A Response to Clergy Membership Withdrawal

In response to communication circulating about retired United Methodist pastors withdrawing their clergy membership, the Alabama-West Florida offers the following statement.
 
Conference leadership respectfully requested that several active and retired United Methodist pastors who were preaching in breakaway churches cease that action. This request was made to all United Methodist Clergy three years ago before disaffiliations began and has continued to be emphasized. When clergy take United Methodist ordination church vows, they promise to not participate in actions that work against the United Methodist Church and fellow United Methodist clergy. They also commit to upholding the UMC general rules, including doing no harm.
 
The Book of Discipline states the following related to clergy ordination, “Be accountable to The United Methodist Church, accept its Doctrinal Standards and Discipline and authority, accept the supervision of those appointed to this ministry, and be prepared to live in the covenant of its ordained ministers.”
 
While we welcome an ecumenical spirit amongst our clergy, they must honor the mission and collegiality of the United Methodist Church. It is no secret that the past few years have been a most difficult season for the denomination and therefore United Methodist clergy should not be preaching in places that would cause confusion or misrepresentation about the denomination. Clergy who have chosen to withdraw their United Methodist membership have done so through their own decision-making process and were in no way forced to do so. We celebrate the many years these clergy have given our conference and United Methodist Churches and wish them the very best on their continued ministries.
 
The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church