The overwhelming majority of professing members of Christ Church voted in favor of disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church, giving the motion a majority of 91 percent. The church will become a member of the Global Methodist Church, which upholds beliefs that are more traditional.
Disaffiliation of Christ Church From United Methodist Church Denomination
Several news outlets have reported that some individual churches decided to disaffiliate or cut ties from the United Methodist Church (UMC) denomination, and one of them is the Christ Church in College Station, Texas.
As reported by MSN, according to the senior pastor, Rev. Jerry House, almost 300 churches in Eastern Texas are going through the same vote, and one of those churches is located in Madisonville.
The year 2019 marked the beginning of conflict between individual churches and the United Methodist Church (UMC), which began when UMC leaders advocated for same-sex marriage and ordained gay pastors.
House claims that because he was brought up with UMC beliefs, this was a challenging process.
As per the report, Arkansas Online, many members of the Methodist church, which is the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination, have elected to depart from the denomination as a result of disputes that have taken place over the past half century over human sexuality, interpretation of the Bible, and church governance.
Some liberals are upset that the church does not allow same-sex weddings or the ordination of homosexuals, and as a result, they wish to sever their connections with the church.
According to Hamilton, Methodists can have differing opinions regarding human sexuality while yet cooperating with one another as genuine disciples of Jesus Christ.
In addition, he mentioned that they have been living together as United Methodists for a considerable amount of time, despite the fact that they have different perspectives on this topic and distinct methods of interpreting Scripture.
Proponents of a split argue that the two sides share radically different perspectives on the authority of Scripture and other important Christian doctrines. Hamilton, however, argued that the vast majority of Methodists do believe in Jesus' sinlessness, crucifixion, and bodily resurrection.
Meanwhile, pastoral resistance to same-sex marriage became more of a concern as it denied gay couples the opportunity to share in the joys and sorrows of life with someone they love, as described by Hamilton.
He emphasized that his changing stance on homosexuality was guided by his conscience rather than any particular religious doctrine.
