If the Wesleyan Church undergoes a major split in Virginia, there is good news today for any local churches who don't want to go along with the parent body. Anglican fellowships in Virginia that wish to remove from the Episcopal Church can keep their property because of a Civil War era law on the books.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/juneweb-only/127-12.0.html
The Wesleyan Church lost a good deal of property in its merger in 1968 when various groups declined to go along with it. Thereafter, the Wesleyan Church holds the title deeds to all its properties. But apparently in Virginia, that won't matter. Groups that wish to leave the church can apparently take the Wesleyan Church's property and run.
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4 comments:
I wouldn't be too concerned for the Wesleyan Church unless you start ordaining openly practicing homosexual overseers. We Anglicans have had a problem with that for the last few years.
Really brings out the issue doesn't it! Should the departing bodies have to "buy" the property? What is the history of investment in the property? Is it appropriate for one or the other side to take the other to court (1 Cor. 6)?
Moot point in Virgina!
As I understand it both the separating Pilgrim Holiness (mostly in NY and Indiana) and the Wesleyan Methodists (especially in Western Penna.) did not take their property with them but "settled" with the denomination to get their property.. admittedly they settled for less than market value but the denomination made its point of ownership of the churches. With the retirement of Lee Haines I believe the last eyewitness of these divisions left active duty...so I'll leave it to whomever is still alive ad surfing to correct my understanding here.
I think the practice of holding property titles in the names of districts/conferences predated merger. But when whole conferences voted to secede, they took their property with them, e.g., Allegheny, which only had a handful of churches remain in the merged church.
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