SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – More than 100 churches in South Carolina voted to separate from the United Methodist Church with 28 of those churches being in the Upstate.
They voted to separate stating they could no longer function as a United Methodist Church because “the denomination has not consistently upheld its stated doctrine on issues of human sexuality.”
In a statement, many of those churches said United Methodist Church bylaws prohibit same-sex weddings.
On its website, the United Methodist Church said it “implores families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and gays, but the church also said it “supports laws that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
The United Methodist Church said pastors can’t be “self-avowed, practicing homosexuals” and cannot hold ceremonies that celebrate same-sex weddings or unions.
They also add that same-sex marriages can’t be held on church property.
Separating churches will leave the UMC affiliation on June 30. A list of churches set to close across the Upstate is provided below.
Anderson District
- St. Andrew UMC (Easley)
- Chiquola UMC (Honea Path)
- Bells UMC (Abbeville)
- Salem UMC (Salem)
Greenville District
- Dials UMC (Gray Court)
- Shiloh UMC (Gray Court)
- Buncombe Street UMC (Greenville)
- Covenant UMC (Greer)
- Sharon UMC (Greer)
- Zoar UMC (Greer)
- Mauldin UMC (Mauldin)
- Mountain View UMC (Taylors)
- Greenwood District
- Hodges UMC (Hodges)
- Shiloh UMC (Saluda)
- Butler UMC (Saluda)
- McCormick UMC (McCormick)
Spartanburg District
- Wesley Chapel UMC (Union)
- Liberty UMC-Campobello (Landrum)
- Buffalo UMC (Buffalo)
- Campobello UMC (Campobello)
- Carlisle UMC (Carlisle)
- Bethlehem UMC-Jonesville (Union)
- Sardis UMC (Union)
- Fosters Chapel UMC (Jonesville)
- Lyman UMC (Lyman)
- Roebuck UMC (Roebuck)
- Reidville Road UMC (Moore)
- Walnut Grove UMC (Roebuck)
