The former United Methodist Church of Asbury is now the Church of Asbury, 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 nearly 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 split, sparked primarily by traditional and progressive differences over LGBTQ rights.

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

“There is not a single issue driving this separation; on the contrary, after years of operating under very different approaches to theology, ministry and Christology, it has been determined by the leadership of the Church, in conjunction with pastoral personnel, that these approaches are irreconcilable and do not are more durable. As the Church of Asbury, we will continue to pursue our mission to help others follow Jesus.

The announcement, made March 6 at a church-wide meeting, comes at a turbulent 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 scheduled for August 29 to September 29. 6 in Minneapolis – for the third time, this time through 2024.

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

On the same day, the new Methodist World Church, a more conservative Methodist denomination, announced its official launch in May.

A video of Asbury’s announcement and reunion was posted on his website at asburytulsa.org.

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

Transition Team President Jeff Wilkie, speaking at the meeting, said, “Our denomination is at a crossroads. Some members of The United Methodist Church insist that we should change some of the traditional positions dealing with issues of sexuality. However, sexuality is only the problem presented. We believe that the real problem is not sexuality. It’s about how we perceive the scriptures.

He said the UMC had strayed from its historical position on the authority of Scripture and was creating “a very slippery slope”.

“If someone insists that we should change the clear opinions on spiritual teachings, we could easily change our own opinions on the deity of Jesus, the Trinity or anything else that is in the Bible,” said Wilkie. “We see this happening 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 day-long rally which was simulcast to some 86 locations 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 assets, and meet current and future debts, expenses and maintenance costs, officials said.