The oldest church in Selma, Alabama, has sued its denomination in an attempt to maintain control of the property.
AL.com reported the 185-year-old Church Street Methodist Church filed its lawsuit in Dallas County Circuit Court, claiming it never agreed to the “trust clause” that binds congregational properties to the United Methodist Church denomination. According to church history, it is located on the only piece of land in Selma that was never been bought or sold – city planners set aside a parcel for a Protestant church and the Methodists erected a wooden church on the site in 1835.
The City of Selma conveyed the one-acre tract of property to church trustees in 1875 and the deed is on file at Dallas County Probate Office. The current church building was built in 1901-02.
The United Methodist Church has experienced an internecine feud over same-sex marriage and ordination of gay clergy, with congregations looking to disaffiliated themselves from the denomination. Multiple congregations have sought to leave the denomination and maintain their properties.
“At present, the UMC denomination is in a state of flux,” said the Church Street Methodist lawsuit. “Organizational differences and changes in policy not otherwise relevant have prompted hundreds of churches to leave the UMC, which is threatening the viability or stability of some UMC institutions. In many cases, concerned churches have sought assurance that local property is not controlled by or subject to the whims of the denomination.”
Bishop Jonathan Holston, who took office last month as bishop over the United Methodist churches in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, said the problems facing the denomination “should not stop us from making disciples, should not stop us from evangelizing, should not stop us from seeking to be mission with people all around the world, should not stop us from helping people affected by Hurricane Helene. It should not distract us from being the people we ought to be.”
Photo courtesy Church Street Methodist Church
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