There’s yet another new option for churches departing The United Methodist Church. But this new model is more complicated — and requires a new vocabulary — than even the UMC or its breakaway group. the Global Methodist Church. Launched by…
Two Mississippi UMC clergy face expulsion for officiating nonbinary wedding
Two United Methodist clergywomen face expulsion from ordained ministry for officating the wedding of a nonbinary couple. Elder Paige Swaim-Pressley and deacon Elizabeth Davidson performed the legal ceremony for Matty and Myles Cafiero because they ministered with them while chaplains…
Lighthouse Congregations guide individuals who want to ‘stay UMC’
Piercing the gloom of multiple churches leaving the United Methodist Church, a light emanating from North Carolina brightens the present and shines on a new future for church members who want to stay in the denomination when their congregations vote…
A Baptist’s guide to disaffiliation in other Christian traditions
While the Southern Baptist Convention — the nation’s largest non-Catholic denomination — has been in the news lately for removing churches from its fellowship, The United Methodist Church — the nation’s second-largest non-Catholic denomination — keeps making headlines as churches…
187 United Methodist churches sue North Georgia Conference to re-start exit process
A group of 186 churches and one individual church have filed separate lawsuits to get the North Georgia regional conference to re-start the process for leaving The United Methodist Church. The lawsuits stem from a December 2022 decision by North…
United Methodists protest anti-trans bills in state legislatures out of faith convictions
Amid this spring’s wave of anti-transgender bills in state legislatures, United Methodists across the United States are actively advocating on behalf of transgender children and youth. For some of them like Debbie Mallis of Boise, Idaho, and Heather Gee-Thomas of…
650 UMC clergy and laity publish letter supporting International Transgender Day of Visibility
As their denomination splinters over sexuality and gender issues and as their state elected officials debate new restrictions on transgender citizens and their families, a group of 650 United Methodist clergy and laity published an open letter supporting International Transgender…
Two Baptist seminaries among six ‘recommended’ by new Global Methodist Church
Two Baptist-affiliated schools are among six “recommended educational institutions” approved by the new Global Methodist Church. The GMC is a breakaway group from The United Methodist Church created largely over disagreements about LGBTQ inclusion and acceptance. The UMC is perceived as…
Judge’s dismissal of 36 churches’ lawsuit holds implications for other UMC departures
A North Carolina judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by 36 United Methodist churches seeking to leave the denomination without following its required exit process. The dismissal holds broader implications for the slow-moving splintering of the worldwide denomination, which currently…