Information about the Discernment Process

On May 9, 2023, the church counsel voted to enter our church into a period of discernment regarding leaving the United Methodist Church. This process must last a minimum of 30 days,  and was planned to conclude in August of 2023. This process was unfortunately extended, and is currently planned to last until January 21st,  2024. It will culminate in a churchwide vote to either separate or stay within the UMC. Information regarding this process and links to additional information, questions/answers, and videos will be listed below. There is also information on why some churches are leaving the UMC and why others are choosing to stay. You are asked to review these resources and ask questions so we can all be informed to make the best decision for St. John's.

The committee's goal is to protect St. John's and "do no harm" as quoted by John Wesley.

Upcoming  Church  Meetings

  • Jan 10, 2024: Q/A at the church in the Faith Center regarding the vote to separate. This is currently planned for 6:00pm
  • Jan 14, 2024: Q/A at the church in the Faith Center regarding the vote to separate.  Currently there are two meetings planned, one at 10:00am and one at 6:00pm. 
  • Jan 21, 2024: Vote to be held at the church. Registration is currently planned to open at 2:30pm. This is subject to change.  Must be physically present to vote.

Videos

Here are some insightful videos from Pastors of several churches around SC that have chosen to separate, and the effect that separation has had on their church. 
On June 11, 2023, the Lay Leadership that attended the 2023 SC Annual Conference , held a meeting to share their report from Annual Conference. Please click on the green boxes below to view the video from this meeting. We recommend that you download a copy of the JUNE 11, 2023 HANDOUT to follow while viewing the second video, as Rev. Dr. Tim McClendon goes through this handout
line by line, as he gives his report. 
Here a videos from our pastors speaking to some of the issues they have seen within the UMC. 
Here are a few videos from members of the discernment committee discussing the research that has been done on the UMC and why churches are leaving. 

Additional Video References