West Virginia Supreme Court blocks lawsuit by 33 churches seeking to leave UMC
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has blocked a lawsuit from 33 congregations trying to leave the United Methodist Church.
The West Virginia high court issued its decision on Wednesday in State of West Virginia ex rel. Trustees of the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, et al. v. the Honorable Mark Wills, Judge of the Circuit Court of Mercer County, Trustees of Madison United Methodist Church, et al.
Justice Charles S. Trump IV wrote the court's opinion, concluding that an earlier court decision was correct to find that the dispute was an ecclesiastical matter and should not be handled by a secular court.
"Instead, the allegations challenge the Conference's interpretation and application of the Church's governing law and its conduct in connection with the efforts of the Local Churches to disaffiliate," wrote Trump. "Those allegations therefore do not bring this case within the narrow exception to ecclesiastical abstention recognized in our law."
Trump added that "civil courts must refrain from deciding disputes that require them to interpret or resolve matters of religious doctrine, church discipline, internal governance, the qualifications or conduct of church members or leaders when those questions are committed to the church's own ecclesiastical authority, or ecclesiastical law."
The court granted a request from the UMC West Virginia Conference trustees for a writ of prohibition, a court order that stops the Mercer County Circuit Court from reopening the 33 churches' lawsuit.
For decades, the UMC debated whether to amend its Book of Discipline to allow the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals.
Although proposals to change the Book of Discipline failed at every General Conference, many progressive leaders in the UMC either refused to follow or enforce the denominational rules.
In 2019, at a special session of General Conference, delegates approved a temporary measure to the Book of Discipline that allowed churches to leave the UMC because of the years-long debate.
As a result, according to UM News, from 2019 to 2023, more than 7,600 mostly theologically conservative churches successfully disaffiliated from the UMC through the process. This included 24 congregations in West Virginia.
In 2024, after the UMC voted to change the Book of Discipline to remove the prohibitions on gay marriage and ordination, 33 congregations in West Virginia tried to leave the denomination.
The local churches filed suit in 2024, alleging that the conference had told them they could leave the UMC with their properties after General Conference changed the rules.
Their complaint accused the regional body of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and conspiracy, among other allegations, UM News reported on Friday.
