70 South Carolina Churches Face Legal Dismissal in UMC Split
70 South Carolina churches seek to leave United Methodist Church amid legal battle over property and LGBTQ policies.
3 min read
South Carolina Methodist churches seeking to break away from the United Methodist Church are on the cusp of winning a round in their legal battle. About 70 congregations are seeking to leave and take their property with them, according to the Christian Post. They have been opposed by the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, which holds that the property of individual churches is held for them in trust by the denomination rather than being owned outright by each local church, as noted by Dockline.
As noted in a February post from The Advocate, the churches are among those that did not want to abide by the 2024 United Methodist Church decision to strike from its rules language that said “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” At the time, bans against ordaining LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex marriages were also removed.
A South Carolina judge intends to dismiss UMC lawsuits against about 70 churches seeking to leave, the S.C. conference says. #UMC #SouthCarolina #Methodists #Courts #ChristianPost https://t.co/5yEwJ3NDsI https://t.co/Sb47hW8LFm
The conference said in a statement issued last week that Circuit Court Judge Brian M. Gibbons “intends to issue an order dismissing the cases brought by the Conference and local United Methodist churches.” The final orders have not yet been written or entered. Attorneys representing the separating churches have been asked to prepare proposed orders for the judge’s consideration and signature, the conference said.
The South Carolina Conference of the #UMC suffered a major setback this week in its legal fight over departing churches. According to a press release, the judge intends to issue an order dismissing the cases brought by the conference. Read more: https://t.co/GqDf3Q1t7D
We recognize that this news may bring disappointment, concern and questions for many across our Connection. In moments such as these, we are reminded that our trust rests not in any single court decision or legal proceeding, but in the God who continues to lead the church through seasons of uncertainty and change.
The conference said the upcoming decision will not be the end of the legal battle. There remains much ministry before us,” said UMC South Carolina Conference Bishop Leonard Fairley, as quoted in the update. “People are hungry for the Gospel.”
“So, we will continue to seek justice faithfully, pursue the appropriate legal avenues available to us, and trust God with what lies ahead. And through it all, we will remain focused on our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
In 2023, 113 South Carolina churches broke away amid a national schism of LGBT policies, the Advocate reported. Another 112 did so in 2024. After that, the denomination said disaffiliation under the policy in question “was no longer permissible.”
The South Carolina case comes against a backdrop in which Highland Park Methodist Church in Dallas is considering leaving the United Methodist Church. The Church Council said a lawsuit from the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church to block changes in bylaws that gave more control to the church than the conference is interference in church governance, according to WFAA-TV.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
