United Methodist panel addresses church property issues
March 31, 2006
By Linda Green*
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Do the property rights of a local congregation ever supersede the rights of the denomination?
That is one of the questions U.S. civil courts are answering in the
affirmative, and denominational questions related to property issues are
on the rise.
As a result — and in light of secular legal and regulatory changes —
the United Methodist General Council on Finance and Administration has
created a panel to work on challenges facing the denomination with
regard to corporate, property and trust issues.
Historically, the denomination fared well in property dispute cases,
thanks to a trust clause dating back to the days of Methodism founder
John Wesley. On occasions when a local congregation wanted to break away
from the denomination and take the church building too, the civil
courts upheld the denomination’s ownership based on the clause. In
recent years, however, courts have not sided with the denomination in
some cases.
The United Methodist panel on property issues organized March 17 to
address the theological context of property ownership and the
preservation of the denomination’s Wesleyan heritage of connectionalism.
GCFA coordinates and administers finances and safeguards the legal
interests and rights of the United Methodist Church.
The panel anticipates working for 12 months to develop recommendations for the GCFA, including possible changes to The Book of Discipline. Any proposed changes to the book would have to be considered by the denomination’s legislative assembly in 2008.
Specific issues identified by the panel include trust clauses, local
church corporations, and property deeds. The panel will meet again April
25. People wanting to provide suggestions about property issues can do
so by writing to property@gcfa.org.
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