Myrtle Beach church wants to leave Methodist denomination over homosexuality debate
As the United Methodist Church prepares to make a decision globally about its rules on homosexuality, a prominent Myrtle Beach church wants to leave the denomination to avoid the debate.
Christ United Methodist Church’s leadership sent a letter Sept. 26 to the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church requesting a peaceful exit to become independent.
With a reported membership of 1,623 at the end of 2017, Christ United is the 17th largest of 978 United Methodist churches in South Carolina, according to the state conference.
Rev. Jeff Dunn, senior pastor of the 20-year-old church, said the decision stems from the Council of Bishop’s decision to call a special conference, scheduled for Feb. 23-26 in St. Louis, to choose from several options that would clarify the denomination’s position on same-sex marriages and openly homosexual clergy.
Language in the United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline states that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching,” and the council is expected to choose from options, including deleting that language and allowing each church to make its own decisions or keeping the language and adding measures to enforce it, according to a Religion News Service article.
Dunn said this debate was putting his church in an unfortunate position of appearing to either condemn homosexual people or condone homosexual practices.
“Neither of those feel loving toward homosexual people,” he said. “We are neither condemning nor condoning.”
Christ United Methodist Church — which would simply become Christ United Church if the separation is approved — has homosexual members in its congregation, and those members are deeply loved, Dunn said, but the church also believes the practice of homosexuality is not compatible with God’s scripture.
Dunn has never been asked to officiate a same-sex wedding, but he would decline if he was asked because he wouldn’t want to be seen as advocating for the sexual relationship that marriage condones.
He also wouldn’t ordain a self-avowed, practicing homosexual, he said, emphasizing that he also wouldn’t ordain a self-avowed, practicing adulterer, racist or gossip.
Holding this debate makes it seem like Methodists are targeting homosexuality as a “special sin,” Dunn said.
Dunn said he believes the current language in the church’s Book of Discipline is clear and correct, but the debate has been forced due to a lack of accountability with some pastors performing same-sex marriages and ordaining homosexual clergymen.
“I’ve got no problem with the denomination, but we’re being put in a position politically that’s not God’s will either way,” he said.
The decision was not taken lightly, Dunn said, as church leaders and members spent several months praying, thinking and discussing the possibility of leaving the denomination.
When they polled all interested members, about 98 percent agreed leaving was the right choice, Dunn said, and the church’s administrative council subsequently voted unanimously to request the separation.
The decision led to loss of a few members, which Dunn called “heartbreaking.”
“It doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking that only a few left, because they matter,” he said.
The church also has received some public backlash from the decision from both sides of the debate, with some asserting they’re not being supportive of homosexuals and others asserting they’re not following God’s scripture.
Dunn posted a video to the church’s Facebook page Wednesday urging members to respond to criticism with love, not anger or defensiveness.
The decision to leave the denomination could result in the Christ United needing a new building because their property at 2901 Fantasy Way is held in a trust for the denomination.
Bishop Jonathan Holston, resident bishop of the state conference, issued a statement Oct. 27 simply acknowledging receipt of the letter requesting to leave and explaining his duties as resident bishop to uphold the Book of Discipline, which contains a clause preventing churches from exiting the denomination while maintaining their property.
The property was gifted specifically to Christ United, but Dunn said United Methodist Church leaders requested they transfer the deed to them, which they they did years ago.
Dunn said he doesn’t expect the denomination leaders will want to keep the property, but his members wouldn’t resist or resent them if they did.
“The building not being here wouldn’t change a thing,” he said.
Rev. Tim Rogers, superintendent of the Marion District of the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, which includes Myrtle Beach, said he considers Dunn a friend and “would be truly saddened to see him leave our church.”
Dunn added that he doesn’t expect any changes to how they worship, though he did say he might feel more inclined to allow people who were baptized at birth to be baptized again as adults, a practice currently forbidden by the Methodist denomination.
David Weissman: @WeissmanMBO; 843-626-0305
This story was originally published November 2, 2018 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach church wants to leave Methodist denomination over homosexuality debate."