November 12, 2024
By Rev. Dr. Scott Field
Surprisingly, the Judicial Council also has given “stuck” congregations an unanticipated gift and given UM Annual Conferences an unwanted burden.
The recent United Methodist Judicial Council decision disallowing the use of paragraph 2549 as an exit path for local congregations brought roller coasters to mind:
“Remain seated in the ride until it comes to a complete stop and you are instructed to exit.”
You can read Judicial Council decision 1512 yourself, but my shorthand metaphor for their conclusion is, “The disaffiliation ride has come to a complete stop. You are instructed to exit.”
That is, the United Methodist Church is done talking about, considering, processing, and generally even recognizing anything at all about “disaffiliation” of congregations. We are a “connectional denomination”, not a collection of local churches making our own choices. The UMC is done with disaffiliation. Either sit down and remain seated or get off the ride.
I am writing metaphorically, of course.
What the Judicial Council determined is that the United Methodist Book of Discipline, paragraph 2553, which authorized congregational disaffiliations, expired at the end of 2023 and was deleted by the postponed 2020 United Methodist General Conference that met in Charlotte, NC last spring. An alternative option utilized by some US Annual Conferences (paragraph 2549) relates to the closing of congregations. The Judicial Council decided that Paragraph 2549 cannot be used as an alternate pathway for disaffiliation, gracious exit, or any other way for a local congregation to leave with the church property. Bishops in those Annual Conferences that had initiated policies allowing congregations to separate under the church closure provisions have issued statements affirming the Judicial Council decision. Two conferences, Michigan and Mississippi, will allow existing signed paragraph 2549 agreements to go forward. The co-bishops over Illinois Great Rivers Conference have pulled the existing exit process for further review in light of the Judicial Council ruling.
Hence, the congregations that had queued up to depart using a paragraph 2549 process that had been authorized by their annual conference, perhaps several hundredin number, are now “stuck”.
My perspective here might be counter-intuitive but consider for a moment that the Judicial Council decision has given “stuck” congregations an unanticipated gift and, at the same time, given UM Annual Conferences an unwanted burden.
The Unanticipated Gift for “The Fellowship of the Stuck”
If you are part of a congregation feeling “stuck” with no possible exit from the UMC, it is worth a look in the mirror to ask, “Why are we feeling stuck?” The answer for most seems to be, “Yes, we want to leave, but we want to take our church building with us.We built it, maintained it, insured it, repaired it, paid off the mortgage on it, and used itfor decades. It is only fair that if we leave, we get the building, too.”
There is no question that our church buildings have precious memories of baptisms, weddings, funerals, meaningful fellowship, memories of beloved sisters and brothers in the faith, personal conversions, and heartwarming worship. These are sacred places to us.
But our church buildings also have roofs to replace, parking lots to resurface, boilers to repair/replace, mold and mildew problems, antiquated entries/exits, and upkeep expenses that account for a major part of most local church budgets. Besides, there are also the simmering territorial disputes in many church buildings as to who controls the church kitchen, where the youth group can “decorate” their own space, how to fund the organ repairs, whether or not the choir needs a dedicated practice room, and “if the nursery in the basement was good enough for our kids, why do these new parents need something better?”
Buildings are a tool for the ministry, not the ministry itself. Taking an honest look at our feelings of “stuck-ness” might reveal that somehow, over time, the church building has taken up an over-sized place of devotion in our hearts. Rather than facilitating the Jesus Mission, our facilities can sometimes keep us from engaging the Jesus Mission in the first place. Maybe we’re “stuck” over the wrong thing: the building.
If you see that the Judicial Council decision might be prompting you and your congregation with an unanticipated encouragement to simply walk away, gather some sisters and brothers to pray about it together. Check out some of our Wesleyan Covenant Association resources for making a new beginning here. Contact the Presiding Elder or Global Methodist Church Annual Conference in your area. They are well equipped to assist small groups and whole congregations that are making a fresh start.
Tuck this portion of Scripture into your prayers this week:
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”
(1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT)
Perhaps the Judicial Council’s “No” can make room in our hearts, prayers, and expectations for God’s unexpected “Yes” to a fresh engagement with the Jesus Mission that sets you free.
The Unwanted Burden for UM Annual Conferences
We should also note that the Judicial Council decision isn’t good news for Annual Conferences. After all, the primary mission of the UMC Annual Conferences, at least on paper, is not real estate management. The Judicial Council decision will not keep UM members from leaving over the accelerated progressive agenda approved by delegatesat the recent UM General Conference. UM Members will continue to leave. The financial resources of those local churches will dry up.
Take, for example, the congregations that decide (whether by actual vote, informal decision-making, or leaders and donors walking away) that they no longer want to be part of the United Methodist denomination. This leaves the property that the congregation bought, built, insured, maintained, paid utilities, and upkeep – all of those expenses now fall to the Annual Conference. The Trust Clause guarantees that the liabilities of the local church fall to the Annual Conference if the local church cannot sustain them.
Forcing the Annual Conferences to hold on to church properties which cannot sustain themselves is a costly financial and administrative burden that saps resources which the UM Annual Conference could utilize for the future mission instead opportunities rather than maintaining real estate leftovers from conflicts of the recent past.
The postponed 2020 UMC General Conference voted clearly and repeatedly to end the “season of disaffiliation”. Why, then, would Annual Conferences want to continue the slow-motion collateral damage of ongoing conflict and, as congregants leave for a new faith community, maintain properties that can no longer be sustained by local resources?
The alternative, which several UM bishops sought to implement, would have been to formally close the church and, if an agreement could be reached, sell the property to the departing congregation. This is not a “giving the property away”, as inferred in the Judicial Council decision, but monetizes an asset so that instead of a drain on annualconference finances, there is a benefit from the sale of the property which can be used for new church development in any number of ways.
The Judicial Council underscores the obvious: The postponed 2020 UMC GeneralConference has not authorized any continuation of “disaffiliation.” True enough. But the General Conference has authorized, in paragraph 2549, a process for church closures. The Annual Conference Board of Trustees, per the Trust Clause, cannot give away properties, but it can sell them. There is no restriction on who the buyers might be: a restaurant, an art gallery, a local history association, a yoga studio, or a congregation of another Christian denomination…maybe even a group of former United Methodists forging a different path going forward.
Church closure and sale are still in the purview of each UM Annual Conference Board of Trustees. Perhaps that will, in some cases, relieve the Annual Conference of the additional financial and administrative burden of maintaining church buildings that can no longer be supported by a local UM congregation.
But if not, the Judicial Council has determined that the disaffiliation ride is over. And you are directed to exit. Is the exit a new opportunity for you and your congregation?
————————————
Now, for something completely different:
In case you are a coaster enthusiast and want to check it out, here’s a POV video of one of my favorites: Cedar Point’s Millenium Force, a 310’ drop, 93 mph steel coaster consistently ranked as one of the best in the US.
NEXT WEEK:
In the WCA Outlook next week I’ll provide an update on the expanding work of our AfricaNOW initiative. I can’t wait to share it with you!