Disaffiliation

March 10, 2o23

Disaffiliation Called Session Timeline

The following timeline for the December 9, 2023, called session, is very important. All dates will be followed precisely. Each church should read, understand and be prepared to follow the due dates. No exceptions will be made for this schedule.

Local church lay leadership requests an Exploration Meeting in writing by email or letter to the district superintendent no later than August 1, 2023
All Exploration Meetings will be held by September 10, 2023, subject to the schedule of those designated to hold the Exploration meeting.
The last day to enter the disaffiliation process is within 30 days of your Exploration Meeting as dated on the meeting packet. A congregation is not in the process until the certification form is timely submitted in writing by the lay leadership to the district superintendent.
All church conferences to hold the official disaffiliation vote will be called and scheduled at the discretion of the district superintendent. All special church conferences will be completed no later than October 25, 2023.
A Special Duly Called Annual Conference Session for disaffiliation affirmation vote will be held on December 9, 2023.

Q & A on Disaffiliation

Question: We understand not using the name United Methodist as it is federally copyrighted. What we don’t understand is why we cannot use “Methodist” in our name. Please address that for us.

Answer: The “Methodist” name may be used by a church who is joining an organized Methodist denomination like the Independent Methodist Church, Free Will Methodist Church, Global Methodist Church, CME Methodist Church, AME Methodist church, etc.

If a church is not joining an organized church body, then as a non-denominational church, they are self-organizing as a church/association. It is the responsibility of the new church to determine their own polity and their own theology and no one other than that local church can control their decisions. Leaving Methodist in the name at this point can cause confusion both in and outside of the church. This clarity of name protects the identity of The United Methodist Churches and the other Methodist denominations.

For those preparing to Disaffiliate at the Special Called session of the Annual Conference on December 9, 2023

You’ve asked questions regarding the upcoming disaffiliation of churches at the 2023 annual conference session. The following information should provide clarity for you, but if not, please feel free to ask more questions and send them to dstotts@mississippi-umc.org.

The covenant around mission shares is based on your 2023 mission shares. This is a calendar year computation based on the year in which disaffiliation occurs. The current covenant amount for churches disaffiliating in June of 2023 is two (2) times the 2023 conference and district mission shares, not including any funds paid at the beginning of this year to go towards mission shares for 2022.
All PACT insurance premiums owed for 2023 and all previous years must be paid in full.
Direct Invoice must be paid in full as of 12-31-2023. If a grant for assistance in paying past due direct invoice was received in the past 36 months, the church must refund the unearned amount based on the Grant Agreement.
Any other grants, trusts, or obligations must be paid according to the governing document signed at that time.
All deeds must be provided so that we can transfer all real property to the new church at the conference cost. If a piece of property was not identified on the original deed prepared by the annual conference attorneys, then the annual conference trustees will certainly help you correct that; but, the cost for that correction deed will be at the expense of the local church.
Deeds will be made to the new church. This is covered as follows:
- A church cannot be affiliated with two denominations at the same time.
- Since the departing church is UMC until midnight December 31, 2023, the new deed will be dated January 1, 2024.
- If a church does not have written proof of acceptance in another organized denomination when the church conference vote occurs, the church property will be transferred to a non-denominational association.
- If after the deed is issued at disaffiliation and the church joins an organized denomination, then the trustees of the new current nondenominational church will certainly have the right to transfer the property to the church using the name of the denomination joined. That will not require the Mississippi Trustees to be a part of that transfer or deed.
The adjusted pension covenant payment for longevity and market changes will be requested October 1, 2023, and will be released to the church by November 1, 2023.

Mississippi Conference Trustees Disaffiliation Decision

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 20, 2022

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

It has come to my attention that there is much concern around churches feeling rushed to pursue the exploration process to disaffiliate due to next year’s deadline to do so by December 31, 2023 as stated in the sunset clause of paragraph 2553 (disaffiliation of a local church over issue related to human sexuality) in The Book of Discipline. First, let me provide context for this date as it was set at the 2019 Called Session of General Conference in the spirit of giving congregations ample time to both a) consider any additional information that would have come from the 2020 General Conference, and b) prayerfully discern next best steps for your congregations. Unfortunately, like everyone and everything else, COVID disrupted our churches—including the ways in which we collectively decide and carry out the administration of the church, and the many other ways we worship and move mission forward as the body of Christ during General Conference.

Know that your Mississippi Conference Board of Trustees desires to live into that same spirit of giving churches space and time to discern where God is leading them as it pertains to disaffiliation. In an effort to pursue that goal, the trustees completed work on a plan for the post-sunset clause of Paragraph 2553 in the errata of the 2016 Book of Discipline at their October 20 meeting. Currently, any church voting to disaffiliate must do so under the guidance of paragraph 2553, which sunsets on December 31, 2023. This new plan outlines a fair and equitable way for Mississippi churches to depart after the December 31, 2023 cut-off date, beginning January 1, 2024 and continuing to the last day of the 2025 Session of the Mississippi Annual Conference.

The intent of this plan is to allow churches time to learn the outcome from legislation adopted at the 2024 General Conference so that you have all the facts and substantial time to process and make a well-informed decision. The trustees voted unanimously to continue their practice of allowing churches to keep their property by fulfilling covenant agreements for pension, mission shares and all other financial obligations of the departing church.

This new plan by the trustees to continue the provisions set forth in paragraph 2553 after the December 31, 2023 sunset date, will be shared within the official trustees’ report in the 2023 Mississippi Annual Conference Pre-conference Journal. The pre-conference journal will be released in the spring of 2023, prior to the regularly-scheduled 2023 Session of the Mississippi Annual Conference that will be held in Tupelo.

Here is the process that the Mississippi Conference Board of Trustees adopted to extend the financial provisions and the procedural requirements to paragraph 213 and 2549 after the expiration of paragraph 2553. Additionally, here is the Mississippi Conference Board of Trustees’ announcement of the work they completed on the post 2553 sunset clause and church property. Both documents are also attached to this email in PDF versions.

Bishop Swanson expresses his support of the trustees’ efforts:

“This is the prayerful, thoughtful and considerate work of your board of trustees as they have listened to your cabinet and the laity and clergy of the Mississippi Annual Conference. It is important to remember that the people entrusted with this work are not strangers to you but are members of your congregations and ministers of the gospel in your local churches and beyond.

It has been my hope and prayer through all our disagreement that the Mississippi Annual Conference could and would remain in mutual ministry together and it's to that end I've have worked as hard as I could. It is still my prayer that even as some may choose to depart, we can do so without being mean-spirited toward each other, but to find ways to respect each other and to please the Lord in our actions and interactions.”

While accountable to the annual conference, the Mississippi Conference Board of Trustees receives, collects and holds in trust all real and personal property of the annual conference. Paragraphs 2512.4 and 2553.4 express the intent of General Conference to delegate to the conference board of trustees the exclusive authority in establishing the terms and conditions of a local church’s departure from The United Methodist Church. In Judicial Council rulings 1420 and 1421, the council ruled it is the exclusive right of the conference board of trustees, with the advice of the cabinet, the treasurer, the benefits officer, the director of connectional ministries and the chancellor to negotiate terms and conditions for departing churches.

I’m praying for you and with you as you prayerfully discern the call of God on your various ministries.

In Christ,
David Stotts