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Southlake megachurch plans vote to leave United Methodist denomination

The church’s vote comes just weeks after a Plano megachurch announced it will disaffiliate.

Members of a Southlake megachurch will vote next month whether to leave the United Methodist denomination.

In a statement on its website, White’s Chapel United Methodist Church said the issue of gay rights sparked the conversation about disaffiliation, but disagreements extend beyond that.

“Admittedly, the issue that disrupted our quiet denominational stalemate was that of homosexuality, but that was just what therapists call the ‘presenting issue,’ ” the church wrote. “It was simply the tip of a much larger iceberg underneath.”

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The vote is scheduled for Nov. 7.

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With more than 15,000 members and an average weekly attendance of 5,000, White’s Chapel is one of the top five largest United Methodist congregations in the United States and among the larger megachurches in Texas.

White’s Chapel’s possible departure comes just weeks after Plano megachurch St. Andrew announced it will leave the United Methodist denomination.

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Some conservative congregations in Texas and elsewhere have split from the denomination over what some see as support for same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay pastors.

Roughly 500 United Methodist churches in Texas, including four of the six largest, have disaffiliated or plan to disaffiliate, according to the state’s various conferences. Earlier this year, some breakaway congregations launched the Global Methodist Church, a more theologically conservative denomination.

St. Andrew in Plano says it will remain independent for the foreseeable future while it seeks partnerships with other “like-hearted churches.”

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In St. Andrew’s case, the church’s executive committee, rather than members, made the decision to leave the denomination.

United Methodist churches are expected to follow a trust clause, however, that requires two-thirds of the congregation to vote in support of disaffiliation.

In an email to The Dallas Morning News, St. Andrew said the congregation rose to its feet and gave a standing ovation following the announcement of disaffiliation and that weekly worship numbers have since increased.

“The congregation is overwhelmingly supportive of the decision and the church’s plans for the future,” a St. Andrew spokesperson said.

If disaffiliation passes at White’s Chapel in Southlake, the church says it plans to align with “other Methodist churches in a voluntary, cooperative manner.”

In the statement, White’s Chapel said conflicting beliefs about the purpose, nature and mission of the church have led to the disaffiliation vote.

“The discussions we are having are rooted in our understandings of what it means for us to be the church,” it wrote. “What’s the point, what’s the ‘why’ of everything that we do?”

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