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Methodist Church in Butler splits in half

The Rev. David Janz sits in a pew at First United Methodist Church in Butler. Butler Eagle File Photo

Nearly a year after the United Methodist Church ended years of speculation and rewrote its policies on LGBTQ+ rights, the ripple effects are still being felt throughout Butler County. One of the lasting effects is the creation of a new branch of the Global Methodist Church in Butler, consisting of former members of the First United Methodist Church who broke away.

“We have love for the folks that left, and we’re praying that they step into God’s kingdom, and we’re praying the same thing for us,” said David Janz, senior pastor at the First United Methodist Church.

In the years leading up to the United Methodists’ General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., last April, 298 churches in the Western Pennsylvania region formally disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church. Many of those that left immediately joined up with the more conservative Global Methodist Church, which has a more hard-line stance on LGBTQ+ rights.

The First United Methodist Church, located on East North Street in Butler, was one of the churches that chose to stay, much to the dismay of some of its now-former congregation.

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