Springfield's Schweitzer Church among 75 in Missouri parting with United Methodist Church

Seventy-five churches in Missouri disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church last month, including Schweitzer Church in Springfield and a few others in the Ozarks region.

The Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church voted in favor of its Board of Trustees' recommendation for the 75 churches to disaffiliate in June. The churches that separated made up 11% of Missouri's United Methodist Church base.

"This exit of churches comes after several decades of conversation and ultimately, an impasse regarding the inclusion of and ministry with LGBTQIA+ people," the Missouri Annual Conference said in a news release. "The churches seeking to depart oppose gay marriage and the ordination of gay pastors and believe that The United Methodist Church is moving to allow both in the future."

Schweitzer Church, lead by the Rev. Spencer Smith, began discussing disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church in May 2021, according to Smith's "Pastor's Note," shared with the congregation and public, on June 7. Neither the church nor Smith specified the reason for the disaffiliation but in addition to the church leaving the United Methodist Church, Smith and Pastor Jason Leininger resigned their memberships from the Missouri Annual Conference.

"Disaffiliation was not an end-goal, but simply a step towards following Jesus in his mission to seek and to save the lost," Smith stated in "Special Notes about Schweitzer Church," shared on June 9.

In the note, Smith outlined that the next step for Schweitzer is exploring a new affiliation to identify with, as church leadership does not intend to be an independent church.

"This summer we will begin a slow process of exploring affiliations," Smith stated in the online note. "I want you to hear that word 'slow.' We are in no rush to jump into another affiliation. We don't want to land in a rebound denomination!"

A Schweitzer Church spokesperson told the News-Leader that the church's desire to not comment further is because "we don't want the conversation to be a distraction from what we do as a church everyday."

In addition to Schweitzer Church, 26 other churches in the southwest district, which includes Springfield, disaffiliated this year. These include Aldersgate Church in Nixa, Mansfield United Methodist Church, ReNew Church in Willard and First United Methodist Church in Mount Vernon. The News-Leader contacted these four churches for comment on their disaffiliation but was unsuccessful in connecting by press deadline.

United Methodist Church's stances on the LGBTQIA+ community

The United Methodist Church Book of Discipline written by John Wesley in 1784 is the binding law and doctrine of the denomination. In 1972, the United Methodist Church added language to the book addressing the LGBTQIA+ community specifically.

The 2016 edition of the Book of Discipline outlines the following qualification for ordination within the church:

“While persons set apart by the Church for ordained ministry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition and the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the highest standards of holy living in the world. The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church.”

Despite this language in the Book of Discipline, some United Methodist Church jurisdictions have ordained and elected members of the LGBTQIA+ community to leadership positions. In the United States, the United Methodist Church is organized into five jurisdictions: Northeastern, Southeastern, North Central, South Central (which includes Missouri) and Western.

In 2016, Karen Oliveto was the first out lesbian to be elected bishop in the United Methodist Church, assigned to the Mountain Sky Episcopal Area (Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho) for 2016-2020. Her roles in church leadership started in 1985 when she was ordained as an elder in the New York Conference, according to the United Methodist Church Council of Bishops.

When asked about the Missouri Annual Conference's stance on the LGBTQIA+ community, Kim Jenne, Missouri Annual Conference Director of Connectional Ministries, said the conference does not have a stance.

"Only the General Conference of the United Methodist Church can speak for the domination," Jenne expanded.

The United Methodist Church General Conference, which represents the denomination internationally, was supposed to meet to discuss topics including the LGBTQIA+ community in 2020. But due to the pandemic, the conference was postponed to 2024. Since 1792, the United Methodist Church General Conference has met every four years.

Jenne did add that the 75 churches that disaffiliated in June are not monolithic in their thinking.

"Many individual members were hurt by their church’s decision to leave the denomination, (which was) often led by the pastor or a small group of individuals," Jenne said.

In order to serve these members, the Missouri Annual Conference is allowing any member to transition their membership to the annual conference until they can connect with another church. Jenne said more than 100 members have chosen this route, as of June 27.

Roy Pearson, a member of King's Way United Methodist Church and retired pastor who formerly served in the Mississippi Annual Conference, said he is disturbed by the current discourse around the LGBTQ community.

