UMC Conference Sued over Disaffiliation Process
March 22, 2023 | Maryland
A group of 38 congregations that have decided to leave The United Methodist Church over theological issues have sued the denomination over objections to the process of disaffiliation.
Filed last week in the Circuit Court of Maryland for Anne Arundel County, the lawsuit accuses the UMC Baltimore-Washington Conference of “holding their church buildings and property hostage.”
“Defendants claim Plaintiff Churches’ property is encumbered by an irrevocable trust for the benefit of the UMC and the only way for Plaintiff Churches to disaffiliate without surrendering the buildings and property that are central to their congregations is by the permission of the UMC and payment of a financial ransom,” argued the complaint. (Excerpt from The Christian Post.)
