As 95 Louisiana churches formally disassociated from the United Methodist Church (UMC) on Saturday, the "deep conflict" within the denomination is still having an impact. Over the past four years, relations between Louisiana congregations and the international denomination have been dissolved in close to 40% of cases.
The UMC's controlling body for state churches, the Louisiana Annual Conference, called a special meeting to discuss approving the departures for the places of worship. At the meeting held in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church Baton Rouge's downtown, the ratifications were ratified.
The Need to Remember God as Their Shelter
According to the article in the Advocate, the Louisiana Annual Conference Bishop Delores Williamston spoke to the delegates just prior to the votes, expressing the need to remember that God is their shelter. She emphasized God's omnipresence, existing not just in their immediate vicinity but beyond the confines of denominations, disaffiliations, affiliations, and various other forms of religious expression. She reassured the audience that God is perpetual with them and will never forsake them.
Williamston accepted the damage the disaffiliation had done to his relationships with friends, coworkers, and the community. The departures also meant that locations for important occasions, including baptisms, weddings, burials, confirmations, ordinations, and commissioning services, would no longer be available. The UMC's Book of Discipline was amended in 2019 to include "Paragraph 2553," which required the separation of all departing churches. The policy gives local churches a way out for "reasons of conscience," such as the UMC's position on same-sex marriage and clergy who identify as LGBTQ.
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95 Louisiana Churches Cut Ties with United Methodist Church Amid LGBTQ Stance Conflict
According to another source, 9 WAFB, the Louisiana Annual Conference at the First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge accepted the disaffiliation of 95 churches from the United Methodist Church (UMC) during a special meeting on Saturday, May 27. The Louisiana Conference Board of Trustees' recommendations for congregations planning to disaffiliate in accordance with "Paragraph 2553" were the sole reason for calling the conference.
Following the decision, Bishop Delores Williamston extended her best wishes to those choosing to leave the UMC. She conveyed her hopes that those who had decided to depart due to disaffiliation would find success in their new missions, as called upon by God. Bishop Williamston also demonstrated her eagerness to concentrate on their goal and move beyond the issue of disaffiliation.
Disagreements over a variety of topics, including same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy, have been at the heart of many disaffiliations.
Francis Asbury United Methodist Church, Huff Chapel United Methodist Church, Livingston United Methodist Church, Inc., Mangum Chapel United Methodist Church, Montpelier United Methodist Church, Inc., Pine Ridge United Methodist Church, Tangipahoa United Methodist Church, Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church (Greensburg), and Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church (Ponchatoula) are among the Baton Rouge-area churches whose disaffiliation has been approved. You can see the list of all the churches that were approved in NOLA.
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