Members of the 2024 South Carolina Annual Conference on June 11 overwhelmingly approved the closure of 112 local churches whose members have voted to separate from The United Methodist Church.
According to the resolution approved by the Annual Conference, these churches “find themselves unable to serve the purpose for which they were organized, because of issues related to human sexuality have prevented them, in that they cannot accept the actions taken in The United Methodist Church.”
The UMC General Conference earlier this year removed language from the denomination’s Book of Discipline prohibiting performing same-gender weddings and the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.”
Some 1,500 lay and clergy members of the Annual Conference voted to approve the resolution proposed by the Conference Trustees, who have overseen the Local Church Discernment Process and are responsible for the process of closing a church. The 112 churches – about 13.4 percent of the 836 chartered local churches in the conference – will be closed as United Methodist churches, but intend to continue ministry outside the denomination.
As of the Dec. 31, 2023, reported membership at these separating churches totaled 19,780. That’s just under 12 percent of the 170,893 total membership of all churches in the conference. The separating churches range in size from 11 members to 2,110 members.
Each church met the following requirements to be closed under Paragraph 2549 of the Book of Discipline:
- The church council of a local church determined that it is in the best interest of the church to allow the congregation to pursue separation.
- The local church completed an intentional, 30-day process of discernment to consider whether the congregation can continue to function as a United Methodist church.
- Certain financial obligations, including:
- A tithe equal to 10 percent of the appraised value of all church property and liquid assets.
- All unpaid apportionment giving for the prior year, as well as for the year of closure up to the date of the Annual Conference vote to close the church.
- An additional 12 months of apportionment giving.
- All unpaid salary and benefits due to clergy appointed to the church.
- A withdrawal liability equal to the church’s proportional share of any unfunded pension obligations.
- Other financial considerations and legal liabilities of the local church – such as the disposition of any debts, loans, leases, endowments, foundations and cemeteries – must be satisfied or transferred to a new entity.
- At a church conference meeting, two-thirds of professing church members present and voting support declaring formally that the church can no longer continue to function as a United Methodist church.
Separating churches, which will be closed effective June 30, 2024, are:
Anderson District
- Donalds UMC (Honea Path)
- Gilgal UMC (Due West)
- Main Street UMC (Abbeville)
- New Hope UMC (Anderson)
- Pendleton UMC
- Sharon UMC (Abbeville)
- Shiloh UMC (Due West)
- Shiloh UMC (Piedmont)
- Smyrna (Abbeville)
Charleston District
- Knightsville UMC (Summerville)
- Lebanon UMC (Ridgeville)
- Mt. Zion UMC (Jamestown)
- New Hope UMC (Jamestown)
- New Hope UMC (Summerville)
- St. James UMC (Jamestown)
Columbia District
- Bethel UMC (Winnsboro)
- Beulah UMC (Gilbert)
- Ebenezer UMC (Elgin)
- Rehoboth UMC (Columbia)
- Salem UMC (Elgin)
- Smyrna UMC (Elgin)
- Zion UMC (Blythewood)
Florence District
- Hebron UMC (Cades)
- Pergamos UMC (Cades)
- Union/Manning UMC (Jordan Charge)
Greenville District
- Bramlett UMC (Gray Court)
- Green Pond UMC (Gray Court)
- Northside UMC (Greenville)
Greenwood District
- Bethany UMC (Saluda)
- Cambridge UMC (Ninety Six)
- Edgefield UMC
- Emory UMC (Saluda)
- Harmony UMC (Johnston)
- Johnston UMC
- Leesville UMC
- McKendree UMC (Trenton)
- Mount Lebanon UMC (Greenwood)
- Mt. Pleasant UMC (Pomaria)
- Nazareth UMC (Saluda)
- New Chapel UMC (Newberry)
- St John’s UMC (Batesburg)
- Trenton UMC
- Troy UMC (Greenwood)
- Wightman UMC (Prosperity)
- Zoar UMC (Saluda)
Hartsville District
- Bethlehem UMC (Hartsville)
- Elim UMC (Lamar)
- Mount Olivet UMC (Cheraw)
- Prospect UMC (Hartsville)
- Sandy Grove UMC (Bethune)
- Shiloh UMC (Chesterfield)
- St. Luke UMC (Hartsville)
- Tabernacle UMC (Hartsville)
- Trinity UMC (Darlington)
- Union UMC (McBee)
- Wesley Chapel UMC (Lydia)
- Zoar UMC (Chesterfield)
Marion District
- Antioch UMC (Conway)
- Central UMC (Marion)
- Ebenezer/Tatum (Bennettsville)
- First UMC (Myrtle Beach)
- Hopewell UMC (Fork)
- Latta UMC
- Macedonia UMC (Mullins)
- Mt. Andrew UMC (Latta)
- New El Bethel UMC (Conway)
- New Hope UMC (Wallace)
- Pleasant Hill UMC (Mullins)
- Poplar UMC (Conway)
- Shiloh UMC (Bennettsville)
- Shiloh UMC (Marion)
- St. Paul’s Waccamaw UMC (Pawley’s Island)
- Union UMC (Conway)
Orangeburg District
- Andrew Chapel UMC (St. Matthews)
- Bethel UMC (Jackson)
- Ebenezer UMC (Bowman)
- Elloree UMC
- Holly Hill UMC
- Jericho UMC (Cameron)
- Jerusalem UMC (Elloree)
- New Hope/Rowesville UMC (Branchville)
- St. John’s UMC (Aiken)
- Wesley Chapel/Calhoun UMC (St. Matthews)
- White House UMC (Bowman)
- Wightman UMC (Bowman)
Rock Hill District
- Adnah UMC (Rock Hill)
- Antioch UMC (Rock Hill)
- Friendship UMC (Rock Hill)
- Heath Memorial UMC (Rock Hill)
- Kings Mountain Chapel (York)
- Mt. Holly UMC (Rock Hill)
- St. Paul UMC (York)
Spartanburg District
- Enoree UMC
- Gramling UMC
- Landrum UMC
- Mesopotamia UMC (Gaffney)
- Patterson Chapel UMC (Enoree)
- Trinity UMC (Gaffney)
Walterboro District
- Bethel UMC (Harleyville)
- Bethel UMC (Ruffin)
- Duncan Chapel UMC (Harleyville)
- Ebenezer UMC (Walterboro)
- Ebenezer/Yemassee UMC (Walterboro)
- First UMC (Harleyville)
- Grover UMC (St. George)
- Indian Field UMC (St. George)
- Providence UMC (St. George)
- Rehoboth UMC (Cottageville)
- Salem/Hendersonville UMC (Walterboro)
- St. George UMC
- St. John UMC (Ruffin)
- Tabor UMC (Ruffin)
