The South Carolina United Methodist’s Annual Conference 2024 has approved the separation of 112 churches across the state that have chosen to leave the denomination over sexuality and other concerns.
On Tuesday afternoon, in a moment of gravity and quiet blessing, the body voted overwhelmingly to approve the resolution from the Conference Board of Trustees enabling the churches to separate.
Officially, the action is considered a church “closing,” as the churches are closing as United Methodist churches, though they are expected to remain open either as independent churches or will align with another denomination.
Shannon Bullion, chair of the trustees, said the churches had gone through a conference-authorized Local Church Discernment Process this winter.
The process enabled churches to pray, discern and then hold a churchwide vote about leaving the UMC if their members believed the denomination has not upheld its stated doctrine on issues of human sexuality.
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That doctrine, per the 2016 Book of Discipline, was that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching,” though the church “implores families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends.”
“We have held high the ethic of ‘first, do no harm,’ and we have held a staunch regard to do due diligence,” Bullion said from the podium. “As we prepare to read this resolution and the separating churches, I ask God’s help that God may keep us in unity, constancy and peace.”
The Rev. James Friday offered a heartfelt prayer before the body cast their vote: “God, we pray that even as we grieve their leaving, that we are still one body, one faith, of one baptism, one God and father of us all, in all and through all.”
Annual Conference members were asked to stand if they approved the separation. A long pause occurred as the room honored the churches with their action and their silence. The number that left, 112, represents about 13.4 percent of the 836 total churches in the South Carolina Conference from every one of the 12 districts.
This year’s number is one church fewer than the number that separated from the denomination in 2023. Last year at Annual Conference, 113 of the 958 churches separated from the denomination, comprising roughly 12 percent.
The names and number of the churches was kept confidential by the trustees until the day of the vote. Just before the lunch break, roughly two hours before the vote, the voting members of the body received the names of the separating churches.
Churches that are in the Orangeburg District that are leaving are listed below, including GCFA and town:
• Andrew Chapel (277748), St Matthews
• Bethel (274984), Jackson
• Ebenezer (277351), Bowman
• Elloree (277522), Elloree
• Holly Hill (277624), Holly Hill
• Jericho (277497), Cameron
• Jerusalem (277646), Elloree
• New Hope/Rowesville (277828), Branchville
• St. John (272325), Aiken
• Wesley Chapel/Calhoun (278093), St Matthews
• White House (277395), Bowman
• Wightman (277418), Bowman
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