Answer #1 (Stay UMC)
We have followed a process in the same manner as many United Methodist Churches in our Conference. As you may recall from the Information Session held on March 20, 2023, it was shared that the decision-making in the United Methodist Church is spelled out in the Book of Discipline. In this case, the decision is made by the Administrative Board. This Board is appointed by a team of people within the church to represent the church, making what they believe to be the best decisions for the church.
Paragraph 252.1 The church council (or Administrative Board) shall provide for planning and implementing a program of nurture, outreach, witness, and resources in the local church. It shall also provide for the administration of its organization and temporal life. It shall envision, plan, implement, and annually evaluate the mission and ministry of the church. The church council shall be amenable to and function as the administrative agency of the charge conference (¶ 244).
The Church council for AUMC is the Administrative Board (“AB”). The AB approved a plan similar to the process that disaffiliating and non-disaffiliating churches have and are using. In the fall of 2022 the Administrative Board approved established a Listening and Learning Task Force for the purpose of identifying and researching the issues surrounding disaffiliation in the United Methodist Church and how it relates to Auburn UMC. The process was “fast tracked” by the AB in order to speed up the process of their research and report. In February of 2023 the AB asked the Listening and Learning Task Force to hold a church-wide information meeting within one month and report back to the AB within seven days. The request of the AB has been completed with a report submitted to the AB on March 30, 2023.
The Administrative Board will meet and make a decision as to whether to proceed with a Discernment Process, which may lead to a vote. The good news is that the process of Auburn UMC reflects the process used by many United Methodist churches in our AWF Conference and is in accordance with the Book of Discipline. To understand more about our Administrative Board and how United Methodist’s make decisions please follow this link: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/chair-of-church-leadership-team-administrative-council For a free copy of the United Methodist Book of Discipline which outlines our structure of decision making please follow this link: https://www.ctcumc.org/files/fileshare/2016-book-of-discipline.pdf
Answer #2 (Pro-Disaffiliation)
There is no justification. The process Cory presented to the Administrative Board in October was to approve a Listening and Learning Task Force to report back to the Administrative Board. Then, the Administrative Board will decide if we enter into Discernment. There are 57 voting members of the Administrative Board. If they vote for us to go into Discernment, then all church members will have a vote to determine the future of our church.