Opinion ID: 2624191
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The United Methodist Church, Alaska Missionary Conference, and The Book of Discipline

Text: The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide religious denomination organized by conferences, each covering a wider geographic scope, beginning with the local church and charge conference and extending through the district, annual, jurisdictional (regional), and [g]eneral [c]onferences. The Board of Trustees of the Alaska Missionary Conference of the UMC (AMC) is an Alaska nonprofit corporation and is the regional conference of UMC that represents Alaska. The Book of Discipline is the book of law of The United Methodist Church. [1] The Discipline sets forth the organizational structure of UMC [2] and contains a chapter devoted to church property. [3] According to the Discipline: The United Methodist Church is organized as a connectional structure, and titles to all real and personal, tangible and intangible property held at general, jurisdictional, annual, or district conference levels, or by a local church or charge, or by an agency or institution of the Church, shall be held in trust for The United Methodist Church and subject to the provisions of its Discipline.[ [4] ] Paragraph 2503 of the Discipline sets forth trust language which all written instruments conveying real property for purposes of worship or as parsonages shall contain, to the effect that all property is being held in trust for UMC. [5] The Discipline later provides: [T]he absence of a trust clause . . . in deeds and conveyances executed previously or in the future shall in no way exclude a local church or church agency, or the board of trustees of either, from or relieve it of its connectional responsibilities to The United Methodist Church. Nor shall it absolve a local church or church agency or the board of trustees of either, of its responsibility and accountability to The United Methodist Church, including the responsibility to hold all of its property in trust for The United Methodist Church; provided that the intent of the founders and/or a later local church or church agency, or the board of trustees of either, is shown by any or all of the following: a) the conveyance of the property to a local church or church agency (or the board of trustees of either) of The United Methodist Church or any predecessor to The United Methodist Church; b) the use of the name, customs, and polity of The United Methodist Church or any predecessor to The United Methodist Church in such a way as to be thus known to the community as a part of such denomination; or c) the acceptance of the pastorate of ordained ministers appointed by a bishop or employed by the superintendent of the district or annual conference of The United Methodist Church or any predecessor to The United Methodist Church.[ [6] ] Paragraph 2506 of the Discipline notes that these property provisions are subordinate to local law: All provisions of the Discipline relating to property, both real and personal, and relating to the formation and operation of any corporation, and relating to mergers are conditioned upon their being in conformity with the local laws, and in the event of conflict therewith the local laws shall prevail; provided, however, that this requirement shall not be construed to give the consent of The United Methodist Church to deprivation of its property without due process of law or to the regulation of its affairs by state statute where such regulation violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion and separation of church and state or violates the right of the Church to maintain connectional structure. . . . [ [7] ] The Discipline contemplates discontinuation of a local church and provides for property disposition in the wake of a discontinuance: A recommendation of discontinuance shall include recommendations as to the future use of the property and where the membership . . . and the title to all the real and personal, tangible and intangible property of the local church shall be transferred. On such recommendation that a local church no longer serves the purpose for which it was organized and incorporated . . ., with the consent of the presiding bishop and a majority of the district superintendents and the district board of church location and building of the district in which the action is contemplated, the annual conference may declare any local church within its bounds discontinued.[ [8] ] It further provides: [W]hen a local church no longer serves the purpose for which it was organized and incorporated . . ., with the consent of the presiding bishop, a majority of the district superintendents, and of the district board of church location and building, the annual conference trustees may assume control of the real and personal, tangible and intangible property. . . . The conference trustees may proceed to sell or lease said property, retain the proceeds in an interest-bearing account, and recommend the disposition of the proceeds in keeping with annual conference policy. It shall be the duty of the annual conference trustees to remove, insofar as reasonably possible, all Christian and church insignia and symbols from such property.[ [9] ]