Mt. Bethel Church announced Friday it has filed a counterclaim in a lawsuit filed against it by the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.
In a press release issued shortly after 5 p.m., Mt. Bethel said the counterclaim is asking that members of the East Cobb congregation be allowed to vote on disaffiliation before national UMC delegates are scheduled later next year to consider a protocol for allowing conservative churches to leave.
The Mt. Bethel countersuit is more than 300 pages; you can read through it by clicking here.
The church’s full statement (which is essentially the opening statement in its countersuit) is included in full below; yesterday we posted about the looming deadline for Mt. Bethel to file a response to the lawsuit, which was filed by the North Georgia Conference on Sept. 8.
Mt. Bethel announced its intent to disaffiliate in April, after senior pastor Rev. Dr. Jody Ray was reassigned.
The church balked, saying it wasn’t afforded proper consultation, and has refused to provide office space and full salary to his appointed successor.
The Conference said those actions and others are violations of the UMC’s Book of Discipline governing documents, and declared that Mt. Bethel was not a church in good standing.
Churches under that status are not allowed to disaffiliate under UMC policies.
Since the lawsuit was filed, Conference attorneys have been attempting to prevent Keith Boyette, head of the conservative Wesleyan Covenant Association, from joining the Mt. Bethel legal team.
In a Sept. 30 court filing, they alleged that Boyette has “encouraged the congregation of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church to disregard mandates and other doctrine” handed down by the Conference.
Mt. Bethel’s administrative council is scheduled to have a meeting with members on Monday.
Mt. Bethel press release:
Mt. Bethel Church today filed its responsive counterclaim and third-party claim in the Superior Court of Cobb County against the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, its Trustees, Bishop, and District Superintendent (Regional UMC Administrators). The claim asks the Court to require that they permit Mt. Bethel to move forward with a vote to disaffiliate from the UMC as is afforded in the denomination’s Book of Discipline.
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson of the North Georgia Conference (NGC) orchestrated a pastoral conflict with Mt. Bethel beginning in April 2021. In response, on April 14, 2021, Mt. Bethel’s Administrative Council voted to begin the disaffiliation process, which has yet to be scheduled by the NGC despite a deadline for its completion.
“If the Regional UMC Administrators really believe the rhetoric they have been spreading—that [Mt. Bethel’s] 50-member Administrative Council unanimous vote was a rogue take-over by a few local church leaders who do not in fact speak for the majority—then, LET THE CHURCH VOTE!,” reads the filing.
Mt. Bethel is a thriving 10,000-member congregation with substantial assets. In addition to blocking the disaffiliation voting process, the NGC has retaliated against the church by proclaiming a sham “closure” and take-over of the local church and its assets, based on the Regional UMC Administrators’ inaccurate and pejorative claim of ‘exigent circumstances.’
Mt. Bethel leadership sought to resolve the issues with the NGC via the processes outlined in the Book of Discipline as well as through civil and church-led mediations, but on Sept. 8, NGC’s Trustees filed a lawsuit against Mt. Bethel intended to punish the church and to intimidate other traditional United Methodist churches in the conference that might also be considering use of the disaffiliation process.
“Despite this action by the Regional UMC Administrators to punish Mt. Bethel, Mt. Bethel continues today to perform ministry in the name of Jesus Christ throughout Metro Atlanta and in places all over the world,” the filing states. “It is sadly ironic that the Regional UMC Administrators accuse Mt. Bethel of violating unwritten ‘
conditions of disaffiliation’ while themselves violating the express text of the Book of Discipline disaffiliation procedure the General Conference adopted.” Declaring the NGC is asserting ownership over property in a deliberate effort by the Regional UMC Administrators to dry up Mt. Bethel’s resources by deterring member contributions, Mt. Bethel is seeking immediate injunctive relief from the Cobb County Court.
Related stories
- ‘Friends of Mt. Bethel’ growing more vocal against church leaders
- Mt. Bethel pastor likens church’s saga to Civil Rights movement
- Mt. Bethel sued by UMC denomination
- Mt. Bethel, North Georgia UMC enter mediation
- At prayer service, Mt. Bethel urged to prepare for ‘spiritual warfare’
- Mt. Bethel blasts ‘false declarations’ to seize assets
- North Georgia UMC to seize assets, take over management of Mt. Bethel
- Appointed Mt. Bethel pastor “disappointed” with church leaders
- Mt. Bethel church members fears “that we’re being torn apart”
- Mt. Bethel Church files grievance against Methodist leaders
- Mt. Bethel announces intent to leave United Methodist Church
- Mt. Bethel UMC opposes reassignment of senior pastor
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