Methodist congregations in Erie, Crawford welcome members of disaffiliated churches

As some northwestern Pennsylvania congregations explore whether to leave the United Methodist Church over issues including human sexuality, other congregations are preparing to welcome people who want to remain part of that particular Christian body.

The Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church has more than 750 churches in 23 counties, including about 80 in the Erie-Meadville District, according to information provided via email by District Superintendent Dennis Swineford. About a third of the churches in the Conference have explored disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church, he said.

Seventeen churches that plan to stay have been officially designated as Lighthouse Congregations, which will welcome United Methodists from nearby churches that choose to leave the mainline Protestant denomination. The Lighthouses include Summit, Lakewood and Edinboro United Methodist churches in Erie County and New Richmond, Spartansburg and Fallowfield United Methodist churches in Crawford County. More are in the process of obtaining the designation.

"Our Lighthouse Congregations shine a light and offer a safe harbor for those navigating changes within the United Methodist Church," Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, leader of the United Methodist Church's Western Pennsylvania Conference, said in a news release. "These churches are committed to welcoming anyone, including those whose churches have closed or disaffiliated. They provide a space for individuals and groups to find healing, support and belonging. We are grateful for the presence of these beacons of hope within our Conference, and we are committed to supporting them as they fulfill their vital mission."

The worldwide United Methodist Church is reckoning with challenges related to positions on some social issues including gay marriage, according to the news release. That disagreement has led some individual churches to explore disaffiliation, a formal name for the process of leaving the denomination. Western Pennsylvania Conference leaders said it was their hope that churches choose to remain together in the United Methodist Church family but they also wanted to take practical, proactive steps to prepare to welcome individuals who wish to remain in the UMC, but whose home churches intend to disaffiliate.

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At least two churches in Erie County are looking to disaffiliate. West Springfield and Cranesville United Methodist Churches have taken the necessary votes and are just waiting for the Conference to transfer the deeds, said their pastor, Theresa Campbell, a certified lay minister.

Swineford said disaffiliation agreements won't become official and public until they are voted on during the Western Pennsylvania Conference's annual conference. That event is set to take place June 15-17 in Erie, with a special session on June 14 to vote on disaffiliations, according to the WPAUMC conference page.

Campbell said members of her two churches discerned where their hearts were and what they thought about following God's word and direction. She said sexuality guidelines were one of the issues that led Cranesville to vote in January and West Springfield in February.

"Both the churches are very traditional," she said when asked their position on human sexuality. "We're welcoming of people, we're just very traditional in our theology."

The current Book of Discipline for the United Methodist Church prohibits the ordination of gay clergy and prohibits clergy from officiating same-gender weddings, Swineford said.

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Campbell said her congregations' desire to leave the United Methodist Church didn't mean they were becoming nondenominational.

"We're still Methodists true and true," she said. "We're going through a separation or divorce from the United foundation. We're going to be independent for a while."

She said the Cranesville and West Springfield churches could remain independent Methodist congregations or could affiliate with another Methodist denomination, such as the more conservative Global Methodist Church that launched in 2022 or the Methodist Collegiate Church.

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Cranesville's weekly worship attendance ranges from eight to 15 people while West Springfield's is 20 to 35, Campbell said.

For those churches that want to leave the United Methodist Church, the Western Pennsylvania Conference is following the disaffiliation process developed in 2019 by the international body that governs the denomination, Swineford said. He said it created a window for disaffiliation that, in the case of the Western Pennsylvania Conference, runs through its annual conference in June. The next UMC General Conference takes place in 2024 and is expected to take up the question of possible future disaffiliation, he said.

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A church interested in disaffiliation first reaches out to its district superintendent, who sets up a meeting with church trustees to discuss the process, according to information from Swineford. The church then prayerfully discerns the decision.

If a two-thirds majority of church members votes to proceed, the Conference treasurer calculates the finances. Churches that choose to disaffiliate provide 2% of the church's assessed property value. While the Conference legally owns 100% of every church property, which is held in trust by an individual church community, the Western Pennsylvania Conference has opted to waive 98% of its ownership value, according to the infromation from Swineford.

Disaffiliating churches also have to fulfill their obligation to the United Methodist Church pension fund for retired clergy and provide tithes to the Conference equivalent to the previous year and anticipated year ahead.

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After reviewing the financial details, church members take a second vote on disaffiliation. If it passes with a two-thirds majority, the request goes to the Western Pennsylvania Conference for ratification during the annual conference.

After ratification, a church fulfills its financial obligations and takes full ownership of its building and land, according to the information from Swineford.

"Some churches have been involved in the disaffiliation process since last fall, others began this spring," he said. "These decisions are not taken lightly, and Conference leadership has worked with each church to make this process fair."

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If someone from a disaffiliated church wants to remain in the United Methodist Church, they can go to any other UMC congregation, even if it isn't designated as a Lighthouse.

"We’re highlighting Lighthouse Congregations in particular because they have been trained and resourced in hospitality, welcoming new people, and caring for people during times of grief," Swineford said.

Pastor Kathleen Schoeneck, of Lakewood United Methodist Church in Millcreek Township, said her congregation looks forward to working with the United Methodist Church to assist those in need.

"Our church is devoted to embracing all individuals with warmth and open-mindedness, and we are thrilled to provide ministry programs that support newcomers," Schoeneck said in the news release from the Western Pennsylvania Conference.

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Swineford said the Lighthouse Congregations are committed to welcoming all people.

"We value the broad diversity of viewpoints within the United Methodist Church and we know that what unites us is far greater than whatever divides us," Swineford said. "We are deeply saddened by the divisions within (the) United Methodist Church but we are optimistic about the future and we will continue the mission and ministry God has called us to do."

Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie, Crawford Methodist congregations welcome members of disaffiliated churches