No. 8: Mt. Bethel UMC goes to court with Methodist denomination

Hunter Riggall, Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
·2 min read

Dec. 22—Editor's note: The MDJ counts down the Top 10 local stories of 2021 as determined by newsroom staff. Today's installment is No. 8.

The future of one of Cobb's most prominent churches is uncertain as Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church wages a legal battle against the North Georgia Conference of the UMC, a regional governing body that oversees nearly 800 Methodist churches in north Georgia.

A conservative east Cobb congregation, Mt. Bethel announced its intent to leave the UMC denomination in April through a process called disaffiliation. The conference responded by moving to seize control of Mt. Bethel and its assets, arguing Mt. Bethel lay leaders had violated church law in a number of ways.

At the heart of the dispute is an ongoing rift between factions of the UMC over issues of LGBTQ inclusion, such as gay marriage and ordination of pastors. Mt. Bethel is aligned with the conservative wing of the UMC, which plans to split off from the denomination in the coming years.

The dispute began in April when North Georgia Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson reassigned Mt. Bethel's then-Senior Pastor Jody Ray (Methodist pastors are periodically reassigned by their bishops, a tradition of "itinerancy" that dates back centuries). Mt. Bethel leaders and congregants mounted a public campaign against Ray's reassignment, saying the bishop had not properly consulted with Mt. Bethel and suggesting the move was punishment for Ray's conservative beliefs. The bishop has denied these claims. Mt. Bethel has retained Ray, who relinquished his UMC credentials.

After a mediation process stalled, the North Georgia Conference sued Mt. Bethel in September, with Mt. Bethel filing counterclaims soon after. Mt. Bethel's lawyers are demanding the conference allow members to vote on disaffilation, while the conference is asking that control of Mt. Bethel and its assets be transferred to the conference.

Mt. Bethel, which dates back more than 175 years, is the largest church in the North Georgia conference, with about 9,000 members. It also operates Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, a K-12 school which last year had 680 students. The total market value of Mt. Bethel's church-owned buildings, vehicles and equipment is $34.6 million, according to 2019 conference data, plus another $1.1 million in financial assets and other liquid assets.