happens: Ask those who assert such things for specific examples in the North Alabama Conference of such things. 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. 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. The committees role includes recommending compensation and benefits, conferring on ministry effectiveness, health and well-being and annually evaluating the pastor. We will continue to update this page with additional resources as they are made available. The denomination is known for its strong emphasis on social justice and service, and it operates a number of mission programs both in the US and abroad. What are the financial requirements in the Term Sheet? Still, it is an outcome that can easily be avoided. We will likely receive a new presiding bishop on January 1, 2023. Is the Term Sheet negotiable? All unfunded retiree health care liabilities as apportioned by the GNJ Board of Pension and Benefits. Our special called church conference was held on January 23, 2023. GNJ congregations are required to begin this process no later than September 30, 2022. The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 through the merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. While it was assumed that most United Methodists would remain in a denomination of some sort, there was awareness that a few might seek an independent status. First United Methodist Church in Washington will disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church. How will the process ensure that only professing members participate/vote in the church conferences? 2553. What will the congregation vote on to disaffiliate? 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. Our staff, Dr. Jim Dean, Pastor and Music Director Kathy Wiggins. Wespath has also posted an informative FAQ about the impact of disaffiliation on continued ability to participate in the UMC's pension programs. 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. Are all congregations expected to go through the disaffiliation discernment process? You can also reach out to any of the people listed on this page. These are strawman arguments typically based on some extreme anecdote. Click here to search by department. If this is the case the church should move forward with discernment process. Disaffiliating from the UMC Only Costs Pennies on the Dollar by Jeremy Smith June 3, 2022 8:33 PM The news has been crowded with claims of piling on costs on disaffiliating churches and chants of "just let us leave!" repeated in Annual Conference chat rooms. The Global Methodist Churchs Convening General Conference to be held between May 1, 2023 and November 1, 2023 based on this announcement. Pastor: Dr. Jim Dean: cell: 828-508-0035 / email: jedean619 . The key words in that sentence are "church property," permit, and annual conference. This paragraph was created to give permission to annual conferences to order such transfers of deeds at the request of the local church. A formal request establishes key contacts for disaffiliation communication between the church and Conference, and provides the church with initial disaffiliation information (including financial obligations related to disaffiliation). Whenever possible, it is likely to your advantage to encourage a slow and deliberate process, rather than a quick, hasty decision. Alternately, the annual conference may instruct the conference board of trustees how to handle specific cases or classes of cases that may fall under these provisions. A vote to disaffiliate is a vote to leave relationships with other people and institutions that have helped congregation members grow in Christ over the years. The congregation will know before taking the vote at the . Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. Yet, at the end(?) That started our discernment process. Ask The UMC: What should United Methodist congregations know about disaffiliation? What is certainly the same across every conference, is that there are costs involved when churches disaffiliate, both for those leaving and for those who remain in the conference (either direct cost or indirect costs in the form of less available funds). While the Trustees, received input, ultimately it was their decision. Search by ZIP code or city/state to find a United Methodist Church near you.