The Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference will meet May 6, 2023, to vote on the disaffiliation of 28 congregations. Here are some of the details that give us an overview of what this will mean. All figures are from the 2022 Conference Journal-Yearbook and reflect conditions at the end of 2021. We do not yet have access to more updated statistics.
THE 28 CHURCHES THAT ARE LEAVING:
The southernmost part of our conference, (currently Marion and Mt. Vernon Districts,) soon to be merged into the new SOUTH DISTRICT: Carmi Emmanuel, Dahlgren, Marion Aldersgate, Sunfield, West Frankfort Trinity, Billett, Enterprise, Fairfield First, Olney First, Flora First, Louisville, and West Salem Zion.
The eastern part of our conference, (currently Champaign and Effingham Districts,) soon to be merged into the new EAST DISTRICT: Champaign New Horizon, Martinsville, Pearl Chapel, and Haley Chapel.
The northern part of our conference, (currently Peoria and Bloomington Districts,) soon to be merged into the new NORTH DISTRICT: Peoria Bradley Epworth, and Washington Crossroads.
The northwest and western part of our conference, currently (Galesburg and Jacksonville Districts,) soon to be merged into the new WEST DISTRICT: Greenfield, Loraine–west, Rockbridge, Geneseo First, and Loraine–north.
The metro-east and central part of our conference, (currently Belleville and Springfield Districts,) soon to be merged into the new CENTRAL DISTRICT: Columbia, Belleville St. Matthews, Troy, Worden, and Decatur Grace.
WHICH OF THESE CHURCHES ARE IN DEBT AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT DEBT?
The churches that are leaving have a combined $6.5 million in debt. The conference will not be left with that debt, but each disaffiliating church will have to take their debt with them.
Three of the churches leaving have over $1million in debt, including the church with the largest debt in the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference: Geneseo First ($2.6 million according to the 2022 conference journal.) The other million-dollar debt churches leaving are Washington Crossroads ($1.5 million) and Belleville St. Matthews ($1.1 million.) Marion Aldersgate has $356,000 in debt, New Horizon $769,000, Troy $418,000, Carmi Emmanuel $325,000.
HOW MANY MEMBERS ARE WE LOSING AND HOW MUCH IN SUNDAY ATTENDERS
We are likely to lose 7,500 members from this week’s disaffiliations. There are people in some of these disaffiliating churches who are refusing to leave the United Methodist Church (particularly in Washington and Troy,) and they are finding other UMC congregations to join (or start,) but the majority will be out of our conference. This represents 7% of our total conference membership.
The churches leaving reported a cumulative 3,001 people in their average Sunday worship attendance for 2021. This was 10% of our conference-wide weekly average attendance.
HOW MUCH APPORTIONMENT MONEY WILL WE LOSE IN THE CONFERENCE
The churches leaving were assessed $1,113,000 in apportionments, which will now be lost to the conference, 11% of our income. Only $66,400 of that had not been paid in 2021. Rumors have floated that none of these churches were paying their apportionments anyway. Not true. Most have been paying their apportionments in full. The only disaffiliating churches that defaulted in 2021 were: Haley’s Chapel ($1476,) Billett ($7,788,) Fairfield First (defaulted on $21,288 out of $37,572,) Louisville (defaulted on $8,492 out of $11,604,) West Salem Zion (defaulted on $2,661 out of $11,856,) and Decatur Grace, defaulted on $24,783 out of $99,132.)
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS OF DISAFFILIATION
They are mostly secret, worked out between each individual congregation and the conference Board of Trustees. But in order to disaffiliate, each church was required to pay this year’s apportionment in full, next year’s apportionment in full, a small fee to cover the conference’s legal costs, and that church’s share of the conference’s future liability for pastoral pensions, in full.
WILL THERE BE MORE CHURCHES DISAFFILIATING?
Yes. Several others have already voted, but did not have time to put their “severance funds” in escrow. (see paragraph above) There will be another specially called annual conference in December 2023 to vote approval for those congregations. We do not know how many there will be yet. Some churches are still thinking about it. No church is required to take a vote, only those churches feeling the need to leave the UMC immediately.
WHAT WILL BE THE EFFECT ON THOSE CHURCHES, MEMBERS, AND PASTORS WHO REMAIN?
We will need to get over our self-pity and blaming. We will need to focus on the people who live in our counties and communities instead of our church institutions. We must reframe our mission field, negotiate a new social contract with all our remaining congregations, deploy our pastors more efficiently, learn Economics 101, hold more meaningful conversations with each other, and prepare seats of honor at the table for those we’ve been marginalizing. If we do all that, we’ll be ready to ENGAGE 7,500 NEW PEOPLE, IMMEDIATELY, IN THE GRACIOUS AND LIFE AFFIRMING MINISTRIES SO FAMILIAR TO UNITED METHODISTS.
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