Mt. Bethel Sued By Methodist Conference After Mediation Fails

EAST COBB, GA — The North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church sued Mt. Bethel Church in East Cobb after mediation attempts failed. The lawsuit, which was filed in Cobb County Superior Court last Wednesday, asks to seize control of the East Cobb church’s assets.

The suit also seeks a permanent injunction to prevent Mt. Bethel, which has been trying to disaffiliate from the UMC for months, from retaining any control over its assets.

Mt. Bethel, which boasts 10,000 members and is the largest church in the North Georgia conference, entered into mediation in July with the Conference after months of conflict. In April, the popular senior pastor Rev. Jody Ray was reassigned by Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson to a post related to racial reconciliation. Ray refused the new assignment and claimed it was not made following the proper protocols, and the church announced its intent to disaffiliate.

The Southeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Episcopacy and the Southeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops determined that Haupert-Johnson acted in compliance with the denomination’s Book of Discipline when she reassigned Ray, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In July, the church and the Conference entered into mediation talks that ultimately proved unsuccessful, resulting in litigation.

“While the Conference and its representatives have engaged in negotiations with local church officials and have made good faith efforts to resolve the issues without litigation, the current situation has not changed and it is untenable,” the Conference said in a statement. “The Conference Board of Trustees will continue to take all necessary and appropriate actions to ensure compliance with the tradition and the Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church.”

Mt. Bethel issued a statement that it was “deeply saddened” that the mediation talks failed, and asked for the right to vote for disaffiliation.

“We have been watching and praying for the final passage of the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation when a special General Conference can finally take place (in fact, had the Protocol been passed in 2020 as originally envisioned prior to the pandemic, Mt. Bethel would have already parted ways with an increasingly progressive post-separation UM Church,” the church wrote. “Bishop Haupert-Johnson sees a different future, and she is entitled to her beliefs. Our beloved church is now simply asking for its voice to be heard; let us vote on disaffiliation. Give our members a chance to speak to the heart of our faith and stake a claim for the future of Mt. Bethel Church.”

If the aforementioned Protocol for Reconciliation through Grace and Separation is approved by UMC delegates, Mt. Bethel and other conservative churches would be allowed to disaffiliate, and possibly form their own denomination. The UMC, which is one of the largest mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S. and the world, has been split for many years, largely over LGBT rights. While some in the church want to perform same-sex marriages and allow openly LGBT clergy, others, including Ray, do not.

“I want you to remember this day that your Daddy didn’t bow the knee or kiss the ring of progressive theology...which is no theology,” Ray told his congregation after he was reassigned, as reported by East Cobb News.

SEE ALSO:

• Mt. Bethel Enters Mediation With Conference To Settle Dispute
• Embattled East Cobb Church Warned Of Coming 'Spiritual Battle'
• Mt. Bethel UMC Assets To Be Seized 'Immediately' By Conference
• Cobb Church Breaks With Methodists Over Pastor's Reassignment