In the final business session of the United Methodist Church’s Alabama-West Florida Conference’s (AWFC) annual conference on Wednesday, an AWFC trustee addressed a new policy that makes it harder for churches to disaffiliate from the denomination, sparking questions from the delegates in attendance.
A leaked email shows a newly elected delegate to the United Methodist Church’s General Conference congratulating other UMC clergy within the Alabama-West Florida Conference for moving forward with a rule that makes it more difficult for traditional churches to disaffiliate from the denomination while retaining church property.
Bishop David Graves of the United Methodist Church’s Alabama-West Florida Conference delivered the opening remarks at the annual conference on Sunday as churches in the state's southern half continue to weigh disaffiliation from the denomination.
Trustees for the Alabama-West Florida Conference (AWFC) of the United Methodist Church (UMC) released an updated disaffiliation eligibility policy on Tuesday, which conservative Methodist leaders are calling a “nail in the coffin” for conservative churches in the conference who are seeking to leave the denomination while retaining church property.