As requested by the Dean of the Cabinet at the 2023 Alabama-West Florida Conference, the AWF Conference Trustees have approved a ¶2549 agreement and policy for churches to use for exit from the denomination. This policy goes into effect on July 1, 2024, and expires at the close of Annual Conference 2025. As with ¶2553 disaffiliations, the Annual Conference must ratify the ¶2549 agreement for each church going through the process.
Rev. Kincaid, chair of the Board of Trustees states, “I am thankful for the hard work of the Conference Trustees and our chancellors to develop this ¶2549 agreement and policy. We consulted with legal experts in neighboring conferences in an attempt to make an agreement and policy that would be both disciplinary and as close to our current terms and conditions as possible. There are many potential complications in using ¶2549 in this way. We will watch and see what comes from General Conference, as well as any possible review from the Judicial Council regarding this paragraph. The Conference Trustees have done their best to provide a policy that was promised last fall to the annual conference.”
Links:
¶2549 Policy Effective July 1, 2024
Certificate Regarding Resolution of a United Methodist Church Regarding ¶2549
Exit Agreement for ¶2549