| Pierce Chapel

The United Methodist Denomination is facing a challenging time as it wrestles with God’s word and how we deal with the issue of human sexuality. As a church, we are seeking God’s guidance in our next steps. This page has been created for the purpose of providing information and updates about the disaffiliation process to our church family.

Town Hall Meetings

January 29, 2023 at 5:30 pm – Town Hall Meeting with Rev. Jerry Akin in the Worship Center.

February 8, 2023 at 6:00 pm – Informational Meeting with District Superintendent Steve Patton in the Worship Center. *At the speaker’s request, this session was not recorded.

February 26, 2023 at 5:30 pm – Town Hall Meeting with Rev. Jimmy Towson from Park Avenue Methodist Church in Valdosta, GA.

March 1, 2023 at 6:00 pm – Town Hall Meeting with Rev. Jon Brown from Vineville United Methodist Church in Macon, GA.

Detailed Breakdown of Options for the Future

Remaining in the United Methodist Church (www.umc.org)

Historically, theology and practice has been traditional, but is currently trending progressive
Headquarters are located according to local conferences. We are currently in the South Georgia Conference, and we may merge with Alabama/West Florida Conference within the next few years
Subject to a trust clause, all property is currently owned by the conference
Apportionments currently set at 10-15%
Pension and retirement plans for pastor(s) will continue to be facilitated through Wespath
No term limits for Bishops
Pastors are annually appointed or reappointed by their Bishop
Familiar church culture, theology, worship practices, denominational polity, etc.
Connection with churches, clergy, and laity we already know from our conference
A global denomination with churches in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North and South America
If we choose to remain, there will be no loss of money due to disaffiliation fees
We will remain connected to familiar UMC agencies (UMCOR, Methodist Home, Open Door, etc.)

The Free Methodist Church (www.fmcusa.org)

Traditional theology and practice
Headquarters in Indianapolis
Has a trust clause when churches reach the Full Membership level of affiliation
The affiliation process is expected to last up to 3 years and may require Pierce Chapel to realign leadership and polity structure to reflect the new denomination’s polity
Denominational financial support expectations are similar to the UMC apportionments (10 to 15% of income)
No term limits for Bishops
Pastors are appointed by Bishops in collaboration with the church. Moves are usually only made if initiated by the church, the pastor, or both.
An established church culture that may be somewhat unfamiliar to us
We will no longer be affiliated with churches and pastors we have known for years
Free to continue relationships with familiar UMC agencies (UMCOR, Methodist Home, Open Door, etc.), but will be expected to also support agencies of the new denomination

The Global Methodist Church (www.globalmethodist.org)

Traditional theology and practice
Headquarters will be located according to local conferences. For us, there would be a South GA conference similar to our current set up in the UMC
No trust clause. We will own our property free and clear
Smaller conference tithes (apportionments), 6.5% max, as opposed to 10-15% in UMC
Set term limits for Bishops (max. number of terms to be defined at 2024 General Conference)
Pastors are appointed/reappointed by request of the church or pastor only
Pension and retirement plans for pastor(s) will continue to be facilitated through Wespath
Familiar church culture, theology, worship practices, denominational polity, etc.
Connection with churches, clergy, and laity we already know from our conference
A global denomination. Within 5 years the GMC will have churches in Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, Central America, etc.
No cost to join the GMC. Only a majority vote of church members
No cost to leave the GMC. Only a majority vote of church members
Free to continue relationships with familiar UMC agencies (UMCOR, Methodist Home, Open Door, etc.)

Liberation Methodist Connexion (www.thelmx.org)

Progressive Theology, “not written in stone”
Headquarters in Iowa
Has not completed the 501c, nonprofit process yet, so associated churches will be considered independent in the meantime
In the early stages of development. Not much information available yet on trust clause, apportionments, pension plans, etc.

Nazarene (www.nazarene.org)

Traditional theology and practice
Nazarene churches are subject to a trust clause when they join the denomination
Denominational financial support expectations are similar to the UMC (10 to 15% of income)
Bishops are called “General Superintendents.” No term limits.
Pastors are appointed to churches for 4 year terms
Pension and retirement plans for pastor(s) are facilitated by the denomination
An established church culture that may be somewhat unfamiliar to us
We will no longer be affiliated with churches and pastors we have known for years
The Church of the Nazarene has a growing number of progressive clergy and members and
appears to be in the early stages of discussing division similar to the UMC. They may only be 10 to 15 years behind the UMC
Free to continue relationships with familiar UMC agencies (UMCOR, Methodist Home, Open Door, etc.), but will be expected to also support agencies of the new denomination

The Wesleyan Church (www.wesleyan.org)

Traditional theology and practice
Headquarters in Fishers, IN
Wesleyan Churches are subject to a trust clause when they join the denomination. Denominational financial support expectations are similar to the UMC (10 to 15% of income)
Bishops are called “General Superintendents.” No term limits.
Pastors are elected by congregational vote every four years. A pastor can be removed by a two-thirds majority vote
Pension and retirement plans for pastor(s) are facilitated by the denomination
An established church culture that may be somewhat unfamiliar to us
We will no longer be affiliated with churches and pastors we have known for years
Free to continue relationships with familiar UMC agencies (UMCOR, Methodist Home, Open Door, etc.), but will be expected to also support agencies of the new denomination

Going Independent

The church will create its own theology and practice
Will own our property free and clear
No conference tithes (apportionments)
Will have to file as 501c. Until approved, all giving will be taxed
The church must hire its own pastor(s)
The church must determine and facilitate health/retirement benefits for pastor(s)
The church must develop its own governance structure
The church must develop its own membership requirements
The church must create its own connections to other like-minded churches
No denominational support
Free to continue relationships with familiar UMC agencies (UMCOR, Methodist Home, Open Door, etc.)

More Informational Sources

The following informational links have been considered and provided by the Navigation Team in an effort to help lead us in this season of discernment on how to best live out the mission of Pierce Chapel.

The Navigation Team found the following video to be a straightforward summation of exactly what is happening in the UMC without bias or agenda.

*There is one correction we want to make you aware of: The narrator mentions the “Georgia Conference“ at one point in the video. He is referring to the North Georgia Conference, not our conference, which is the South Georgia Conference.