Federal Judge Rules Against Breakaway Methodist Church in Property Battle with UMC

A federal judge has ruled that a regional body of the United Methodist Church is the rightful owner of an Arkansas church property that once belonged to a congregation that disassociated from the conference in 2022. 

The UMC Arkansas Annual Conference announced Tuesday that Special Circuit Judge Gary Arnold ruled in their favor, meaning the breakaway First Methodist Church could be ousted from the property it called home.

Permanent possession of the historic church campus located at 801 S. Main St. in Jonesboro, Arkansas has been granted to the Arkansas Conference," the denominational group stated. 

Pastor John Miles told his congregation that the decision meant they would not be able to occupy the property "for the foreseeable future."

"Although I am discouraged, this is what I expected," Miles said in a video message this week. "Our judge has been quite clear that he did not think we had a case from the beginning. Now, I just want to be absolutely clear with you we believe he's in error. We believe we have a strong case. We have our appeal all set up, and we will proceed with that appeal."  

He said that despite losing their facility, they will continue to "fulfill their mission of putting Jesus first."

Meanwhile, the UMC continues to face a rapidly shrinking number of congregations. 

As CBN News has reported, the UMC, the second-largest denomination in the U.S. with 6.5 million members, has seen more than 7,500 churches leave in an ongoing dispute of the biblical definitions of sexuality.

Jonesboro First United Methodist Church was Arkansas's second-largest United Methodist congregation before breaking away in July 2022.

The Arkansas Conference rejected the disaffiliation vote of First Methodist Church of Jonesboro and 35 other congregations in the regional body. 

The moved sparked a dispute between the Jonesboro congregation and UMC over the church property. 

The Jonesboro congregation, now named First Methodist Church, voted to disaffiliate after the UMC made a pathway for congregations to leave due to the Protestant denomination's new acceptance of homosexuality.

More progressive UMC congregations are pushing for greater inclusion including ordaining gay clergy and homosexual marriage. 

The UMC is currently holding its annual conference where it has now voted to move forward with an LGBT agenda. 

Liam Adams, religion reporter for The Tennessean, has covered the UMC schism extensively. 

He told CBN's Faith Nation that the congregational split is unprecedented and adds there are not enough conservative delegates left to oppose the ongoing move toward LGBT endorsement. 

"This year is the likeliest change that (LGBT) restrictions will be removed," Adams explained. "(it) is largely due to the exodus of traditionalist churches and many of them joining a new breakaway denomination called the Global Methodist Church."

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