Local-church disaffiliation (¶2553) existed only from 2019 until December 31, 2023. It is now expired and unavailable.
Only General Conference can create or restore an exit path. Annual conferences cannot invent substitutes or “back-door” processes.
Paragraph 2548.2 (ecumenical property transfers) and ¶2549 (closure of a local church) are not disaffiliation pathways. Using them to replicate ¶2553 has been rejected.
Outside the U.S., the Discipline provides a path for annual conferences to become autonomous/affiliated churches under ¶572, but only through the steps and approvals specified (including an enabling act of General Conference).

Terms and Sources: What We Mean by “Disaffiliation”

Disaffiliation refers to a local church’s departure with property under ¶2553 (2019 Special Session), a temporary paragraph that expired December 31, 2023.
Other paragraphs sometimes mentioned:
- ¶2548.2: limited property transfers in federated/ecumenical settings—not a local-church exit mechanism.
- ¶2549: closure of a local church and disposition of its property under the annual conference board of trustees—not an exit path.
- ¶572: process for conferences outside the U.S. to become autonomous/affiliated churches—not a local-church disaffiliation rule.

What ¶2553 Required (2019–2023)

While in force, ¶2553 set minimum standards for a local church to depart with property, including:

A two-thirds vote of the church conference of professing members present;
A written agreement with terms set by the annual conference board of trustees;
Ratification of that agreement by a simple majority vote of the annual conference.

The Judicial Council confirmed that these are baseline terms; annual conferences could add additional, consistent procedures (discernment windows, listening sessions, certain financial terms), but could not contradict or negate ¶2553.

Key Decisions while ¶2553 was in effect:

JCD 1379 (2019): Upheld the constitutionality of the Taylor Disaffiliation Petition, creating ¶2553 as the only lawful local-church exit mechanism.
JCD 1385 (2019): Held that ¶2553 took effect immediately upon adjournment of the 2019 General Conference.
JCD 1401 (2021): Reaffirmed the validity and effective date of ¶2553 and rejected attempts to nullify it between General Conferences.
JCD 1420 (2022): Trustees set the terms; the annual conference vote is “up or down,” not amendable from the floor.
JCD 1421 (2022): Property deeds may not transfer until the annual conference has ratified the disaffiliation agreement; NDAs may be used where civil law allows.
JCD 1423 (2022): Clergy have the right to speak and vote on disaffiliation resolutions at annual conference.
JCD 1424 & 1425 (2022): Annual conferences may add consistent procedures (discernment periods, listening sessions, additional financial terms) as long as they do not negate ¶2553.
JCD 1426 (2022): Reaffirmed that fiscal and administrative matters belong under annual-conference oversight, but alleged defects were not proven.

Status After ¶2553 Expired (2024– )

As of January 1, 2024, there is no active paragraph authorizing disaffiliation. UMC communications and Judicial Council rulings underscore that the policy “will not be continued” in the 2025–2028 quadrennium unless General Conference enacts something new.

Attempts to use other paragraphs have been rejected:

¶2548.2 (Ecumenical Transfers): In JCD 1449 (2022), the Judicial Council held that this paragraph is only for property transfers under formal comity agreements and cannot be used as a disaffiliation pathway.
¶2549 (Closure): In JCD 1512 (2024), the Council ruled that closure is not a substitute for disaffiliation; closure applies only when a congregation has ceased as a United Methodist church. In JCD 1517 (2025), the Council applied this to strike down a Dakotas “closure-as-exit” action. In JCD 1518 (2025), it declared the Mississippi Process (using closure to mimic disaffiliation) unconstitutional, null, and void.

Can an Annual Conference Withdraw?

No—not unilaterally. In JCD 1444 (2022), the Judicial Council held that only General Conference may establish separation procedures for annual conferences. Paragraph 572 applies only to central conferences outside the U.S. Any U.S. annual-conference vote to leave has no legal effect.

The Trust Clause Still Governs

All local-church property is held in trust (¶2501) for the benefit of the UMC. Departures with property require explicit authorization in church law. When a church is closed under ¶2549, title vests in the annual conference board of trustees, which disposes of the property per conference direction. Closure is not an “exit path.”

Practical Guidance (Post-2023)

For pastors & church councils: There is no current right to pursue disaffiliation. All property questions must be treated under the trust clause and the Discipline.
For annual-conference leaders & trustees: Do not create “work-arounds.” Judicial Council decisions (1512, 1517, 1518) make clear that attempts to replicate ¶2553 via closure are unlawful. Handle closures strictly under ¶2549.
For congregations that departed under ¶2553 and now reconsider: The 2020/2024 Discipline includes ¶2554 (Reaffiliation), which provides a way for disaffiliated churches to return, requiring reaffirmation of the trust clause.

Conferences Outside the U.S. (¶572)

For central-conference regions outside the U.S., the Discipline provides a lawful process to become autonomous/affiliated. This requires annual- and central-conference votes, preparation of constitutions, and an enabling act of General Conference. This is not local-church disaffiliation but a structured, conference-level realignment.

Conclusion: Disaffiliation and the Future of Connectionalism

The Judicial Council’s rulings from JCD 1379 through JCD 1518 consistently affirm:

Disaffiliation existed lawfully only under ¶2553, which has now expired.
No other paragraph (¶2548.2, ¶2549) can be reinterpreted as a substitute.
Only General Conference can legislate future exit paths.

Behind the debates and legal rulings lies the heart of Methodist polity: the trust clause and connectional accountability. Congregations hold their property not as private corporations but as stewards within a wider covenant. Judicial Council Decisions 1385 through 1518 affirm this covenantal reality—binding local, annual, jurisdictional, and central conferences together in shared mission.

The story of disaffiliation in The United Methodist Church is a reminder that law and covenant cannot be separated. The brief existence of ¶2553 offered a structured, lawful way for congregations to leave with property. That pathway closed on December 31, 2023, and the Judicial Council has since made clear that no paragraph—whether ¶2548.2 or ¶2549—can be reinterpreted to serve as a substitute. Only General Conference holds the authority to legislate new avenues.

For pastors and laity, the lesson is twofold:

Legally, there is no current mechanism for disaffiliation; property remains bound by the trust clause.
Theologically, the church is more than property—it is a covenantal body joined in mission, accountable to one another in Jesus Christ.

Whatever General Conference may decide in the future, disaffiliation debates remind us that connectionalism is both gift and responsibility. The structures that sometimes feel restrictive are also what bind the church together in mission across the world.