UMC sets up Lighthouse for people displaced amid disaffiliation over the long-running gay marriage controversy.
Since 2020, several churches have voted to disaffiliate from United Methodist Church following a gay marriage controversy. Over 240 congregations voted to disaffiliate from the UMC North Carolina Conference last year. 41 congregations according to Christian Post disaffiliated from the MC Western North Carolina Conference in 2020.
Consequent to the disaffiliation, several persons who voted against their congregation’s disaffiliation remain displaced. The two North Carolina-based conferences however have set up Lighthouse congregation to minister to people who were displaced following the separation and at the same time have no intention of disaffiliating from the denomination.
The director of WNCC Church Development, Rev. Hutchinson said as quoted by Christian Post, Â “The prevailing reason for Lighthouse Congregations was (and is) to provide a mechanism for people displaced by disaffiliation who want to remain United Methodist to connect with churches that are particularly equipped to love and care for them through this unique and difficult time.” “It is a way to tangibly practice our connectionalism at its best,” he added
Furthermore, Hutchinson described the idea as “a genuine collaborative effort between multiple conferences. With adaptability built into its framework to adjust to the needs and resources of each conference.”
He disclosed also the conversation he had with Rev. Steve Harper of the Florida Conference last October triggered the idea.
“We were discussing different ways conference were managing and responding to a variety of issues related to the disaffiliation process. He sent a broad strokes concept of it the next day”. “I began talking about it with some other Church Developers in other conferences, from which, the Rev. Tim Catlett — developer in the NC Conference — and myself began to drive down even more specifics,” he said, quoted Christian post.