North Georgia United Methodist Conference Allows 261 Congregations to Leave Denomination Amid Schism
The North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church has voted to allow 261 congregations to break from the denomination due to theological differences and disagreements over the role of LGBTQ+ people in the church.
During a special session on Saturday, the conference ratified the disaffiliation requests from the congregations, granting them permission to leave the denomination, according to news outlets. In a news release, the North Georgia Conference of the UMC described the event as a “solemn day.”
This decision comes as part of a larger trend within the United Methodist Church, with a total of 7,286 congregations, primarily in the South and Midwest, receiving approval to disaffiliate from the denomination since 2019. The majority of these disaffiliations, over 5,000, have occurred just this year, as reported by the United Methodist News Service.
The United Methodist Church has long been embroiled in debates surrounding its restrictions on same-sex marriages and the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ clergy. The denomination currently prohibits the marriage or ordination of “self-avowed, practicing homosexuals,” leading to defiance from some U.S. churches and clergy. This has resulted in a growing number of conservative congregations and clergy choosing to leave the denomination.
In response to these divisions, conservatives have launched a new entity called the Global Methodist Church.
The schism within the United Methodist Church underscores the complexities and deep divides that exist within religious institutions over social and moral issues. As the denomination continues to grapple with these challenges, the ramifications of these departures are likely to have a lasting impact on the church’s future.