Bulgaria-Romania Conference Withdraws from UMC

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From the Bulgaria Conference website

In the morning session of the Annual Conference for Bulgaria and Romania for the United Methodist Church on April 1, 2022, a resolution was presented for consideration. It was submitted by the National Church Council for the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria and the superintendent for Romania. The proposed resolution provided for the Annual Conference to withdraw from the United Methodist Church effective May 1, 2022, and to unite with the Global Methodist Church.

Bishop Patrick Streiff explained to the delegates that there was no basis in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church for this proposal and that the only possibility that is granted for withdrawal is found in ¶ 572. Therefore, the bishop ruled that the proposed resolution was out of order. Pastor Daniel Topalski appealed the decision of the chair and underlined that all such rulings can be challenged by the Annual Conference, which has the right to accept or reject them. Pastor Topalski founded his argument on the established practices of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church. The appeal was seconded by Pastor Tsvetan Iliev and Pastor Krasimir Madjarov.

Bishop Streiff requested to know on what legal grounds the proposed resolution for withdrawal was being made. Pastor Topalski cited Decision № 1366 of the Judicial Council, which states that an annual conference has a basic right to vote to withdraw from the United Methodist Church. It is true that the General Conference has not defined the procedures and conditions of how such a vote can be exercised but this cannot be an obstacle for the annual conference to not take advantage of this possibility. The grounds for the proposal are found in ¶ 33 of the Constitution of the United Methodist Church and not in ¶ 572.

The bishop explained that the matter was a question of law and as such must be submitted for review by the Judicial Council. Pastor Jessica Morris-Ivanova cited Robert’s Rules of Order, which allow for a conference to challenge such a ruling by the chair. Pastor Topalski continued to challenge the ruling of the bishop until at last a vote was held. The ruling of Bishop Streiff that the resolution was out of order was rejected unanimously by the delegates.

The bishop attempted to close the discussion due to the lack of legal grounds in The Discipline and preclude a vote on the resolution for withdrawal of the Annual Conference. Pastor Topalski explained that the natural consequence of a rejection of the out of order ruling of the chair is the consideration of the merits of the proposed resolution. At that point, the bishop announced that he was ending the debate and withdrew as the chair of the session announcing that the continuation would not be considered a part of the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Pastor Topalski moved for a suspension of the rules and removal of the presiding bishop until the consideration of the resolution for withdrawal was completed.  The motion passed unanimously and Pastor Topalski was chosen as the temporary presiding officer.

Pastor Bedros Altunian and Pastor Margarita Todorova spoke in support of the resolution. Pastor Jessica Morris-Ivanova asked for the Romanian representatives to speak to the proposal. Pastor Rares Calugar and Pastor Cristian Istrate spoke in support of the resolution as did Pastor Nerses Ketikyan, Pastor Krasimir Madjarov and Pastor Tsvetan Iliev. When it came time to vote, the resolution passed with unanimous support by all the delegates.

The resolution stipulates that local churches desiring to remain in the United Methodist Church can announce such a decision within one year dating from May 1, 2022. Pastors, who desire to remain a part of the United Methodist Church, can do the same.

Changes to the bylaws of the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria, which would bring this Bulgarian legal document in line with the resolution, were also discussed. The proposed changes passed unanimously.

After a lunch break, Bishop Streiff continued to preside over the Annual Conference, which according to him could at that point be considered again an active session of the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Before the closing of the conference on April 2nd, the bishop declared his opinion the Annual Conference of Bulgaria and Romania became an autonomous church on April 1, 2022, as far as the United Methodist Church was concerned. Despite this pronouncement, he read the pastoral appointments for the coming conference year and announced that this would most likely be his last act as bishop with regard to our Annual Conference.

The Bulgarian National Church Council underscores that the resolution did not foresee that the Annual Conference for Bulgaria and Romania would become an autonomous church but instead that it will join the Global Methodist Church on May 1, 2022.

Editor's note: We present these documents verbatim as they have been publicly posted.

RESOLUTION OF THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR BULGARIA AND ROMANIA FOR WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

In light of the current crisis in The United Methodist Church, the Annual Conference for Bulgaria and Romania enacts the following resolution:

1. The Annual Conference for Bulgaria and Romania (registered as the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria and the various legal entities in Romania) withdraws from and severs all ties, legal or otherwise, with The United Methodist Church as of May 01 2022 and immediately becomes an annual conference of the Global Methodist Church, a Wesleyan Christian church that upholds the authority of Scripture and seeks to live in obedience to the Lord’s commands, as we understand them. From henceforth, this annual conference commits itself to live under the doctrinal standards and polity of the Global Methodist Church, as stipulated in its Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline and the Book of Doctrines and Discipline as hereafter adopted by its General Conference. This resolution is not made based on Article 572 of the Discipline of the United Methodist Church.

2. The Annual Conference for Bulgaria and Romania (registered as the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria and the various legal entities in Romania) shall operate under the bishop or president pro tempore assigned by the Transitional Leadership Council of The Global Methodist Church, on the date at which this resolution becomes effective. The annual conference will assume responsibility for all salary, social and health benefits and operating expenses of such office. The Annual Conference for Bulgaria and Romania releases any claim on the Episcopal Fund of The United Methodist Church effective upon the date of its withdrawal from The United Methodist Church.

