Nearly six months after 35 churches were allowed to disaffiliate from the Arkansas United Methodists, several more were given the same permission over the weekend. During a special session of the Arkansas Annual Conference Saturday in Hot Springs, three area churches were among 67 voted to be cleared for disaffiliation due to “issues related to human sexuality.”
According to a report from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the newest list of churches include Wesley United Methodist Church in Cotter, Cedar Grove United Methodist Church in Yellville and Everton United Methodist Church. In November, the first group of churches disaffiliating from the denomination included Bellefonte United Methodist Church.
A portion of the denomination’s Book of Discipline reportedly allows local churches to disaffiliate if they’re dissatisfied with the denomination’s tolerance on issues including same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay clergy. That portion of the book was approved in 2019 at a special session of the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in St. Louis.
A two-thirds vote by a congregation is required before it can be allowed to disaffiliate from the denomination. Fifty of those congregations addressed over the weekend had voted unanimously to leave.
With Saturday’s vote, the total number of churches allowed to disaffiliate from the Arkansas United Methodists grew to 102. That has reduced the number of congregations in the state to 497.
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