Eurasian conferences get go-ahead to form own church

Key points:

  • General Conference approved the move of Eurasian annual conferences to form an autonomous denomination.
  • The conferences encompass churches in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
  • In leaving The United Methodist Church, Eurasia is following a provision in the Book of Discipline.

On the same day The United Methodist Church moved toward regionalization, General Conference delegates approved the exit of churches in one of its regions.

By a vote of 672 to 67, the delegates approved the departure of four Eurasian annual conferences — which encompass churches in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Together, the four plan to form the autonomous Christian Methodist Church.

The four Eurasian annual conferences — all led by Bishop Eduard Khegay, who is also leaving — have 66 churches in total. Altogether the conferences had more than 1,800 members, according to the conference votes to depart.

“Sisters and brothers, I stand in gratitude for your decision,” Khegay said after the vote.

Bishop Eduard Khegay of the Eurasia Area expresses his gratitude to The United Methodist Church after delegates to the denomination’s United Methodist General Conference voted to allow the four conferences that he oversees to leave the denomination. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
Bishop Eduard Khegay of the Eurasia Area expresses his gratitude to The United Methodist Church after delegates to the denomination’s United Methodist General Conference voted to allow the four conferences that he oversees to leave the denomination. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

While the departure won’t be final until next year, he acknowledged that this will be his and his delegations’ final General Conference.

“During my 12 years of episcopal ministry, I have faced many challenges and hardships in Eurasia — the East-West divide, the geopolitical struggles between superpowers, economic ups and downs and theological controversies,” he said. “But today I want to express my gratitude.”

The departure comes amid growing political tensions between Russia and the U.S. since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as ongoing theological disagreements between the traditionalist Eurasian United Methodists and their fellow western European and U.S. United Methodists.  

Nevertheless, Khegay made clear how thankful he is to United Methodists in both the U.S. and western Europe for supporting the people of Eurasia. Among those, he thanked was the Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Resurrection, a United Methodist Church in Leawood, Kansas.

Hamilton has been one of the champions of regionalization and eliminating church bans on same-sex weddings and “self-avowed practicing” gay clergy.

In expressing the gratitude of churchgoers in his region, Khegay described the history of the Methodist presence in Eurasia going back to before the Russian Revolution in 1917 and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

“We want to say thank you very much for all the support your churches have shared over the last 30-plus years and even in the early part of the 20th century,” he said.

United Methodists from the West, he said, brought Bibles, shared testimonies, built church buildings and financially supported the Moscow Theological Seminary.

“You even taught us how to eat peanut butter sandwiches,” he joked to laughter from the delegates.

Subscribe to our
e-newsletter

Like what you're reading and want to see more? Sign up for our free daily and weekly digests of important news and events in the life of The United Methodist Church.

Keep me informed!

In exiting the denomination, the annual conferences of Eurasia are following the multistep process in Paragraph 572 in The United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline. That provision allows annual conferences within central conferences — church regions in Europe, Africa and the Philippines — to change their relationship with the denomination.

Before coming to the floor of General Conference, the multiple steps included approval by the four annual conferences themselves, the Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference of which they are a part and the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, a permanent committee of General Conference.

The Eurasian annual conferences also worked with the ecumenical office of the Council of Bishops in moving toward autonomy.

Their exit becomes official when the Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference meets next year.

Paragraph 572 was last used about a decade ago when Swedish United Methodists asked to leave The United Methodist Church to join with the Uniting Church in Sweden. The United Methodist Church now has full communion with the Uniting Church in Sweden.

United Methodist churches in the Ukraine-Moldova Provisional Conference plan to remain in the denomination.

Hahn is assistant news editor for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free daily or weekly Digests.

United Methodist Bishops bless the elements of Holy Communion during a world-wide worship service at First United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., in the lead-up to the 2024 United Methodist General Conference. From left are Bishops Israel Maestrado Painit of the Philippines, John Wesley Yohanna of Nigeria and Rodolfo A. Juan of the Philippines. The gathering was coordinated by the Love Your Neighbor Coalition and the National Association of Filipino-American United Methodists. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News. 

General Conference photos

UM News has photographers on the plenary floor of General Conference 2024 and at special events and meetings throughout the session. View photos from each day on Flickr.
See photos


Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Local Church
The banner in front of Woori Naperville United Methodist Church (formerly Naperville Korean United Methodist Church) in Naperville, Ill., reads, “Grace of God does everything.” On Oct. 4, the Northern Illinois Conference announced that it had signed a settlement with a breakaway faction of Naperville Korean United Methodist Church over the rightful ownership of the church building and other assets. Photo by the Rev. Nadan Jo, Woori Naperville United Methodist Church.

Dispute over church property resolved

United Methodists in the Northern Illinois Conference are celebrating a settlement reached between the conference and a breakaway faction of the former Naperville Korean United Methodist Church.
Judicial Council
Members of the 2024-2028 Judicial Council are (front row, from left) the Rev. Jonathan Ulanday; the Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, president; the Rev. Angela Brown, secretary; and Molly Hlekani Mwayera; (back row, from left) Bill Waddell; Andrew Vorbrich; the Rev. Øyvind Helliesen; the Rev. Luan-Vu Tran; and Harriett Olson. The Judicial Council released decisions Oct. 29. Photo by Linda Bloom, UM News.

Church court: Season of church exits is over

The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that a church closure cannot be used as a method of disaffiliation. The Judicial Council also struck down changes to church-closure law.
The Rev. Kathy Heustess, director of the Center for Wellbeing, meets with clients in her Knoxville office as well as in Johnson City and Chattanooga and remotely. Photo by Ben Smith, Holston Conference.

Help for clergy with disaffiliation stress

Some clergy are still struggling with decisions about their future, including whether to “stay or go” in The United Methodist Church. The Holston Conference’s Center for Wellbeing aims to help pastors and lay staff members deal with disaffiliation and other stresses. Annette Spence reports.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2024 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved