Why thousands of congregations are leaving the United Methodist Church

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• Amna Nawaz:

  One of the dominant Christian denominations in the U.S., the United Methodist Church, is experiencing a major split.

  Since 2019, more than 7,000 congregations across the country have received approval to leave the Methodist Church. That's about a quarter of all Methodist churches in the U.S., and nearly three-quarters of those departures happened this year.

  United Methodist leaders gave congregations until December 31 to decide to leave. Factions within the denominations split over disagreements in theology, namely, how the church considers LGBTQ+ ministers and congregants. In Oklahoma, where the United Methodist Church was one of the most practiced beliefs in the state, more than 120 congregations voted to leave the church.

  Adam Kemp is one of our communities correspondents. He is based in Oklahoma City and joins us now.

  So, Adam, just give us the background we need to understand on this split. How did we get here?

• Adam Kemp:

  Yes, we're basically seeing the conclusion of what's been decades' worth of debate and discussion in the United Methodist Church over sexuality.

  It's been a long time coming, and what experts are saying, it's the largest denominational split since the Civil War, basically. And it's focused on LGBTQ inclusion, whether or not the UMC wants to have LGBTQ pastors or congregants or same-sex marriages within — in their congregation.

  There's been a continuing push, despite the fact that the church has kind of been committed to their stance that homosexuality is not in congruence with their teachings. That push, though, for more inclusion has made some of the more conservative groups within the denomination uncomfortable, ultimately with them asking to be let out of the church.

  So, in 2019, a general conference was held in St. Louis, where they decided to let individual congregations vote to leave the United Methodist Church, to disaffiliate. Flash forward to now. More than a quarter of all those churches have voted to disaffiliate and leave the church.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Adam, more than 7,000 congregations since 2019 getting approval to leave. What's been the result of those churches leaving?

• Adam Kemp:

  Right.

  Well, beyond the huge loss of the number of churches and congregants, it's also given rise to the Global Methodist Church in the United States, which is a more conservative branch of the United Methodist Church. They say they're going to adhere to more Wesleyan roots in their teachings and theology, which would mean, yes, no LGBTQ ministers, no same-sex marriages within those churches.

  But also, interestingly, many churches left the UMC to go nondenominational, to kind of choose their own path, which experts have said that, for five decades straight now, has been a choice millions are making in what they are seeing as becoming one of the larger church denominations, nondenominations, within the U.S.

• Amna Nawaz:

  You have been talking to some people who grew up in the church. How are they grappling with this change?

• Adam Kemp:

  Yes, I spoke with a local pastor here, Aaron Tiger, who grew up basically in the United Methodist Church, is — followed in his father's footsteps to become a UMC pastor, just what that process was like.

  He now himself is no longer a United Methodist pastor and led a church through the disaffiliation process as well.

  Aaron Tiger, Christ Church on Harvard: It's been hard. I mean, there's just been a lot of grief.

  While there was a day, October 31, when I was no longer a United Methodist pastor, I had been in my heart making that decision over the slow process of four years. So, it was 35 years in the making of a connection and has kind of been four years slowly drifting away from seeing myself as a United Methodist, what we call elder in the church.

• Amna Nawaz:

  So, Adam, we mentioned that December 31 deadline for congregations to decide if they want to leave or not. What happens next?

• Adam Kemp:

  Yes, it's a time for analysis for United Methodist Church in a lot of ways.

  They might have a better understanding of what comes next at their next general conference, which is this spring, where they will — experts say again will have a push for more LGBTQ inclusion, including possibly changing the rules to allow for gay ordination, as well as same-sex marriages within the church.

  But experts say the effects of this could be long tail and that the church might have some soul-searching to do as they have to analyze whether they can keep the number of employees they have, as well as seminaries across the U.S., and ultimately whether they can keep the number of churches they currently do have.

• Amna Nawaz:

  That is Adam Kemp, our communities correspondent based in Oklahoma City.

  Adam, thank you for your reporting. Good to see you.

• Adam Kemp:

  Thanks.