Holy Lawsuits: Up against the clock

I continue to pray for America's United Methodists (the UMC) to come to their senses and reject the LGBTQrs+ wave that has hijacked their denomination. Some 2000 churches have disaffiliated, but others are being prevented by their bishops. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, and this window of opportunity will soon close. 

From First Things,

United Methodist congregations have “a limited right” to disaffiliate and keep their properties (over which the denomination has long claimed ownership), but only if they act quickly. This exit provision expires with the final 2023 meeting of each congregation’s annual conference (the equivalent of a diocese or presbytery), usually held in May or June, with voting and paperwork due much earlier.

It will soon be too late for many theologically orthodox United Methodists. But it is not too late for members of other churches to learn from the UMC’s mistakes.

What to do if your bishop tries to stop you from leaving the UMC? 

Sue!?

From The Christian Post,

...186 churches filed a lawsuit against the UMC North Georgia Conference in Superior Court in Cobb County over the conference's decision last December to prohibit any more congregations from leaving amid a denominational schism over homosexuality...

North Georgia Conference Bishop Robin Dease said in a statement that her "heart aches" over the congregations' decision to file the legal action. 

The North Georgia Conference announced in December that it was putting a "pause" on the disaffiliation process, claiming that "any local churches have been misled about the disaffiliation process and have been presented with information about the process."

"We have significant concerns about this misinformation and are well aware that it has the potential to do irreparable harm," stated the conference at the time. "We do not have confidence in the validity of upcoming church conference disaffiliation votes...

In June 2022, before the disaffiliation pause, 70 congregations representing 9% of the conference's churches and 3% of its members disaffiliated from the UMC...

As we have learned from the Episcopal organization's efforts to seize property, lawsuits drag on for years. 

Prayers for our Methodist friends will be needed for a long time.