Alabama Megachurch Votes to Leave the United Methodist Church Denomination
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Updated
Mar 03, 2022
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An Alabama megachurch has voted to leave the United Methodist Church just months before the UMC will hold a legislative meeting.
Frazer United Methodist Church, a congregation of about 4,000 members, voted in late January to disaffiliate from the UMC. Their decision will be voted on in June at the scheduled UMC Alabama-West Florida Conference, the regional body of the church.
The conference is expected to approve the change. In its own statement, the Alabama-West Florida Conference said Frazer Church is a “remarkable witness for Jesus Christ.”
“We mourn their potential departure, yet we know that Kingdom work knows no denominational bounds, and we pray they continue to make positive changes in their corner of the world,” the conference said.
Frazer Church’s decision is bittersweet, a representative from the church told The Christian Post this week.
“It is not without sadness that we contemplate departing from our denominational ties with the UMC. The Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference of the UMC has been our home for many years, and we honor the connection we have shared and the work we have accomplished together,” Frazer Church said in a statement emailed to The Christian Post from its Director of Communications Kym Klass.
The church is hoping to join the Free Methodist Church because it is “a better fit for our present identity and future fruitfulness.”
“We pray for continued blessings on our Bishop, our Conference, and all UMC churches around the world, knowing that God’s Kingdom transcends all denominational lines,” they added.
The decision also comes just months before the UMC will hold its General Assembly Meeting Aug. 29-Sept. 6 in Minnesota.
The meeting was initially scheduled for 2020 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts say the UMC General Assembly is expected to consider measures over the church’s view on homosexuality as a sin and the blessing of same-sex unions.
Others have also suggested that the meeting could result in a split because of those decisions.
Related:
Former UMC Churches Announce Merger following Denominational Split over LGBTQ Debate
Conservative United Methodists to Launch New Denomination in 2022
Photo courtesy: Public Domain
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
