Local Methodist churches split from denomination

By Phil Major
publisher@wood.cm
Posted 12/8/22

At least five United Methodist Churches in Wood County were among 294 churches of the Texas Annual Conference whose requests to disaffiliate from the denomination were granted Saturday in Houston.

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Local Methodist churches split from denomination

Posted

At least five United Methodist Churches in Wood County were among 294 churches of the Texas Annual Conference whose requests to disaffiliate from the denomination were granted Saturday in Houston.

About half of the conference’s churches, covering a wide swath of north and east Texas, sought disaffiliation following a controversial three years since the denomination’s last general conference in 2019.

The pathway laid out for the churches to disaffiliate includes the transfer of church properties to the local congregations, which had been held in trust by the conference. The churches also had to meet all current obligations for apportionments – funds paid to the conference for everything from administration to missions – and have no unpaid pension liabilities.

The five churches whose names were among the list published by the conference are Mineola, Golden, Alba, Smith Chapel and Liberty.

The resolutions approved by Alba, Golden and Smith Chapel also included language that they would be joining the Global Methodist Church (GMC), a separate denomination that was formed in support of the churches leaving the United Methodist Church (UMC).

The Mineola church also plans to join the Global Methodist Church when the change becomes official on Jan. 1.

The churches went through a period of “discernment” of around 5-6 weeks in considering whether to call for a vote of disaffiliation.

Churches also have the option to join another denomination or to become independent, which some in the conference have chosen.

In a news release Tuesday, the Mineola church, which will become the First Methodist Church - Mineola, said it is working with the GMC to find a new pastor.

Kevin King, who had been assigned to the Mineola church in June, is remaining with the United Methodist Church and is being assigned to a UMC church in Crockett as of Jan. 1.

According to the release, “Church leadership is heartened and happy to say that The Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline adopted by the Global Methodist Church retains and ratifies the important core beliefs of Methodism, including the Methodist belief in the primacy of scripture when considering what it means to be Christian in the world today.”

The UMC was formed by merger in 1968 of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren.

Some other area churches voting to disaffiliate include Emory, Lindale, Van and United Chapel.

The Quitman church also took a vote to disaffiliate but fell just short of the necessary two-thirds majority.

The denomination split has largely centered on whether the UMC would continue to support the passage in its Book of Discipline concerning homosexuality, which was adopted in 1972.

Though the vote to affirm it was narrowly approved in the 2019 general conference, objections have been raised that the passage was not being enforced concerning support of same-sex marriage and openly gay clergy.

In the materials published by the conference, one small church also pointed to the lack of support for small rural churches by the UMC conference.

In its news release, the Mineola church noted that it will continue with its regular Sunday services and “continues its mission of proclaiming the Good News and the church’s vision of ‘Loving God, Sharing Faith, and Serving Neighbors’.”