Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, in consultation with her cabinet, the Board of Ordained Ministry Executive Committee and the Conference Board of Trustees, has called for a special session of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church to be held virtually on Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 6:30 pm. Clergy and laity who were voting members of the June 2023 Annual Conference are also voting members at this special session.
The purpose of this called special session is to process qualified requests for disaffiliation under ¶2553 of the United Methodist Book of Discipline (BOD). The Holston Conference Board of Trustees reaffirmed the only process for disaffiliation for local churches is defined in ¶2553 of the Book of Discipline. The Trustees set the following parameters for this Special Session:
Churches that entered the disaffiliation process in enough time that would have allowed them to disaffiliate on April 22 but were unable to fulfill all the requirements by the March 6 deadline shall be given a second opportunity to have their Disaffiliation Agreements ratified by the Holston Annual Conference.
This means any church that began the disaffiliation process with enough time to complete a minimum of 90 days spiritual discernment, hold a vote at a properly scheduled church conference, and provide the required documentation on or before March 6, 2023 is eligible, or qualifies, to have its Disaffiliation Agreement ratified on September 7, 2023.
District Superintendents have contacted and notified the churches that are eligible to have their Disaffiliation Agreement ratified on September 7, 2023. Editor’s note: Tuckaleechee UMC is NOT included in this as we did not meet the March 6 deadline.
