Texas Megachurch Starts Its Own Denomination After Leaving UMC

A large Methodist church outside of Dallas, Texas that left the United Methodist Church (UMC) last year, has decided to start its own denomination.

White's Chapel Methodist Church overwhelmingly voted last November to disaffiliate itself from the UMC over theological disagreements about same-sex marriage.

The 17,500-member church now belongs to a new denomination it is calling the Methodist Collegiate Church (MCC). 

So far, they are the only members of the network but according to its website, the new denomination will be a middle ground among Methodists.

"Knowing that accountability and connectionalism are critical to the Methodist expression of Christianity, White's Chapel set out to find other congregations to join together in a new centerist Methodist denomination that welcomes all people, makes space for a variety of points of view, and strives to set aside differences in order to faithfully follow where the Holy Spirit leads," it reads.

Rev. Dr. Larry Duggins, the chancellor over Methodist Collegiate Church, told CBN News in a statement that one of their central concerns was maintaining a "focus on service" while remaining "faithful to scripture."