portions of this story are from a North Georgia Annual Conference press release-—

(6-5-22) In a solemn moment, members of the 2022 North Georgia Annual Conference ratified the disaffiliation agreements of 70 churches. The split is over LGBTQ rights.

A process for disaffiliation was established by the 2019 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. Paragraph 2553 of the Book of Discipline identifies and charges the Conference Trustees with oversight of terms and conditions of disaffiliation. The final step in the process is ratification by the Annual Conference. In 2021, the Board of Trustees adopted a process and, along with District Superintendents, walked alongside the churches that requested to disaffiliate. 


The 70 churches represent 9 percent of the congregations in the Conference and 3 percent of the membership. 

Julie Childs, chair of the Conference Board of Trustees, presented the motion to the Conference on behalf of the Board of Trustees during the first session of the 2022 Annual Conference.

After the vote, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson and the members of the Annual Conference prayed for the departing churches. 

“Bless these congregations as they depart. I pray that we will be partners in ministry and you will do your mighty work of healing division and overcoming rifts.”

The UMC is the 3rd largest evangelical denominations in the US, Celina has two churches that are a part of the UMC, Bethany and Grand Lake Methodist.

United Methodists have long debated LGBTQ rights in the church, including the ordination of LGBTQ clergy and a clergy’s authority to marry same-sex couples, for example.

The debate reached an inflection point in 2016 after hundreds of United Methodist clergy came out as gay and when a regional conference elected the first openly lesbian bishop.

The date of disaffiliation is June 30, 2022. Churches to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church are:

North East District
Banks, Dawson, Habersham, Hall, Habersham, Hart, Forsyth, Franklin, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White Counties  
Center UMC, Hoschton
Chattahoochee UMC
Coosa UMC, Union County
Dry Pond UMC
Gaines Chapel UMC

North West District 
Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Polk, Murray, Pickens, Walker, and Whitfield Counties
Adairsville UMC
Beech Creek UMC
Chapel Hill UMC
Dawnville UMC
Emerson UMC
Fairview, Dalton UMC
Faith UMC, Cartersville
Finley Chapel UMC
Fishers Chapel UMC
Lawrence Chapel UMC
McCaysville UMC
Metropolitan UMC
Nellie Peters UMC
New Hope UMC, Summerville
Oak Hill UMC, Lyerly
Pine Chapel UMC
Sam Jones Memorial UMC
Smith Chapel UMC, Tunnel Hill
South Broad UMC, Rome
The Way UMC
Tunnel Hill UMC

Central North District
Fulton and Clayton Counties
Ebenezer UMC, Roswell
New Life UMC
Sardis UMC

Central South District
DeKalb, Henry, Newton, and Rockdale Counties
Gaithers UMC
Mansfield UMC
New Hope UMC, Locust Grove
Newborn UMC
Prospect UMC, Covington
Sewell UMC
Starrsville UMC

Central West District
Carroll, Cobb, Douglas, Haralson, and Paulding Counties
Bowdon First UMC
Garrett’s Chapel UMC
Union UMC, Waco

Central East District
Barrow, Clarke, Oconee, Gwinnett, and Walton Counties
Bold Springs
Union Chapel

South East District
Baldwin, Columbia, Elbert, Greene, Hancock, Lincoln, McDuffie, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes Counties
Concord UMC, Eatonton       
Union Chapel UMC
Mt. Zion UMC, Washintgon
Bethel UMC, Wilkes County
Smyrna UMC, Washington
Quest UMC
Norwood UMC
St. Paul UMC, Lincoln Co.
Ruckersville UMC
Bethlehem UMC, Elberton
Middleton UMC
Woodlawn UMC, Elberton

South West District
Butts, Coweta, Fayette, Harris, Heard, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson Counties
Arbor Chapel UMC
Ayres Memorial UMC
Calvary UMC, Shady Dale
Carmel UMC
Franklin UMC
Godfrey UMC
Greenville UMC
Harmony UMC, Franklin
Hillsboro UMC
Hopewell UMC, Whitesville
Manchester UMC
Mt. Gilead UMC, Sharpsburg
New Hope UMC, Monticello
Pleasant Grove UMC, LaGrange
Powell Chapel UMC
Raleigh UMC
Trinity UMC, Durand

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