The United Methodist Church’s ongoing fracture has taken another dramatic turn, this time leaving 33 West Virginia congregations facing a major legal defeat in their fight to separate from the denomination while keeping their church properties.
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia ruled Nov. 4 that a lower court could not reopen the congregations’ lawsuit against the UMC’s West Virginia Conference, delivering another setback in a denominational battle that has already seen thousands of churches walk away.
According to The Christian Post, Justice Charles S. Trump IV authored the opinion, determining that the dispute involved internal church governance and denominational law, matters that secular courts lack the authority to resolve.
However, what makes this case particularly troubling are the allegations behind it.
The 33 congregations claim denominational officials misled them into believing they could leave the UMC while retaining their properties. According to the lawsuit, conference representatives assured the churches they could wait until after the denomination’s 2024 General Conference to disaffiliate.
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That meeting ultimately saw the UMC remove its longstanding prohibitions on same-sex weddings and the ordination of noncelibate gay clergy, marking a historic theological shift for the denomination.
By the time the congregations sought to leave, however, the temporary disaffiliation provision that had allowed thousands of other churches to depart with their properties had already expired.
The churches alleged that conference officials later told them they could not leave without surrendering their property. Their lawsuit alleged fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and conspiracy.
The state’s highest court did not determine whether those accusations were true. Instead, it concluded that examining the claims would require civil courts to interpret the denomination’s governing rules, placing the dispute outside their jurisdiction.
The West Virginia controversy is hardly an isolated incident.
As Charisma previously reported, Highland Park Methodist Church in Dallas recently drew nearly 8,000 worshippers amid its own high-profile separation dispute with the denomination. The congregation’s overwhelming vote to leave has further exposed the tensions surrounding church authority and independence.
Meanwhile, the denomination continues to lose significant membership. Charisma reported that the UMC lost approximately 174,000 members in the United States in 2025 alone.
For churches seeking to uphold their traditional understanding of biblical marriage, the question is no longer simply whether they can separate from a denomination whose teachings have changed. It is also whether they can retain the places of worship their congregations have called home.
As legal disputes, membership losses, and theological disagreements continue, the United Methodist Church’s historic fracture remains far from resolved.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
