CALEDONIA, Mich. — On Sunday, March 19, Cornerstone Church broke away from the United Methodist Church due to the larger church’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community.
The presiding bishop of the Michigan Conference of UMC sees the decision as part of a discussion larger than the individual congregation and even the denomination.
“It would be safe to say that, within the United States, the church is wanting the church to be more inclusive of LGBTQ people, that is, allowing the church to host weddings, clergy to officiate, [and] offering people who are LGBTQ the opportunity to apply for ordination,” Bishop Bard said during a Zoom interview on Monday.
He said the Michigan Conference affirms the church "moving in that direction," but current policies don't allow it.
So, he said Cornerstone Church, one of the largest congregations in the Michigan UMC, voted with a two-thirds majority to become independent.
FOX 17 reached out to Cornerstone on Monday for an interview and they declined. However, they provided the following statement via email:
“Cornerstone Church has been presented an opportunity to become nondenominational and we feel this is the right time to do so. As a church, we welcome all people into our church family and are excited about the future that is ahead.”
Bishop Bard said their decision was immediately felt, and that they will be missed.
“You use the term divorce and that's a good, good metaphor. It's painful. It's painful for everyone,” Bishop Bard said. “I talked to the pastor of the church. This particular pastor has not necessarily been pushing for the church to do this. You know, some of our pastors have been more active and encouraging their church to leave the United Methodist Church. I think, you know, this has been more challenging and more painful for the pastor. It's certainly painful for the people in the church.”
Bishop Bard added that even though Cornerstone voted to disaffiliate, the church still has to meet some financial obligations, like paying into the clergy’s pension plan. Cornerstone also has to file as a separate 501-C3. Then, later in the year at the UMC annual conference, their disaffiliation will undergo a final vote.
Michigan is home to over 700 United Methodist churches. However, for Bishop Bard, losing even one is still impactful.
“Personally, it's, it’s painful. I'm a bishop of the church and I don't relish the idea that that churches want to leave,” Bishop Bard said. “At my deepest level, I think the work of the church is significant and it's only diminished when we go through these kinds of separations.”
However, this is not the first time United Methodists have debated the future of the denomination. Pastor Steve McCoy, who leads the First United Methodist Church in downtown Grand Rapids, said the church first split during the Civil War over the issue of slavery. The UMC didn't come back together until 1939. It wasn't until the 1950s that the denomination allowed women to be ordained. Now, LGBTQ+ inclusion is the subject of the church's discourse.
"I think this is another one of those lines of progression where people like our church, and myself as a pastor, have come to understand that the literal reading scriptural interpretation may not be the best one, when it comes to how we apply it to today's standards, as we have in the past," said Pastor McCoy.
While Cornerstone Church is one of the largest UMC congregations in Michigan, Pastor McCoy said Cornerstone's vote represents a small portion of what the collective UMC believes. At the annual conference in 2019, 68% of members voted in support of expanding inclusivity.
Pastor McCoy's congregation, for one, is focused on inclusivity. People in the LGBTQ+ community are involved in all kinds of leadership positions at the downtown Grand Rapids church, from committee chairs to the pastoral team, and same-sex weddings are also performed there. They even fly a pride flag on the side of the building.
"We're committed to welcoming all people and including all people, and specifically, including LGBTQ community, as part of the full life of our church," said Pastor McCoy. "We want to reiterate that this is a place where you do belong, and you will be welcomed and accepted on all levels."
While the denomination has yet to make an official policy decision, which will happen in May at the global meeting of the General Conference, some local churches have elected to move away from the UMC. Bishop Bard indicated that seven churches in Michigan have already disaffiliated. He expects anywhere from 20-40 churches to leave this year.
“In the long run all churches seek to be in ministry for Jesus Christ, offering hope and healing and seeking justice and reconciliation," said Bishop Bard. “I wish Cornerstone and its leaders well as they move into a new chapter of their ministry."
The bishop promised to work with any church hoping to stay within the UMC, but he also called for awareness of the range of beliefs that exist within the denomination.
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