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The Administrative Board of Zion United Methodist Church of Lancaster, SC met on January 31, 2024 to discuss ongoing concerns and issues in the United Methodist Church. There was a lengthy discussion which involved many church members offering their opinions on pursuing separation from the UMC. A motion was made and approved that Zion request that we enter into the 30-day process of discernment in order to determine if Zion should continue our ministry as a United Methodist Church. Our church leaders have not entered into this without much thought and process. Following you will see a timeline of sharing, discussion, planning, and outline of this process.
2019 – Pastor Michael Jarrell holds a church-wide meeting at the Men's Building following worship to answer questions regarding ongoing issues in the UMC related to human sexuality/marriage/ordainment.
2022 December 19th – The SC Annual Conference creates a discernment/disaffiliation process using Paragraph 2549 of the Book of Discipline, not Paragraph 2553 which was created in 2019 specifically for disaffiliation relating to the issues of disagreement in the church.
2023 Feb 5th – The Administrative Board holds an informational church-wide meeting to answer questions related to the aforementioned issues in the UMC and the disaffiliation process. After much discussion, it was decided that Zion would not take any action at this time and would wait to see what happened later in the year at the 2023 SC Annual Conference and the 2024 General Conference in Charlotte from April 23rd to May 3rd.
2023 Summer/Fall – One hundred thirteen churches disaffiliate at the SC Annual Conference June 4th through 7th in Florence. As early as July, church members began asking church officers what was going on regarding the UMC situation in relation to Zion. This concern from the members continued for the remainder of the year.
2024 January – Tommy Middleton (Ad Bd Chair) and Steve McDonald (Trustees Chair) helped Cooks for Christ in Florence with a chicken bog fundraiser. There they spoke to persons formerly with the UMC who expressed an expectation that changes could be made to the disaffiliation process in SC including an increase in the percentage of assets payment required for a church to leave the UMC and keep its property
2024 Jan 31st – Zion's Administrative Board holds a church-wide meeting at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Tommy Middleton and Steve McDonald report what they heard in Florence as mentioned above. After a lengthy time of discussion and questions, a motion was made and approved with no opposition to request from the Rock Hill District Superintendent that Zion be allowed to enter into a period of discernment to determine if Zion should continue its ministry as a United Methodist Church. A letter was drafted, emailed, and mailed to Rev. Dr. Anthony Hodge, Rock Hill District Superintendent, on February 1st. Rev. Dr. Hodge replied by email with documents attached for the church to begin the process. Zion will not be able to go through the discernment/disaffiliation process in time to meet the March 1st voting deadline and exit the denomination at the 2024 SC Annual Conference.
2024 Feb 4th – Tommy Middleton addresses the congregation at morning worship after the sermon to announce the start of Zion's discernment process.
2024 Feb 23rd – The Administrative Board meets at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. There were several questions and comments from the members and non-members of the Ad. Bd. A commercial appraiser and a law firm that the former Bethel UMC (now Bethel Christian Community Church) used in their discernment/disaffiliation process have been contacted by Zion's leadership.
2024 March 5th – Tommy Middleton, Dennis Hall (SPRC Chair), and Missy Snipes (Financial Secretary) meet at 4:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall to review and discuss the gathering of information required by the SC Annual Conference.
If you have any questions, feel free to speak with our church leaders; Tommy Middleton, Steve Moseley, Steve McDonald, Jeffrey Thomas, Dennis Hall, and/or Missy Snipes.
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