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Disaffiliations effective November 30, 2023

COVER LETTER FOR THE DISAFFILIATION AGREEMENT EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 30, 2023

To: Local Churches of the Iowa Annual Conference interested in Disaffiliating from the Iowa Annual Conference following November 2023 Special Annual Conference

The attached is the Disaffiliation Agreement, approved by the Conference Board of Trustees, that may be used by local churches of the Iowa Annual Conference if they so choose. All terms of this agreement must be complied with and in the timeframes so indicated.

The Conference Board of Trustees has set the following deadlines:

By June 30, 2023, the local church must notify the following individuals in writing that the local church intends to pursue separating from the Iowa Annual Conference via the Disaffiliation Agreement: 1) the district superintendent serving the district in which the local church is located; 2) the President of the Conference Board of Trustees.

By August 15, 2023, the Conference Board of Trustees will provide the information in section 4 of the agreement to the local church.

October 1, 2023, is the deadline for submission of the signed disaffiliation document to be submitted to the Iowa Annual Conference, Attn: President of the Conference Board of Trustees, 2301 Rittenhouse St, Des Moines IA 50321.

The procedure set up by the General Church legislation is that the Annual Conference must vote on the Disaffiliation at its annual meeting.

The date of Disaffiliation would be effective on November 30, 2023, following the November 2023 Special Annual Conference’s ratification.

If your local church is considering taking steps toward disaffiliation, we urge you to contact an attorney to assist you in the process.

Conference Board of Trustees Rev. Elizabeth A. Bell, President

 

  1. Disaffiliation Agreement for disaffiliations effective November 30, 2023
  2. The 2016 Book of Discipline Paragraph 2553 which is the approved process for disaffiliation in regards to actions/inactions around same sex marriage.
  3. Wespath’s Way Forward FAQ The pension fund answers are very helpful in understanding what can and can’t be done at this time.
  4. Wespath's video and podcast explaining pension withdrawal liability payment.
  5. And, the Estimated Local Church Obligations form that is used to request an estimate of the church’s Unfunded Pension Lliability (UPL) and apportionment obligation. For more information regarding the UPL calculation process, go to the Board of Pensions Request for Estimated Local Church Obligations page.

For any additional questions, please email disaffiliation@iaumc.org.