Two North Carolina-based conferences started "Lighthouse Congregations," an effort earlier this year in response to the ongoing disaffiliations from the UMC denomination. A church that promises to uphold its affiliation with the UMC denomination and welcomes people whose home congregations have decided to do so is known as a Lighthouse Congregation.
Despite the increasing disaffiliations, the Lighthouse Congregations program seeks to give those who want to continue their spiritual journey inside the United Methodist Church a sense of security and community. These congregations act as pillars of strength and solidarity for UMC members who want to keep their ties to the denomination during these difficult times.
Lighthouse Congregation was Established to Serve as a Way to Connect
According to the article in Christian Post, two regional organizations of the mainline Protestant denomination are stepping in to support people who want to stay connected to The United Methodist Church (UMC) as huge numbers of congregations continue to depart the UMC.
A shocking 249 congregations chose to leave the UMC North Carolina Conference last year, and since 2020, 41 churches have left the UMC Western North Carolina Conference. Due to the recent spike in disaffiliation votes, numerous devoted UMC members no longer have a congregational home.
The Christian Post spoke with the Rev. Rob Hutchinson, WNC's Director of Church Development, about the growing initiative. He disclosed that 60 more congregations had finished the initiative's training, and he had personally distributed documents to 15 more conferences.
According to Hutchinson, the concept for Lighthouse Congregations came from a discussion he had with the Rev. Steve Harper of the Florida Conference in October of last year. Harper sent Hutchinson a general idea the following day after discussing how conferences tackled disaffiliation-related concerns. Hutchinson then worked on the concept with the Rev. Tim Catlett, a developer at the NC Conference.
According to UM News, Hutchinson claims that the main objective of Lighthouse Congregations is to give those who have been disaffiliated a way to connect with congregations that are particularly prepared to care for them during this trying period. Despite continuous disaffiliations, he underlined that the effort epitomizes connectionism at its best by assisting United Methodist Church members with a sense of community and belonging.
He also highlighted four key responsibilities for the member churches. The Western North Carolina Conference's Lighthouse Congregations initiative is overseen by the Rev. Rob Hutchinson, who highlighted four key responsibilities for member churches. These congregations are meant to provide opportunities for people from disaffiliating churches to participate in worship and mission activities while providing them with a warm and secure environment. Furthermore, they ought to aid in setting up United Methodist remnant groups looking for a place of worship and keep in touch with their conference and district in order to take advantage of any new resources intended to aid people who choose to be United Methodist.
Lighthouse Congregations: Unity, Values, Rapid Expansion
The origins of the idea and its beneficial effects were discussed by Laura Wittman, the coordinating pastor for Lighthouse Congregations, at the North Carolina Annual Conference. In the article in Baptist News, by the time of the annual conference on Father's Day weekend (June 18), they want to have formed roughly 80 Lighthouse Congregations, bringing the total to 100.
Wittman emphasized the initiative's capacity to combat negativity and foster togetherness through common values and behaviors. Early adopters like the Western Pennsylvania Conference have adapted the Lighthouse Congregations model to fit their local contexts, drawing attention to the program's success. The initiative's rapid expansion has generated interest from conferences in Tennessee-Western Kentucky, Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas.
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