Mt. Bethel officially breaks from United Methodist Church

*The front of Mt. Bethel Church in July 2021, before its battle with the United Methodist Church went to court.*

The words “Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church” once engraved on a marquee on its main campus on Lower Roswell Road were scrubbed several weeks ago.

That was in June, when the large East Cobb congregation entered into a settlement with the United Methodist Church to resolve more than a year of public disputes and legal wranglings.

A little more than a month later, the split has become official. Mt. Bethel Church is no longer part of the second-largest Protestant denomination and is an independent church.

Less than a month after entering a formal settlement with the North Georgia Conference of United Methodist Church, Mt. Bethel has fulfilled its obligations in a consent decree.

The Conference Board of Trustees issued a statement Wednesday saying that both parties “recently signed documents that bring resolution to the matter” and that they “appreciate all who have worked patiently and prayerfully to reach this point of resolution.”

No further details were announced, but the consent decree, filed in Cobb Superior Court, required Mt. Bethel to pay the Conference $13.1 million in 120 days. The church conducted a fundraising drive and received a loan to meet that obligation.

Other terms of the decree also no do not permit Mt. Bethel to use certain portions of its properties as offices or headquarters for another religious denomination for several years.

The church also cannot sell any of its Lower Roswell Road properties for seven and a half years without giving the UMC and the North Georgia Conference the right of first refusal to purchase them.

Mt. Bethel has been a founding member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a consortium of conservative Methodist congregations that eventually founded the Global Methodist Church, a new denomination that went into effect in May.

The UMC has planned a separation process for conservative churches to leave over theological issues, particularly regarding human sexuality.

The UMC currently bans gay and lesbian clergy and same-sex marriages but is likely to change those policies.

However, the denomination hasn’t been able to meet collectively since COVID-19 and its next general conference has been delayed to 2024.

Mt. Bethel officials said when the consent decree was signed in June that they are remaining independent.

Robert Ingram, the lead attorney for Mt. Bethel, previously told East Cobb News that his clients wanted the settlement to include a disaffiliation vote that would have been less costly than what was in the consent decree.

But he said the Conference, “despite our pleas, never did that.”

The dispute began in March 2021 when the Bishop of North Georgia reassigned Rev. Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel’s senior pastor, to a Conference position on racial reconciliation.

Mt. Bethel leaders balked, saying they weren’t properly consulted and declared their intent to disaffiliate, while Ray turned in his UMC ministerial credentials.

He was retained by Mt. Bethel as a pastor and CEO and has continued in those roles ever since.

Those and other actions by Mt. Bethel prompted charges by the Conference that the congregation—with nearly 10,000 members is the largest in its domain—was violating the UMC’s Book of Discipline governing documents.

Mt. Bethel also refused to accept the Conference’s newly appointed senior pastor, Rev. Dr. Steven Usry, who has since been meeting with disaffected members.

The Conference attempted to seize church property and assets, declared Mt. Bethel not to be a church in good standing, and entered into mediation before filing a lawsuit last September.

Mt. Bethel filed a counterclaim and after several months of litigation, asked Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark to lead settlement talks.

A church picnic has been scheduled at Mt. Bethel for Aug. 14 after its late service.

A group of Mt. Bethel members who opposed the church’s fight with the North Georgia Conference continue to worship and have fellowship and support events at a variety of venues.

Last month, North Georgia Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson met with them at Mt. Zion UMC in East Cobb.

The Friends of Mt. Bethel group has been worshipping once a month at Roswell UMC and has been having “shepherding” events at the East Cobb Library and prayer meetings at Mt. Zion.

Fellowship potlucks are scheduled for this Sunday and Aug. 14 at the clubhouse at the Sibley Forest subdvision.