Some Western Pennsylvania United Methodist churches make split official at conference

ERIE — The Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church is now more than a third smaller after a solemn and at times emotional meeting completed a more than yearlong process of disaffiliation for some congregations.

There were 298 churches in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church that took the final step to leave the denomination Wednesday evening at the conference’s annual meeting. The conference continues through the weekend.

The churches, which made up 39% of the 766-church United Methodist conference in Western Pennsylvania, largely chose to disaffiliate because of disagreements over same-sex marriage and ordaining gay pastors.

While the United Methodist denomination does not yet recognize same-sex marriage or gay pastors, some congregations still are seeking to join the more conservative Global Methodist Church branch, formed in mid-2022, while others are choosing to join denominations or become nondenominational.

During the vote, delegates formally allowed the departing churches to leave by voting district by district on handheld voting devices.

Afterward, Western Pennsylvania Conference Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi spoke to the gathered group of about 850 delegates and congregation members and led them in prayer.

“This has been difficult work to do. It has been challenging, spiritually, intellectually and emotionally,” said Moore-Koikoi, thanking the conference board of trustees, staff and leadership. “For some of us, this might be the last time ever we will sing or pray together.”

She asked the group to “pronounce a blessing on one another” as they left the conference.

“I am begging us to show the world who God is, through the actions of those who are remaining in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of United Methodist Church, and the actions of those who have disaffiliated,” she said. “I am begging us to show the world who God is through how we will love each other.”

Process of disaffiliation

The vote was a culmination of proceedings over the past year. Congregations at United Methodist churches have met, debated, formed steering committees and voted on whether they would stay with the United Methodist faith or disaffiliate.

“Our representatives have already worked out their deal. I guess this just gives approval for that to happen,” said Greg Crossley of Mill Run UMC in Fayette County, whose congregation voted unanimously to disaffiliate. “I don’t see a lot of change in our services. We’re going to be going with the Global Methodist Church, and our people are of the same mind. Our missions will stay the same.”

All disaffiliating congregations must pay fees back to the conference, which are composed of 2% of the church building’s assessed property value, a contribution to the UMC pension fund for retired clergy, and two years’ worth of the congregation’s annual apportionments that would typically be paid to the conference each year.

For some churches, the financial requirement was an obstacle to leaving. Tom Topar of Marchand and Northpoint UMC near Punxsutawney said his congregation would have left if it had the money.

“The little churches I’m pastoring say it doesn’t pay us to leave the denomination. In 10 years, we won’t even be here, the church might not be here in 10 years, so there’s no point in doing it,” Topar said. “The larger churches around us, they are leaving because they can afford to take out a loan, and they know they will pay it off in two or three years, and they will be out.

“They’ll either join the Global or some might go independent, and others might go to another denomination.”

Now that the split is official, congregation members who are staying say there may be an impact on churches that remain.

“There will be a financial impact on all of the churches that are staying United Methodist,” said Ali Berkey of West County Parish in Erie. Her congregation is staying. “There’s unresolved feelings and grief and lots of things going on.”

“Every church is going to lose some people, and you never know — you might gain some, too,” said Mark Schwanke of Russell UMC in Russell, whose church is staying. “I’m not sure how it’s all going to play out.

“To me, it doesn’t matter what name it says on the church, as long as we are worshiping the same God. That’s all that matters.”