PRESS RELEASE: July 15, 2022
Vero Beach, FL: The Wesleyan Covenant Association – Florida Regional Chapter (“WCA-Florida”) confirmed that 106 Florida United Methodist Churches have filed lawsuits against the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church (“UMC”) after invitations to negotiate an amicable exit were ignored and rejected by the Florida annual conference.
This lawsuit has been forced upon these traditional churches, which represent almost 20% of the 560 United Methodist Churches in the Florida Conference, as a result of Bishop Ken Carter’s unwillingness to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement for churches to depart the denomination.
This growing list of churches wanting to leave the UMC are eager to align with the new Global Methodist Church (“GMC”) which launched on May 1, 2022.
“It is more than a shame that Bishop Carter has chosen not to negotiate with churches who desire to depart. He has repeatedly expressed his support for the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation (‘the Protocol’), which he helped to negotiate and signed. This proposed legislation would have allowed for an amicable separation of the UMC. Yet Carter insists on forcing churches to exit by an onerous and expensive process that many, perhaps most churches cannot accomplish. These churches are merely asking for an exit that is “in the spirit of the Protocol” which is a phrase the bishop frequently uses,” said Jeremy Rebman, President of the WCA – Florida.
Rebman went on to say, “General Conference 2020 was postponed for the third time, this time to 2024. Also, in a recent statement by 1/3 of the signers of the Protocol, those signers renounced their commitment to support the passage of the Protocol. This means that traditional churches have lost their long-awaited avenue to peacefully exit the UMC. Additionally, the continued disobedience to and selective enforcement of our denominational covenant contained in the Book of Discipline by denominational leaders, and the continual degrading of traditional Methodists within the Conference, leave traditional churches no other option if they want to live out and contend for their orthodox faith — they sadly must leave the denomination.”
Rebman is asking for your prayers as this legal process proceeds over the next few weeks. “We pray for the softening of hearts within the leadership of the Florida Conference. We pray that they will bless traditional Florida churches by allowing them to depart amicably, without paying exorbitant amounts of money that would all but collapse most churches. This was what the Protocol called for; this is what Bishop Carter signed onto when signing the Protocol. This is what we pray will result from the legal action taken today. Let us go!”
The Wesleyan Covenant Association (“WCA”) is a global connection of local churches, laity, clergy, including regional chapters that seeks to partner with like-minded orthodox Christians who hold to Wesleyan theology and seek to build a new Global Methodist Church.