Global Courant 2023-05-30 19:58:28
New Hope United Methodist Church, pictured here at 2915 SW 8th Ave., is one of 103 Kansas congregations that are retiring from the United Methodist Church.
The United Methodist Church is seeing the exodus of more than 100 conservative Kansas congregations over theological issues, including same-sex marriage and the open ordination of LGBTQ clergy.
The denomination’s annual Great Plains Conference will do that hold an online session at 7 p.m. Wednesday, in which it will consider ratifying the requested resignations of 165 churches, including 103 in Kansas and 62 in Nebraska.
Congregations leaving the denomination include one from Topeka, New Hope United Methodist Church at 2915 SW 8th Ave., which says on his Facebook page that the vote to become independent took place last October.
Votes of 67% of each municipality in favor of disengagement are required for that to happen, according to information on the Great Plains Conference website.
The approximately 15 other United Methodist churches in Shawnee County will continue to be part of that denomination and the Great Plains Conference.
The conference website says so has 960 municipalitiesmeaning about 17% are leaving.
Voting implies a schism between liberals and conservatives
Wednesday’s vote comes at a time when liberals and conservatives in the United Methodist Church are at odds over issues such as whether gay clergy should be allowed and whether pastors should perform same-sex marriages.
Conservatives officially launched one on May 1 new Global Methodist Churchwhere they intend to enforce and enforce bans on things like gay ministers and same-sex marriages.
Remaining an independent entity or joining the Global Methodist denomination are among the options for congregations leaving the United Methodist Church.
The Wamego municipality shrank after a withdrawal vote
Nationwide, 3,933 churches have parted ways with that denomination, according to United Methodist News.
The denomination has an estimated 30,000 congregations in the United States, with nearly 13,000 more abroad.
A article published last week on the Great Plains United Methodist website told how members of the United Methodist Church in Wamego, 129-113, voted not to disengage. The 47% who voted to leave the denomination was less than the 67% required to do so.
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Some of those who voted to leave then left that church, which now holds one worship service — with about 100 people in attendance — instead of the two previously held, which each drew about 75 people. said the article.
Which municipalities want to leave?
According to a resolution posted onlineon Wednesday, the Kansas-Nebraska Conference plans to consider allowing the disengagement of these 103 Kansas congregations that have requested it, as well as 62 others in Nebraska:
• The United Methodist Churches of Agra, Arnold, Bazine, Bellevue, Blue Mound, Brewster, Burdett, Burlington, Caney, Cawker City, Cherryvale, Copeland, Deerfield, Denton, Dwight, Elkhart, Ellsworth, Fulton, Glasco, Glen Elder, Grainfield, Green, Greensburg, Gypsum, Healy, Holcomb, Howard, Hugoton, Ionia, Iuka, Jetmore, Kanopolis, Kanorado, Kirwin, Kismet, Lancaster, Lenora, Leonardville, Liberty, Long Island, Lucas, Luray, Lydia, Madison, Marysville , Medicine Lodge, Miltonvale, Natoma, Ness City, Norwich, Offerle, Oketo, Oneida, Oxford, Peru, Plains, Quinter, Randolph, Ransom, Republic, Richfield, Rolla, Roeland Park, Satanta, Sawyer, Sharon Springs, Stockton, Utica , Virgil, Wakefield and Webber.
• The First United Methodist churches in Beloit, Burr Oak, Lakin, McCracken, Sabetha, and Wellington.
• Alida United Methodist Church in Junction City, Amherst UMC in Waldo, Burchfiel UMC in Harper County, Camp Creek UMC in Cottonwood Falls, Central Korean UMC in Overland Park, Cottonwood Falls UMC in Cummings, Ebenezer UMC in Olpe; Effingham Union UMC at Effingham; Fairmount UMC at Leavenworth, Glendale UMC at Coats, Huscher UMC at Concordia, Mount Hope UMC at Sumner County, New Covenant UMC at Wichita, New Hope UMC at Topeka, Otterbein UMC at Russell; Pleasant Plains UMC at Natoma, Plum Creek UMC at Paola, Potawatomi UMC at Mayetta, Rose Valley UMC at Downs, Salem UMC at Bushton, Selma UMC at Kincaid, Swede Creek UMC at Randolph, Tisdale UMC at Winfield, Trinity UMC at Jewell, Vinland UMC in Baldwin City and Zion UMC in Robinson.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 103 United Methodist churches in Kansas are leaving the denomination
