The 2019 special called General Conference approved, by a narrow margin, the addition of a temporary paragraph to the 2016 Book of Discipline that offered a pathway for churches to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church.
Paragraph 2553 granted a limited right for local congregations to gain release from The United Methodist Church’s centuries-old trust clause, which states that church property is held in trust for the benefit of the entire denomination.
This paragraph allowed U.S. congregations to exit with property for “reasons of conscience” regarding changes made to legislation relating to homosexuality by the 2019 General Conference. It also set minimum monetary conditions that must be met and called for each conference’s board of trustees to decide the specific terms that must be met for congregations making such requests. The paragraph expired Dec. 31, 2023.
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