West Virginia Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit from churches seeking UMC exit

The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has ruled against 33 congregations attempting to sue the United Methodist Church (UMC) over their disaffiliation efforts. In a decision authored by Justice Charles S. Trump IV, the court granted a writ of prohibition, effectively blocking a lower court from hearing the case. The justices concluded that the dispute involves internal ecclesiastical matters, including the interpretation of church governance and disciplinary procedures, which fall outside the jurisdiction of secular courts.

The ruling reinforces the principle of ecclesiastical abstention, which mandates that civil courts avoid intervening in religious doctrine or internal church administration. The lawsuit had been initiated by congregations seeking to leave the denomination amid long-standing internal debates regarding the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals. While a temporary provision in the UMC Book of Discipline allowed for disaffiliation between 2019 and 2023—a period during which over 7,600 churches departed—the court determined that the current legal challenge regarding the process remains a matter for the church's own authority.