A Mississippi church has voted to leave the United Methodist Church (UMC) due to the denomination's stance on issues such as homosexuality, abortion and the teaching of Islam.
Members of the First United Methodist Church of Louisville voted 175-6 on Palm Sunday to leave the denomination during a "membership affirmation," with only one member abstaining.
"While our church will no longer be a member of the United Methodist denomination, it will continue to be a Christ-centered church that is faithful to the Scriptures and the theology of (Methodism founder) John Wesley. It will forever be a Methodist church but not a United Methodist church," the Rev. Mike Childs said, as reported by Clarion Ledger.
Childs said that the church's departure was mainly due to the denomination's shift away from the teachings of the Bible as well as the United Methodist Book of Discipline.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Childs said the UMC has not strictly enforced the 2016 Book of Discipline, which holds that "self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church."
The denomination has reportedly allowed a gay bishop to preach even after voting that it contradicted church law.
Childs also lamented the fact that UMC entities have lobbied Congress in support of abortion provider Planned Parenthood.
"We believe in value and sacredness of both the life of the mother and the child but the United Methodist Church has supported legalized abortion in all cases, which contradicts that," Childs told The Christian Post.
Additionally, Childs objected to the decision of United Methodist-rooted Claremont School of Theology to establish courses to train Muslim and Jewish clergy, saying the program "runs counter to the claims of Christ."
The Clarion Ledger noted that separate graduate schools have since been created for Muslim and Jewish students, and only the Christian school continues to receive funding from the UMC.
James Swanson, the bishop of the Mississippi Conference of the UMC, has noted that the church has not been officially removed from the UMC and will remain as part of the conference. He stressed that Sunday's vote only began the "process of discerning the viability of the churches and their future with The United Methodist Church."
A settlement must be reached on the issue of church property before the church can officially depart from the UMC, according to The Christian Post. The church will change its name to "First Methodist Church" once it reaches a settlement with the denomination.
