What Are the Differences Among the Five Exit Plans?

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As indicated last week, one likely scenario for General Conference 2019 is that a exit plan will be passed without any other plan also being passed. But the question remains: which exit plan?

There are currently five different exit clause petitions that will come before GC2019 - Brooks (Petition 90051), Tull (Petition 90056), Ottjes (Petition 90058), Boyette (Petition 90059), and Taylor (Petition 90066). Here is how these five plans stack up on a variety of points of comparison.

Brooks (Petition 90051)

  • Breadth of reason for departure: Departure not limited to disagreements over sexuality
  • Timeframe for departure: Exits allowed during 2020
  • Timeline for process: Not stipulated
  • Local church majority needed to approve: 2/3 of church conference or church local conference
  • Role of District Superintendents, bishops, and annual conferences: DS presides at church local conference vote of disaffiliation
  • Payment of unfunded pension liabilities: Not mentioned
  • Local church assumes property debt: Not mentioned
  • Use of denominational reserve funds: Not mentioned
  • Payment of apportionments: Departing church pays apportionment for year of withdrawal (2020)

Other stipulations: Departing church must pay penalty of 50% average annual budget

Tull (Petition 90056)

  • Breadth of reason for departure: Departure not limited to disagreements over sexuality
  • Timeframe for departure: two years after passage
  • Timeline for process: Not stipulated
  • Local church majority needed to approve: 2/3 of church conference
  • Role of District Superintendents, bishops, and annual conferences: prohibited from delaying vote by local church
  • Payment of unfunded pension liabilities: Yes
  • Local church assumes property debt: Yes
  • Use of denominational reserve funds: Not mentioned
  • Payment of apportionments: Departing church pays twice yearly apportionment

Other stipulations: Departing church repays all moneys received from the annual conference in the previous two years. Departing church pays filing fees to release trust clause claims.

Ottjes (Petition 90058)

  • Breadth of reason for departure: Limited to disagreements about sexuality
  • Timeframe for departure: No limit
  • Timeline for process: Must include 90 days of discernment
  • Local church majority needed to approve: 2/3 of church conference
  • Role of District Superintendents, bishops, and annual conferences: Must facilitate departure
  • Payment of unfunded pension liabilities: Not mentioned
  • Local church assumes property debt: Yes
  • Use of denominational reserve funds: Not mentioned
  • Payment of apportionments: Not mentioned
  • Other stipulations: None

Boyette (Petition 90059)

  • Breadth of reason for departure: Limited to disagreements with the Book of Discipline
  • Timeframe for departure: No limit
  • Timeline for process: Must include 30 days of discernment
  • Local church majority needed to approve: 55% of church conference or 2/3 of charge conference
  • Role of District Superintendents, bishops, and annual conferences: Must facilitate departure
  • Payment of unfunded pension liabilities: Yes
  • Local church assumes property debt: Yes
  • Use of denominational reserve funds: Used to offset unfunded pension liabilities
  • Payment of apportionments: No
  • Other stipulations: None

Taylor (Petition 90066)

  • Breadth of reason for departure: Disagreement with changes to Book of Discipline stance on homosexuality passed by GC2019
  • Timeframe for departure: Must finish by Dec. 31, 2023
  • Timeline for process: Not stipulated
  • Local church majority needed to approve: 2/3 of church conference
  • Role of District Superintendents, bishops, and annual conferences: DS appoints a task force on church viability after exit; bishop sets terms of departure with the cabinet
  • Payment of unfunded pension liabilities: Yes
  • Local church assumes property debt: Yes
  • Use of denominational reserve funds: No
  • Payment of apportionments: Departing church pays apportionments for the year before and the year following departure

Other stipulations: Departing church pays back last five years of annual conference grants. Departing churches can continue to sponsor benefit plans through WesPath.

UM & Global blogmaster Dr. David W. Scott serves as Director of Mission Theology at the General Board of Global Ministries. The opinions and analysis expressed here are Dr. Scott's own and do not reflect in any way the official position of Global Ministries. UM & Global is the collaborative blog of United Methodist Professors of Mission.