Joaquin Methodist Community Assets Seized to Be Sold

[@therealstuffedzebra]

I well recall my 31 year old parents expressing concern when the UMC formed in 1968. I was eleven years old. Dad had been Methodist all his life. They voted with their feet about two years later as we left for a Baptist congregation. I came to Christ in a Methodist church and continue to be interested (and saddened) by developments such as you reported in this episode.

[@sermonillustrations8433]

It is very nice that you offer prayer in your video. Blessings in Christ Jesus.

[@JamesAllmond]

Odd that all of us who left was because we felt they were not following the Book of Discipline so of course they now use it against the loyal followers. Yeah, real Christian thinking. Amen.

[@carlsandgren8946]

i find it so ironic that the Bishops want to hide behind the book of discipline now, when not long ago it was ignored and they did whatever they pleased.

[@markingelin9773]

Well said.

[@a.m.g.karlsson7165]

I’m Anglican (Church of England), and more specifically, Anglo-Catholic. I appreciate what you Methodists tried to offer us centuries ago: we would be stronger if we had been able to receive your charism. I’m used to Methodists having little use for my kind. Nevertheless, what is happening in the UMC today grieves me deeply. I am glad to pray for the survival of the Methodist charism around the world and especially, at this time, in the US. May the Paraclete guide you through this trial with wisdom and love.

[@samuelcurrin1369]

They should get an attorney and challenge the conference.

[@dalethomas5392]

This is Texas where the UM Trust Clause isn't recognized as valid by state law. It's interesting that the congregation isn't lawyering up and telling the AC to kick rocks. They'd probably win.

[@joer5627]

The UMC will simply become a real estate trust company The book of discipline. It is the Book of Non-Discipline. They turned a blind eye to so many obvious clergy who thumbed their noses for decades at the BOD

[@amielvalerio]

From the Philippines.Here there are churches who have left the UMC and seized control of their properties.The Philippines Central Conference has not yet taken legal actions but their attempt to even step into the church was met with resistance.The paragraph 2553 was declared not applicable in the Philippines.Good for us then we will just take our buildings since in reality the members are the ones who contributed to the construction of the buildings and not the denomination.UMC people leaving the denomination should show courage and resist unjust practices of UMC.UMC always say uphold love , justice,grace and inclusion . There is no justice in seizing properties of the congregation.

[@markharris142]

As someone who loves to visit old churches, that breaks my heart. And what the UMC is doing is petty. 75k is a drop in the bucket for them. I recently heard a liberal UMC minister say that if the people of his church gave more money, he would lower his salary by 35k.

[@Shimmed]

Why is the “Book of Discipline” something other than the Bible?

[@MegaGeorge1948]

This is the big danger of being a part of an ecclesiastical hierarchy Church system, like the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the Anglican Church, and others. The headquarters, most likely, OWNS the building that you worship and pay your tithes and offerings in. Also your pastor works for the hierarchy. They pay his salary. Not the local Church. Some Baptist Churches are like this system in some varying degrees (e.g. The Southern Baptist Convention).

[@plainspokenpod]

In the case of the United Methodist Church, the local church legally owns the property (see my interview with an expert lawyer, Lloyd Lunceford), and the pastor's paycheck is issued by the local church. They are accredited by the denomination, and they make their vows to the denomination, but their loyalties aren't as divided as your post would suggest. Still a worthy consideration, though.

[@JWParkerPhDDDiv]

I would like to see an Anglican Church take the property. usually Anglicans would be gracious to share the property.