Asbury splits from United Methodist Church, changes name amid denomination talks

The former Asbury United Methodist Church is now Asbury Church, officials said, and will remain so for at least an interim period during which a decision will be made on the appropriate denomination to join.

The church, 6767 S. Mingo Road, has almost 7,000 members, and is one of the largest Methodist churches in the country.

The announcement comes as the UMC, America’s second largest Protestant denomination, continues to splinter, triggered primarily by traditional and progressive differences over LGBTQ rights.

“Asbury Church’s disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church has been inevitable for some time,” the Rev. Tom Harrison, senior pastor, said in a statement.

“There isn’t one issue driving this separation; rather, after years of operating under vastly different approaches to theology, ministry and Christology, it was determined by the leadership of the Church, in conjunction with the pastoral staff, that these approaches are irreconcilable and no longer sustainable. As Asbury Church, we will continue to pursue our mission of helping others follow Jesus.”

The announcement, made March 6 at a churchwide meeting, comes at an eventful time for the UMC, as a vote on its future was again recently delayed.

The denomination announced March 3 that it was postponing its General Conference — originally set for Aug. 29-Sept. 6 in Minneapolis — for the third time, this time until 2024.

Delegates were expected to vote on proposals regarding the creation of a new denomination.

On the same day, the new Global Methodist Church, a more conservative Methodist denomination, announced it will officially launch in May.

A video of Asbury’s announcement and meeting was posted to its website at asburytulsa.org.

Church leaders said the decision to disaffiliate “was not done hastily or without great consternation.” A transition committee made up of staff and lay leaders has actually been planning the move for three years.

Transition team chairman Jeff Wilkie, speaking at the meeting, said: “Our denomination is at a crossroads. Some in the United Methodist Church insist we should change some of the traditional positions dealing with the issues of sexuality. However, sexuality is merely the presenting issue. We believe the real issue is not about sexuality. It’s about how we view Scripture.”

He said the UMC has moved away from its historic position on the authority of Scripture, and that it creates “a very slippery slope.”

“If someone insists we should change the plain views on spiritual teachings, we could easily change our own views on the deity of Jesus, the Trinity, or anything else that is in the Bible,” Wilkie said. “We are seeing this being done in United Methodist churches across our country and right here in Tulsa.”

Asbury’s position on the conservative side of the growing divide has been well-documented.

In 2019, the church hosted a global meeting of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, the key organization fighting to retain traditional values in the church. More than a thousand people attended the daylong gathering that was simulcast to some 86 sites around the world.

As part of the formal separation, Asbury Church says it has retained legal aid specializing in religious land use and denominational separations. The church intends to keep its current building and property, and assume current and future debts, expenses and maintenance costs, officials said.

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