UMC North Georgia Conference blocks churches from leaving, pauses disaffiliation process
January 1, 2023 | Georgia
A United Methodist Church conference in Georgia will temporarily block member churches from disaffiliating from the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States amid the denominational schism over homosexuality.
In an email sent to member churches, the UMC North Georgia Conference announced a decision to “pause” the disaffiliation process, claiming “many local churches have been misled about the disaffiliation process and have been presented with information about the process” and about the UMC leadership “that is factually incorrect and defamatory.”
“We have significant concerns about this misinformation and are well aware that it has the potential to do irreparable harm,” the announcement reads. “We do not have confidence in the validity of upcoming church conference disaffiliation votes.”
The UMC North Georgia Conference says the misinformation has come “in the form of printed materials, PowerPoint presentations, websites, videos, emails, and social media posts” that constitute a “breach of integrity.” The email didn’t name those responsible for sharing the alleged misinformation.
The North Georgia Conference, which has over 700 member churches, said disaffiliation will not happen until the next session of the United Methodist General Conference, which will be held from April 23 to May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina…. (Excerpt from The Christian Post)
