UMC of Indiana Conference expected to tackle disaffiliation of congregations

David Penticuff, Muncie Star Press
Updated ·2 min read
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MUNCIE, Ind. − The size and nature of United Methodist Churches of Indiana may rely on what happens on the Ball State University campus this week.

Attendees arrive Wednesday afternoon at the Emens Auditorium lobby for the United Methodist Churches of Indiana Annual Conference hosted at Ball State University. The event will run through Saturday. About 1,200 people were expected.
Attendees arrive Wednesday afternoon at the Emens Auditorium lobby for the United Methodist Churches of Indiana Annual Conference hosted at Ball State University. The event will run through Saturday. About 1,200 people were expected.

About 1,200 of Hoosier Methodists are attending the annual conference hosted at BSU. The conference is expected to consider more disaffiliations of the UMC by traditional local congregations that differ with a progressive course charted by top church leadership that often involve a debate about LGBTQ rights.

Disaffiliation talks on heels of 2022 decisions

In November 2022, 105 congregations in Indiana left the UMC, the IndyStar reported, including some congregations in Muncie, Yorktown, Cammack, Gaston, Selma, Redkey and Winchester. A UMC congregation in Linton also left last year.

Dozens more Indiana congregations are expected to leave the United Methodist Church in Indiana this year, said John Lomperis, who has been a United Methodist General Conference delegate and supporter of traditional church doctrine. He is the United Methodist director at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, based in Washington, D.C.

The split in the third-largest denomination in the United States arose concerning issues such as the acceptance of gay clergy and sanctioning of same-sex marriage. Lomperis said in a message to The Star Press the changes in the UMC stem from theologically liberal views among church leadership about the authority of scripture.

Lomperis said 144 Indiana congregation have left the UMC in recent years.

The stage at Emens Auditorium at Ball State University is prepared Wednesday for the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Churches of Indiana. Among the business expected during the conference is consideration of Hoosier congregations wanting to leave the UMC over disputes concerning traditional versus progressive doctrine.
The stage at Emens Auditorium at Ball State University is prepared Wednesday for the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Churches of Indiana. Among the business expected during the conference is consideration of Hoosier congregations wanting to leave the UMC over disputes concerning traditional versus progressive doctrine.

Bricks and mortar also at issue in church battle

Departing from the church involves the fate of much real estate, which is owned not by local congregations but by the UMC. Exit fees charged congregations have been a stumbling block for some churches, keeping them from leaving and going their own way.

Lomperis said the disaffiliation is being provided for this year through a provision called "Paragraph 2553," which permits departures with a deadline of 2023. Overseeing Indiana UMC congregations is Bishop Julius Trimble, and a big question, Lomperis said, will be whether Trimble will call another conference yet this year to allow even more disaffiliations.

Some of the departing congregations are remaining with Methodism and joining the Global Methodist Church, which is traditionally conservative and was launched in 2022 by people who had left the UMC.

The decision to allow disaffiliations from the UMC could come as early as Thursday night. While there was no formal agenda presented to The Star Press, a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. could involve votes to disaffiliate.

During November 2022, the IndyStar reported, a special session was attended by 600 participants, with a majority of who voted to allow the congregations to leave.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: More Hoosier congregations likely leaving national Methodist church