At the start of Holy Week, yet another Methodist church in Mississippi has chosen to leave its Denomination because of conflicts about homosexuality, abortion and the teaching of Islam.
The First United Methodist Church of Louisville decided to leave the United Methodist Church, The 175-6 vote took place on Palm Sunday. Going forward, the church will be known as First Methodist Church of Louisville.
The Louisville church, about 90 miles northeast of Jackson, is not the first in Mississippi to leave the United Methodists.
The Orchard in Tupelo, which has about 2,700 worshipers weekly and is the largest Methodist church in Mississippi, and Getwell Road United Methodist Church in the Memphis suburb of Southaven, which has about 800 worshipers weekly, voted in February 2017 to leave the Protestant denomination because of its "intensifying homosexuality debate."
Before The Orchard, about 160 miles northeast of Jackson, and Getwell Road could leave the United Methodist Church officially, the congregations had to negotiate with the church's Mississippi Conference, which legally owns the church buildings and land even if the congregation's name is on the deed.
Now, The Orchard, makes no mention of its Methodist roots on its website. Getwell Road changed its name to Getwell Church and now considers itself non-denominational.
In Louisville, the Pastor of First Methodist Church said he believes it is in the "best interest of the church and the Mississippi United Methodist Conference" to reach a property settlement out of court.
A spokesperson with the Mississippi United Methodist Conference was not immediately available for comment.
Several factors played into the Louisville church's decision to leave. Congregants largely felt the denomination had strayed from the teachings of the Bible and the United Methodist Book of Discipline.
In recent years, the United Methodist Church has allowed a gay bishop to preach after voting that it violated church law and has equally affirmed "the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child" when it comes to abortion.
In addition, the United Methodist-rooted Claremont School of Theology in California opened clerical training to Muslim and Jewish clergy. However, the seminary later created separate graduate schools for Muslim and Jewish students, and only the Christian school receives money from the United Methodist Church.
How soon before we hear stories of parishes seeking to disassociate themselves from the Catholic Church?
I can imagine such scenarios. Can you?
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