14000-Member Texas Megachurch Votes to Disassociate From UMC Amid Same-Sex Debate
14000-Member Texas Megachurch Votes to Disassociate From UMC Amid Same-Sex Debate
Due to the controversy surrounding same-sex problems inside the United Methodist Church, a 14,000-member Texas megachurch announced this week that it was leaving the organization.
Following the completion of the discernment process, more than 3,000 members of The Woodlands Methodist Church cast ballots to decide to sever ties with the UMC on Sunday afternoon.
2,678 members, or 96.3 percent of those who cast ballots, chose to sever ties with the mainline Methodist denomination, according to the church’s website.
The ballots from Sunday’s election were gathered, tabulated, and certified by Houston-based Harper Pearson Company, PC, an independent accounting firm with headquarters in Texas.
14000-Member Texas Megachurch Votes to Disassociate From UMC Amid Same-Sex Debate
“I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude for each one of you – for your faithfulness and for your bold support of our ministry together here at The Woodlands Methodist Church. So, thank you for showing up today. Thank you for filling our worship spaces. And thank you for casting a ballot,” Senior Pastor Mark Sorensen said in a statement following the vote.
“Our congregational vote was a success because of your involvement and your support of our shared mission to win people to Jesus Christ, disciple them in faith, and help those in need,” he continued.
“For us, disaffiliation was just the first step in a multi-step process that includes discernment and then future affiliation. With this vote behind us, we are truly able to move forward in faith. I couldn’t be more excited or expectant for our next season of ministry together,” he concluded.
According to UM News, Faithbridge, a 1,300-member church in Spring, Texas, also voted to disaffiliate from the UMC on Sunday after 549 members voted to leave.
“I’m … realistic about where the denomination is heading, and so I have no second thoughts,” Faithbridge Senior Pastor Ken Werlein said. “We’ve done the right thing, the smart thing, the wise thing to keep Faithbridge, Faithbridge.”