Former United Methodist churches break from denomination

WEST CHESTER — At least 84 congregations in the state of Iowa started July under new denominations after officially disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church.

The procedure to do so was established in 2019, with a deadline of 2023. In its governing policy, called the Book of Discipline, the United Methodist Church states that disaffiliations would be accepted, “Because of the current deep conflict within The United Methodist Church around issues of human sexuality.”

Officially, UMC continues to frown upon LGBTQ+ people. The church’s website states on one FAQ page that, “Pastors may not be ‘self-avowed, practicing homosexuals,’” and forbids same-sex weddings on church property. Some local chapters, however, have grown more — or less — progressive in recent years.

In its current vision statement, the Iowa UMC Conference states that, “No one will be compelled or required to act contrary to their convictions, understanding of Scripture, or conscience,” going on to specify, “Pastors will be able to choose which weddings they officiate, as long as it is two consenting adults who have been counseled. Likewise, church leadership, in consultation with their pastors, will be able to determine their own policy regarding weddings.”

In the same statement, the Iowa chapter acknowledged the likelihood of churches taking issue with its stance.

“We realize this vision may go too far for some in the current Iowa Annual Conference and not far enough for others,” the Iowa Chapter said. “For many congregations this means that nothing will change regarding the way you operate or do ministry. No vote needs to be taken. Nor do changes need to be made in your local context. Keep doing what God is calling you to do. For some congregations, this means that you will now be free to begin new ministries that God is calling you to do.”

While LGBTQ+ issues take the headlines, Southeast Iowa churches say their reasons to secede were hardly related to disagreements over gender and sexuality, if at all.

Formerly West Chester United Methodist Church, now the West Chester Community Church, was among those places of worship starting July out from under the umbrella of UMC. It was the first change in the church’s denomination since it was built in 1915.

Nick Duvall, the chair of the church’s administrative council, said his congregation was mostly upset with UMC’s top-down decision-making structure, rather than any particular policy. He said discussions of sexuality were “entirely removed” from members’ vote to disaffiliate.

“We were just after having more local control over what we can do as a church and where our mission money goes to,” he said. “Through COVID, they told us we couldn’t come to church, and that was really controversial to some people. I think that may have really pushed us in this direction, to where we have that say, not somebody in an office somewhere.”

The transition was easy enough. Duvall said West Chester already had its own independent pastor, since its congregation was too small for its own designee from the Iowa chapter. The congregation’s vote to disaffiliate was unanimous, sparking no disagreement from its members.

Still, the change was not taken lightly.

“It was not an easy decision,” Duvall said. “But it’s one that we came to as a congregation … we didn’t have anybody that did not want to disaffiliate. So that made me feel pretty good about the direction we were going.”

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Members opted not to join the Global Methodist Church, the main offshoot formed by those disaffiliating from UMC. Duvall said the congregation was now “similar to a Methodist” one with a traditionalist doctrine, but technically remained non-denominational.

“We decided it was in our best interest right now to just become a community church and try to go forth with that, and try to get more people in the community to come to church, and be more of a community-based type church, instead of a specific religion,” he said. “(We’re) a little bit more open to differences between, say, Lutheran and Presbyterian, and Methodist and Catholic. So not focused strictly on one, but we do have a direction.”

In Ollie, the previously named Prairie View United Methodist Church has also dropped the denomination from its name, after roughly 92% of its members voted to join the Global Methodist Church instead.

Rev. Steven Lamb said he personally withdrew from the United Methodist conference as well, a move that allowed him to stay with the congregation even as it breaks from the group which appointed him.

Lamb said Prairie View’s decision was based on disagreements with other UMC churches in the state, which he accused of departing from correct interpretations of Scripture.

“We’ve got pastors in Iowa that are teaching the Big Bang Theory, and stating that the first two chapters of the Book of Genesis were written for pre-Iron Age people, and are no longer necessary or relevant,” he said. “Standing on Scripture, stating that Jesus Christ really didn’t come to die for your sins. Those are important things to the Christian faith, and if you can’t teach that, then what are you teaching?”

While he said the Prairie View congregation disagreed with the Iowa Conference’s views on homosexuality, Lamb said that difference was indicative of other issues, rather than itself a cause for disaffiliation.

“They have a number of United Methodist pastors in Iowa that are actively and openly living a gay lifestyle,” he claimed. “The symptom in this instance is the LGBTQIA+ issue, and the problem is that we’ve left the authority of Scripture … although the LGBTQIA+ is part of the conversation, it’s really not truly the reason the congregations are leaving.”

Like in West Chester, Prairie View expects the change to result in more local control over church missions and policy choices. Lamb added that “connectional funding” to the Global Methodist Church would take about 6% of the Prairie View’s annual revenue, where UMC apportionment in some years reached up to 18%.

The Union attempted to contact two area United Methodist churches which have not disaffiliated. Representatives from one were unavailable, a representative from the other declined to comment.

In its statement allowing churches to host same-sex weddings, Iowa’s UMC Conference suggested that doing so would broaden the church’s appeal.

“This vision provides a home for everyone — whether they consider themselves liberal, evangelical, progressive, traditionalist, middle of the road, conservative, centrist or something else,” it said. “We believe people need Jesus, we need each other, and we need to lead the church we believe God is asking us to be as United Methodists for this time.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com