3. The Church Council of the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria and the superintendent of the Romanian part of the Annual Conference are directed and empowered to take all actions necessary to effectuate this resolution for withdrawal from The United Methodist Church and joining with the Global Methodist Church. The first step in relation to this will be for the Annual Conference to amend the Articles of Incorporation of the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria according to the Laws for Religious Institutions and the present resolution.

4. The Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria and the various legal entities in Romania retain the entirety of their tangible and intangible property.

5. Following the effective date of this decision, a closed session of all pastors will be held, with each clergy member having the opportunity to sign a declaration of intent to surrender their credentials in The United Methodist Church, affirming their commitment to the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline of the Global Methodist Church, and requesting the issuance of credentials from the Global Methodist Church. Clergy members of the Annual Conference who have signed such a declaration shall thereafter be entitled to a vote as clergy in the Annual Conference. Upon receiving the declaration, the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Annual Conference shall issue ordination credentials to persons signing the declaration recognizing their status in the Global Methodist Church. Persons who do not sign the declaration shall have no vote in the Annual Conference, and their failure to sign the declaration shall constitute a resignation from any board, agency, or leadership position in the Annual Conference. The same rule applies to all local pastors who sign the declaration continue their ministry in the Global Methodist church.

6. Any clergy member of the Annual Conference who desires to remain part of The United Methodist Church shall apply for transfer to an annual conference of The United Methodist Church in accordance with its Book of Discipline.

7. Any lay members of the Annual Conference who intend to remain members of The United Methodist Church after the adoption of this resolution shall recuse themselves from any Annual Conference boards, agencies, and leadership positions and shall abstain from all votes on the business of the Annual Conference after the adoption of this resolution.

8. Any congregation of the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria and in the Romanian part of the Annual Conference that desires to remain part of The United Methodist Church may do so by a simple majority vote of all professing members present and voting at a regular or called church conference. Such action must occur within one calendar year of this resolution becoming effective.

9. The Annual Conference for Romania and Bulgaria commits itself to allowing the free flow of information to clergy and congregations to make an informed decision for their future without intimidation or the withholding of information.

Submitted to the Secretary of the Annual Conference by the Church Council of the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria and the Superintendent of the Romanian District:

Rev. Dr Daniel G. Topalski – Chairman

Rev. Ivaylo Ivanov – Secretary

Rev. Krasimir Madzharov

Luben Popov

Mariela Mihaylova – Siderova

Rev. Rares Calugar

(Translation from the Bulgarian original: Rev. Jessica Morris – Ivanova)

It was adopted unanimously by the Bulgaria/Romania Provisional Annual Conference of the UMC on April 1 during the morning session.

Bishop's Statement: Bulgaria and Romania have decided to leave The United Methodist Church

In an official letter dated April 7, 2022, Bishop Dr. Patrick Streiff commented on the fact that Bulgaria and Romania have decided to leave the UMC:

The Provisional Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church (UMC) in Bulgaria and Romania was held from March 31st to April 2nd in Varna, Bulgaria, under my leadership as Bishop of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe.

The members of the Annual Conference of The UMC in Bulgaria and Romania – without legal basis in the Book of Discipline, and in a session under the leadership of Superintendent Daniel Topalski – voted unanimously in favor of separating from the UMC and joining the Global Methodist Church at its creation on May 1st, 2022.

The church in Bulgaria wants to implement this resolution immediately. The church in Romania wants to find a mutually respectful way of leaving The United Methodist Church as soon as it will be possible.

Background:

An Annual Conference of the UMC is the basic body of the church, but not an autonomous organism. It is part of a larger connectional church. A Book of Discipline serves as its ecclesial law and allows to an Annual Conference outside the USA to vote on leaving The United Methodist Church (Paragraph 572), but such action needs to go through a process of approval and validation by the respective central conference and all of its annual conferences, as well as General Conference on world-wide level.

All delegates of the Annual Conference had received a resolution for separating from the United Methodist Church and joining the Global Methodist Church. The resolution explicitly stated that the separation shall not be based on the before mentioned paragraph. As presiding bishop, I explained to the Annual Conference that there is no other legal basis in church law for a separation. Therefore, a vote would not be possible.

The members of the Annual Conference did not agree. As bishop, I explained them that the question before us then becomes a question of law that I will submit to the Judicial Council – the highest judicial body of the church - for ruling. Until such ruling is made, all action on it is pending. I told the members that any further step on this matter needs therefore to be postponed.

However, the members then continued the meeting without my presiding, elected Superintendent Daniel Topalski as their presider, discussed the resolution, and finally voted unanimously in open vote in favor of it.

On April 4, the new superintendent of Bulgaria confirmed to me that he wants to follow and implement the resolution taken on April 1st. On April 6, the superintendent of Romania confirmed to me that they have decided in their council to work with me on a respectful and peaceful agreement for leaving the church in the course of this year.

I deeply regret that the church in Bulgaria was not willing to follow the church order for leaving The United Methodist Church and decided to cut all ties towards the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe. With the UMC in Romania, I will continue to work for a mutually respectful way of leaving The United Methodist Church.

Bishop Dr. Patrick Streiff