More than 140 United Methodist Church congregations in the Susquehanna Conference, including 14 in the Harrisburg area, plan to end their affiliations with the denomination under agreements approved by the conference Wednesday night.
Among those churches are 14 in the Harrisburg district and 43 in the York district. The seven-district Susquehanna Conference includes 870 churches, almost 150,000 members and close to 580 pastors.
Nationally, simmering disagreements over the 6.4 million-member church’s position on ordaining and marrying members of the LGBTQ community, as well as other issues, have caused a rift fueling the “disaffiliations” by more moderate and conservative churches.
Marriage is still defined by the church as being between a man and a woman. The church bans its clergy from performing “ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions” and its churches from hosting such events, a stance that has become increasingly controversial for many parishioners.
Churches that are disaffiliating have until Dec. 31 to completely cut ties with the United Methodist Church after fulfilling financial obligations. Many congregations that have left the Church are joining the more traditional Global Methodist Church, which opposes ordaining or marrying LGBTQ people.
PennLive was unable on Thursday to reach anyone from the disaffiliating churches in the Harrisburg district.
Over the past four years, 1,831 congregations across the country have voted to sever their ties with the church, or about 6% of the 30,000 United Methodist congregations nationwide, according to ChristianityToday.com.
Same as Bud light . When will the wokeness learn most Gays do not go to church or drink Bud light. These places need to stop pandering to people that usually never use their product at the expense of the people who do..
Happening around here too. My family will be leaving our Church too, due to their “disaffiliation.” If you can’t love your brothers and sisters, even the gay ones, then you’ve missed the whole point. Sad when entrenched dogma breaks up an otherwise spiritually good community. Oh well, their loss.
Bye Bye 5:54 and don’t let the doors hit you in the kester
8:24, obviously you don’t really have faith in our Lord. I feel sorry for you and your family and your friends and your community and your Church. Jesus loves you nonetheless, despite your sins. Why won’t you learn your lessons?
Name names
Plenty of religion on tv. Can even dvr it to watch it when you want. The days of low mass…high mass…passing the hat have long left us.
21st century wake up and enjoy before you are gone!