MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A third of nearly 600 United Methodist Churches in the southern half of Alabama and western portion of the Florida Panhandle have voted to disaffiliate from the denomination.
The requests are expected to be ratified on Sunday during a special called conference session conducted via Zoom.
193 congregations will leave the Alabama – West Florida Conference. More than 50 (listed below) are in the WKRG News 5 viewing area.
United Methodist Churches have been given to the end of the year to leave the congregation while still maintaining ownership of church property. The option was made available after the UMC in 2019 affirmed its stance against gay clergy and same sex marriage.
While the move was designed to allow more liberal churches to disaffiliate, the opposite has happened in the South, with the vast majority of breakaway congregations being more conservative. They fear the UMC will ultimately endorse gay rights within the church.
To learn more about the issue watch this special report:
The following churches in the WKRG News 5 area have petitioned for disaffiliation:
