(RNS) Nearly four years ago, the United Methodist Church approved an exit plan for churches wishing to break away from the global denomination over . We've already seen the tea leaves from what other institutionalists within the UMC have said, written and done already. Mills told CP that the decision to pursue becoming a Lighthouse Congregation came shortly after Ann Street UMC's governing board had decided not to consider disaffiliation. Ive been to more annual conferences than I can remember. As large numbers of congregations continue to leave The United Methodist Church, two regional bodies of the mainline Protestant denomination are looking into a way to help those left behind. "I've always expected that the Conference would make things difficult, but this goes so much farther. Catlett and Wittman explained that the program was part of a two-pronged effort to minister to those whose congregations had left the UMC, the other part being to appoint regional chaplains to specifically address the emotional and spiritual needs of those without a congregation. UMC Conference Sues Local Church Leaders for Allegedly Violating Denomination's Bylaws. 8. Additionally, several hundred congregations within the UMC are affiliated with the LGBT advocacy group Reconciling Ministries Network, even though the denominations highest court ruled in 1999 that a congregation could not identify or label itself as an unofficial body or movement.. All rights reserved. The group also unveiled on March 1 a logo and website. Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month. The Rev. The split has grown contentious and spilled over into the courts, with churches such as the historic First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Jonesboro, Arkansas, filing a lawsuit against the UMC after its vote to disaffiliate was rejected and its pastor was suspended in November. There is no trust clause in the GMC (902). But behind the scenes, the church will belong to another body of believers. The denomination will also lose an estimated $23 million in annual contributions to the denominationabout 5.5 percent of the denominations pooled giving. Logo courtesy of the Global Methodist Church. Only 1,100 churches have joined the Global Methodist Church since it launched in May98 percent of them located in the USaccording to a recent announcement from the new denomination.
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