I just want to share a few words about the recent United Methodist Judicial Council decision that ruled that Annual Conferences can no longer use paragraph #2549 of the Book of Discipline to allow congregations to separate from the denomination.
When I heard about this decision earlier this past week, I knew that this would be difficult news for churches who are considering separation. And my first thought was to say a prayer for my Beulah congregation because of all of the time you have already put into the early part of this process toward potential separation. My prayer was and continues to be for us to be able to process this news and to lean on God for comfort, strength, and guidance.
The second thing that I did after that prayer, was to contact our District Superintendent to see if there was any official response to this news from our South Carolina Annual Conference. And she referred me to this joint response from our new Bishop, Leonard Fairley and our South Carolina Board of Trustees Chairperson, Rev. Shannon Bullion which is available on our conference’s website.
Sisters and brothers in Christ,
We know that many of you have been in prayer concerning the UMC Judicial Council’s decision about the use of Paragraph 2549 of The UMC Book of Discipline as the basis of a process allowing local churches to leave the denomination.
The Judicial Council has announced its decision, saying Paragraph 2549 “cannot be construed or used as legislation permitting the gracious exit of local churches because it applies to church closure and the sale of property, not disaffiliation. Any application of ¶2549 to that end would be a misapplication of Church law.” (Decision No. 1512)
As a connectional church, the South Carolina Conference is bound by the decisions of the Judicial Council. The impact of this decision is that, effective immediately, the Local Church Closure and Separation Process approved by the Trustees of the Annual Conference is no longer available as a means of separation from the denomination.
Trustees anticipated this possibility when they introduced their “Checklist for Closure and Separation in 2025,” advising that the Judicial Council was reviewing Paragraph 2549 and that, “this process may be affected by their actions and decisions.”
If you have any questions about the Judicial Council’s decision, please call 803-735-8771 or email inquiries@umcsc.org.
We invite all South Carolina United Methodists to join us in focusing our prayers, our time, and our energy on our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Join us in seeing the possibilities and living the promise – in sharing the grace, the love, and the peace of Jesus Christ among God’s people.
I attended yesterday’s Bishop gathering at Trinity UMC in Blythewood, and Bishop Fairley shared with us his continued love and support for churches who have been impacted by this Judicial Council ruling. I met a retired couple who attend a church in Irmo and asked their thoughts about the recent Judicial Council decision. And they shared how it’s been a difficult past couple of years because of some of our churches who decided to separate. But then, they shared how they believe that our new Bishop will help bring healing so that we can all move forward in a positive way.
And the last thing that I would say to you is this. You are to be commended for the diligence you have given to the process toward separation, and I know this is a very difficult time for many of you. I will continue to support you in any way I can moving forward and look forward to our common mission as United Methodists which is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
And please remember as I have shared with you since I became your pastor a year and a half ago, that as a United Methodist congregation, you can still choose what weddings are held here and the profile of the pastor you would like to serve here. Those are the things that have not changed even after last spring’s General Conference where LGBTQ restrictions were removed. Congregations like Beulah UMC still get to choose how they will decide these issues at the local level.
Our separation committee which has put in a number of hours working on this process will be meeting soon to go over the latest information about the Judicial Council decision. Please continue to keep them in your prayers as we move forward together trusting in God’s faithfulness.
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