174 UMC churches in Indiana granted disaffiliation amid debate over homosexuality
A regional body of The United Methodist Church has approved the disaffiliation votes of 174 congregations in Indiana that seek to leave the denomination amid an intense debate over its stance on homosexuality.
At its annual meeting last Thursday at the Emens Auditorium at Ball State University, the UMC Indiana Conference approved a motion granting the disaffiliations with 95% of the vote.
The conference reported that from April 2022 to March 2023, the regional body sold or disbursed 19 church and conference properties, totaling around $5 million.
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When asked about the disaffiliations, Indiana Bishop Julius C. Trimble said in a video posted to Facebook that he hopes that "we will not look back, but look forward."
"There may become a point in the future where we have an opportunity to work closely even with some churches that have disaffiliated," Trimble added.
"But right now, I think, we need to focus on the main thing of 'making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,' and leaning into the places where there are exciting ministries happening all across the state of Indiana."
The 174 disaffiliating congregations are in addition to 105 congregations that left the Indiana Conference last year. The regional body reportedly still has 675 member congregations.
The churches departed via Paragraph 2553 of the UMC Book of Discipline, a measure that outlines the rules for which congregations can leave the UMC due to its ongoing debate over human sexuality. The paragraph will officially expire at the end of the year.
Paragraph 2553 was added to the Book of Discipline via a vote at the 2019 special session of the UMC General Conference, with over 5,500 churches disaffiliating from the denomination since then.
Over the past several years, the UMC has experienced a divisive debate over its official stance barring the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals.
Although efforts to change the rules at the quadrennial UMC General Conference have failed for decades, progressives within the denomination have often refused to follow or enforce the rules.
For example, the UMC Western Jurisdiction unanimously elected Karen Oliveto to be bishop of the Mountain Sky Area in 2016, even though she is married to a woman.
While Oliveto's election was declared invalid by the United Methodist Judicial Council, the UMC's highest court, in 2017, she remains bishop of the Mountain Sky Area as of this month.
Frustration over the debate has driven many conservatives to leave the UMC, with many joining the Global Methodist Church, officially launched in May last year.
