PRESS RELEASE: September 9, 2022

Vero Beach FL: The Wesleyan Covenant Association-Florida regional chapter (“WCA-Florida”) has been receiving and up-tick in the number of calls per week from church leaders wondering why the Florida annual conference leaders are speaking to churches and telling them that there is no rush to leave the UM denomination. Several district superintendents are using words like “abeyance” or “there is no rush” when asked by church leaders if their church should begin the process of exiting the UM denomination. Jeremy Rebman, President of the WCA-Florida, Strongly disagrees these directions from district superintendents. “Given the likely composition of the GC 2024 delegation, as well as the death of “The Protocol,” not only is wait and see the wrong message to give to churches, but it is likely to trap any church that genuinely wants to depart the UM denomination”.

He went on to explain that in the current disaffiliation agreement offered to Florida churches wanting to leave the UM denomination, each church must host a presentation by the Florida United Methodist conference. The leader of the conference, in most cases the district superintendent, typically presents reasons why the church should remain in the UMC. While the arguments given by the Florida conference representative might be debatable, the fact that presenters are saying that: “there is no rush, wait until the General conference 2024” Rebman says: “is misleading.”

Rebman points out that the Judicial council has recently ruled that paragraph 2548.2 of the Book of Discipline will no longer be honored as an exit strategy for churches wanting to depart the denomination. See the ruling here: (https://www.resourceumc.org/en/churchwide/judicial-council/judicial-council-decision-home/judicial-decisions/decision-1449)

The UMC’s own website umc.org has an article entitled “Is the United Methodist Church really…?” whereby they say that: “Paragraph 2553 remains the only paragraph in the Discipline authorizing a process for a local church to disaffiliate while retaining its property and assets.”

This leaves churches that wish to exit the denomination with their property the option of using paragraph 2553 of the Book of Discipline as their exit strategy. That paragraph expires Dec. of 2023. Rebman concludes: “that this means when the General conference convenes in 2024, there will be no legislative exit options available for churches to use that wish to leave the denomination.”

Rebman adds to his disappointment in the Florida UM leadership statements, that: “not only will there be no remaining legislative exit ramps for churches wanting to leave the denomination by the GC 2024, that General conference will likely be more liberal and progressive than the GC of Feb. of 2019, when they last met.”

The General conference 2019 was widely characterized as shifting to the progressive side. The traditional Plan dealing with restating the traditional teachings of human sexuality passed by the conference by a vote of 438 yes votes (53 percent) and 384 no votes (47 percent). The general conference consists of delegates elected from their annual conferences on four continents. Half of the delegates are clergypersons and half are laypersons. Bishops preside at General Conference sessions, but do not vote.

“With more and more traditional churches and conservative pastors leaving the UM denomination daily, there will be fewer and fewer traditional delegates elected to attend the General Conference 2024.” What exit plan will be provided for churches wanting to leave if there are no exit plans available when the General Conference convenes in Feb. of 2024?”

Florida churches wanting to exit the UM denomination using paragraph 2553 are trying to follow the rules in the conference produced disaffiliation agreement. Rebman concludes with this urging: “I would encourage the leaders of the Florida conference to give a clear picture of reality when counseling churches in the disaffiliation process. Churches have looked to the Florida conference for leadership for decades. I would hope that church leaders could continue to find that in their leaders especially during these difficult times.”