Church Survey Results

Hello Church Family,
I want to share the results of our church survey regarding disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church. After I share the results, I will share the decision of the Leadership Council.  

Ninety-four people filled out surveys online or on paper. We opened the survey to members and non-members who consider the church their church home. The survey gave people three options: Yes to disaffiliation, No to disaffiliation, or Not at this time.

  • Eight members of our family checked Not at this time:  8.5%
  • 29 family members checked No to disaffiliation:  30.8%
  • 57 of our family checked Yes to disaffiliation:  60.6%.

Just counting church member surveys: 7 chose Not at this time, 27 voted No to disaffiliation, and 52 voted Yes to disaffiliation. Excluding the non-members does not affect the percentages.

The leadership team included the Not at this time votes with the No to disaffiliation votes, raising the No to disaffiliation vote to 39%. The leadership team then looked at the questions and concerns of the congregation. We talked about the theme of the survey, which is sadness. No one wants to lose any member of our church family. Tears were shed. It was a hard decision, but the team unanimously decided that HUMC should start the process of disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church.

In my family of origin, my sisters voted for different men for president. Do you know what they call themselves?  Sisters. Your brother or sister may have filled out the survey differently from you.  Your brother and sister on the Leadership Council may have made a decision you would not have made. But do you know what Jesus died to make you?  Brothers and sisters in Christ. Without a doubt, this is a season of grief for our church. We don’t have to make it worse by being unkind to each other in church, personal interactions, or on social media.

On February 5th, we have one worship service at 10 a.m., with communion and a light lunch following the service. After lunch, there will be a time to address the questions and concerns people asked on the survey. If you plan to attend, please send your reservation to Jill. jill.severson@harrisburgumc.com

GTBYP
Kyle W. Reinhiller

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