Local Methodist Church discusses potential split

ROCKINGHAM — Members of First United Methodist Church Rockingham gathered Thursday evening to discuss a potential separation within the national United Methodist Church.

The split stems from the passing of a Traditional Plan at the 2019 General Conference for all UMC churches. The Traditional Plan was passed by the delegates with a 438-384 vote, upholding the church’s restrictions against homosexual marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ+ clergy.

Members Wayne Stogner and Glenn Alexander led the discussion between about 50 members of their church family. Alexander lit a candle at the beginning of the meeting as a sign of Christ and to promote unity between both sides of the issue.

“Our goal is to educate the church family about a decision that is expected to split the United Methodist Church,” Stogner said. “We’re not looking for anyone to pick a side tonight. Our goal is to provide information.”

The history of the conflict

A majority of U.S.-based delegates opposed the Traditional Plan, but delegates from Africa and the Philippines, along with more conservative U.S. delegates, supported its passage.

Following that decision, many bishops and clergy members actively defied those guidelines in violation of their Book of Discipline.

There have been several church plans to make a resolution that would satisfy the different theological positions, but COVID-19 stalled a meeting in 2020 and 2021. Alexander and Stogner expressed concern that the decision could be pushed back as late as 2023 or 2024.

One proposed plan, the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation, would allow more traditional churches to remain on their property and form a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church.

Churches that support the other position could potentially become a post-separation UMC with a to-be-determined official name. There could be multiple more sub-denominations. The North Carolina Annual Conference leans heavily liberal.

Under a potential disaffiliation policy, churches are allowed to leave the UMC with a fee attached. Pastor Allen Bingham estimated that the cost for FUMC Rockingham to leave the UMC denomination would be between $100,000 to $150,000.

UMC church properties are held in trust by the Annual Conference, which has been in effect since 1786.

As actions to address these concerns have been delayed, Stogner and Alexander said that UMC churches around the country are reporting dwindling attendance and interest in the church. Bingham confirmed that FUMC has seen a steady decline over the past 20 or 30 years, which is consistent with the experiences of many similar churches around North Carolina.

Alexander and Stogner both said that churches are hurting and people are leaving directly due to the concerns of indecision and volatility stemming from the potential separation.

Congregation asks questions

A Georgia pastor shared a comprehensive video with the FUMC members explaining the situation. Stogner and Alexander stressed that they probably have more questions than answers themselves, but answered what they could during the post-video discussion.

While homosexuality appears to be the dominant issue of the separation, many church members stated that for the most part, it’s a distraction from the key issue of the basic tenets of Christianity and the type of language that is used in the expression of the divinity of their beliefs.

The power that bishops have over their jurisdictional conference, church property management, questions about the management of funds and the future of the church were other key elements of the discussion.

The terms “liberal,” “conservative” and “centrist” are often used to describe a church’s theological leanings, but one participant said these labels often harm the intellectual diversity present in each church. Bingham agreed that these labels often aren’t helpful.

The congregation warmly thanked Stogner and Alexander for their research into the matter and ability to convey the complex subject matter in a thoughtful and respectful way.

“FUMC is in prayer over this,” Alexander said. “We need to anticipate what we may look like in five years.”

It’s anticipated that there will be future meetings that will be hosted to address continuing concerns. Bingham said he was comfortable with how the meeting went.

“Whatever we do, we do it togther,” Bingham said. “The most important question to ask at any moment in history is ‘What is God up to and are we up to what God is up to?’ Are we conforming our work to God’s work?”