Altoona, Paisley Congregations Vote To Leave United Methodist Church

    The national split in the United Methodist Church has reached North Lake County. On Thursday, April 20, congregations at the Altoona and Paisley United Methodist Churches voted to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church.
   The churches will now be a part of a large summer meeting of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, where they will be a part of dozens of churches statewide currently looking to leave the denomination. Among the requirements to leave the United Methodist Church are financial considerations, with Altoona expected to pay an estimated $11,000 in exit fees and Paisley paying just over $20,000.
   After a vote at that meeting, the churches are expected to formally join the Global Methodist Church on September 1.
   The United Methodist Church is in a nationwide schism over church doctrine. In a process that is expected to play out over several years, churches are deciding to stay or go depending on their congregational preference, with churches that leave the United Methodist Church expected to pursue one of several avenues that allow for more local control of the church and property, and more strict adherence to Biblical teachings.