“I just don’t agree with that nonsense," said Pearson, who supports the inclusion of LGBTQ folks in the denomination. "I'm a lover of history and a lover of the Methodist church. I like what it stands for, but I don't like what's going on right now. It's not Christian, in my viewpoint."

In addition to Pearson, the News-Leader contacted 10 members of local United Methodist Churches and of the three who responded, all were uninterested in sharing their perspectives.

Creation of Global Methodist Church

Amid the recent debates, a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, was established in May 2022. The Global Methodist Church was founded by a group of churches including the Wesleyan Covenant Association, an organization that split from the United Methodist Church in the 1800s.

The Wesleyan Covenant Association, and in turn the Global Methodist Church, follow more "traditionalist" beliefs of gender and sexuality.

The Global Methodist Church's Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline states the following perspective on sexuality:

“We are saddened by all expressions of sexual behavior, including pornography, polygamy, and promiscuity, that do not recognize the sacred worth of each individual or that seek to exploit, abuse, objectify, or degrade others, or that represent less than God’s intentional design for His children. While affirming a scriptural view of sexuality and gender, we welcome all to experience the redemptive grace of Jesus and are committed to being a safe place of refuge, hospitality, and healing for any who may have experienced brokenness in their sexual lives.”

The Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline also states that a bishop or clergy member found to be engaging in sexual activities "outside the bonds of a loving and monogamous marriage between one man and one woman" may be charged with suspension.

Due to its new formation, the Global Methodist Church is still operating in a transitional stage from the United Methodist Church. According to the Global Methodist Church website, this transitional stage may last up until December.

While the Global Methodist Church is still actively accepting congregation applications, there are 21 churches already a part of the Global Methodist Church in Missouri, including Ava Methodist Church, Conway Methodist Church, Christ's Community Methodist in Joplin, Royal Heights Methodist Church in Joplin, Seymour Methodist Church and St. Mark's Niangua Methodist Church.

Why now?

Since 2019, more than 6,100 churches have disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church in the United States, according to data published by United Methodist News. This followed the United Methodist Church General Conference's decision to amend a portion of the Book of Discipline in 2019. The amendment allows churches the right to their property after disaffiliation, which was not previously allowed because of the Book of Discipline's Trust Clause.

Outlined in the Book of Discipline by Wesley in 1784, the United Methodist Church's Trust Clause states that if a church were to disaffiliate from the organization, the church's property would revert back to the Methodist denomination. Wesley created the Trust Clause to prevent other organizations from seizing his church buildings when the United Methodist Church was first established.

“The idea is that the annual conference has an interest in the property that takes effect only if the building or the house or the property ceases to be used for United Methodist purposes," Rev. Nate Berneking, Missouri Annual Conference director of finance and administration, explained in a video shared by the Missouri Annual Conference.

The 2019 amendment gives local churches that wish to disaffiliate the option to leave the organization but still have access to their buildings, after payment to the United Methodist Church. Previously, if a church were to disaffiliate, it would not have access to its building.

How does a church disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church?

When a church wishes to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church, it first must host a conference conducted by the appropriate district superintendent where present members vote and approve the disaffiliation by a 2/3 majority. The superintendent for Missouri's southwest district is Mary Rodgers-Weaver, so she would have to be present at these conferences.

Once a majority vote has been cast, the church must pay its current apportionments, plus one more year of apportionments. Apportionments in the United Methodist Church are financial donations given to several different areas of the international organization. Apportionments are based on each church's reported expenses for operation, according to Berneking.

In addition to the necessary amount of apportionments, a church interested in disaffiliating must pay a "withdrawal liability," which is a payment of the church's "pro-rata share of the conference's pension liability, based on a formula approved by the annual conference," according to the United Methodist Church website. This number is aggregated by Wespath Benefits and Investments, the United Methodist Church's pension fund for active and retired clergy and employees. The church must also ensure all other debts are covered.

In total, to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church, Schweitzer Church paid $776,662, according to Smith's "Special Note about Schweitzer Church" on June 9. The church paid most of this in cash but did have to take out a "small line of credit to cover the rest." In his note, Smith said he expects the church to pay off this credit by the end of the summer.

The final step of the disaffiliation process is for an annual conference to vote on the decision.

Once a church has officially disaffiliated, it may continue to include "Methodist" in its title, Jenne said. This is a decision made by each church.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Schweitzer Church disaffiliates from United Methodist Church