The ongoing disaffiliation within the United Methodist Church is increasing as the issue of different beliefs regarding homosexuality still intensifies. This also has spread throughout the Bible Belt to New York State.
Among others, the ongoing division is said to center around the LGBTQ community members of the church. This conflict has been one of the constants and never stopping debates within the religious community, whether to accept or continuously persecute them.
UMC Split Come to Upstate New York
According to the article in Syracuse, a former bishop in upstate New York, Mark Webb, has joined the Global Methodist Church, wherein is a more conservative and orthodox denomination. He also has partaken in the creation of this new denomination. He is now the first bishop to do so north of the Bible Belt. In recent months, a few churches in upstate New York have likewise decided to leave the United Methodist Church.
The split within the United Methodist Church denomination started in 2019 over a debate on whether to allow LGBTQ marriage and ordinations. Many of the conservative churches have decided to disaffiliate themselves, and some of the observers believe that a tide is about to turn towards a much more progressive view of the church doctrine.
The majority of the churches which have decided to disaffiliate come from the South, with just almost one-third of the UM congregations leaving in a single day in the North. As has been observed, the split has been less severe in New York, wherein 26 churches have chosen to leave so far. These divisions show that, given their customs of decency and democratic decision-making, the six million members of the American church are ideologically divided. It's important to note that most of the Upstate New York region's 800 United Methodist churches have small congregations.
Also Read: United Methodist Church Renounce Disaffiliation Process, 186 Churches Filed Lawsuit
United Methodist Split and a Court Trial in Officiating a Gay Marriage
The United Methodist Church in North Alabama split in a referendum that saw 198 churches sever ties with the group, leaving 440 congregations. According to an article in AL, Debra Wallace-Padgett, bishop of the United Methodist Church, expressed disappointment about the outcome but thanked the congregations still around and resolved to carry on the Conference's objective of advancing disciple-making ministry.
The vote was the final joint worship and business meeting for many clergies and lay leaders who had collaborated for years. The North Alabama Conference is concentrating on new opportunities to serve communities in the name of Jesus Christ despite the loss of nearly one-third of its churches.
Related Article: Cornerstone Church Believes Leaving United Methodist Church Is a "Healthy Step"
A court trial happened when one of the Methodist preachers officiated the wedding of his gay son. According to Reuters, the trial officials found Methodist preacher Reverend Frank Schaefer guilty of breaking church law.
Despite having mixed feelings about the choice, Schaefer said he officiated his son's same-sex wedding in 2007 because he loved him. A jury of nine men and four women reached the decision. It is at least the ninth trial in the past 20 years in which a clergyperson has been charged with breaking church law by officiating a same-sex wedding or coming out as gay.
