The largest local church in the Mississippi Annual Conference in terms of worship attendance and one of the 25 fastest growing churches in the U.S. has now officially exited The United Methodist Church. According to lead pastor Bryan Collier, The Orchard Church (Tupelo) reached a settlement with conference leaders that made its departure official as of May 19, 2017….<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was just no question among [The Orchard\u2019s] leaders that this was right move for us,\u201d said Collier. \u201cOur departure was not about the homosexuality issue per se, but about the general church\u2019s inability to deal with it. Unfortunately, its failure became an enormous distraction to the kingdom work our congregation is called to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Orchard fully embraces, as it does with all people, its need to minister to those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered, and with their families and friends as well,\u201d said Collier. \u201cBut the denomination was not helping us do that. The Judicial Council\u2019s recent, convoluted decision is emblematic of [the UM Church\u2019s] inability to put the disagreement to rest. We didn\u2019t want to let this one issue distract us anymore. We know the arguments on both sides, we\u2019re clear in our hearts and minds where we stand, and we\u2019re prepared to move forward accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n