Methodist Theologian Offers Hope for Evangelical UM Churches on Property Issue

by Jim Brown
November 11, 2003

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(AgapePress) - A United Methodist theologian says evangelical congregations that leave the denomination should be allowed to retain their property if their conference has been unfaithful to the teachings of John Wesley.

Several conservative Methodist congregations in Alaska, California, and Kansas that have chosen to leave the United Methodist Church are currently engaged in legal battles to keep their church property. A point of contention is a "trust clause" in the United Methodist Book of Discipline that says local church property does not belong to local trustees, but rather to the national church.

But Methodist theologian Dr. Tom Oden says that clause is nullified if the denomination rejects the moral teaching of scripture. Oden says church property cannot be used in defiance of doctrinal standards established long ago by John Wesley.

"The way local deeds have traditionally been written in the United Methodist tradition guarantees that those who are accountable to the doctrinal standards have a right to the property, whereas those who are not accountable to the doctrinal standards do not have such a right," Oden explains.

Oden maintains that those who uphold the doctrinal standards have solid footing upon which to fight for their property.

"Congregations that are faithful to those standards can appeal, first of all, within church courts to that constitutional rule," he says, "and if necessary -- and we hope it's not necessary, but in some cases it has been -- to civil litigations."

Oden says Methodist conferences forfeit their property rights when they fail to proclaim the true gospel.