Another 132 United Methodist churches disaffiliated on Thursday, May 11, leaving the North Alabama Conference of the denomination.

That brings the total to 330 churches that have left the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, after 198 left on Dec. 10.

Trussville First, Helena, Gardendale-Mt. Vernon and The Gathering Place in Moody are among those leaving.

The departing churches had all voted by 66.7 percent or more to leave the denomination, either to become independent or join more conservative denominations where traditional Christian bans on same-sex marriage are not up for debate.

Although the United Methodist Church still holds its traditional stance banning same-sex marriage and ordaining openly gay clergy, decades of fighting on the issue prompted many conservatives to leave when a door was opened clearing the way for them to take church property with them.

The North Alabama Conference had 638 congregations at the start of the day on Dec. 10, and 440 at the start of the day on May 11. The departures on Thursday night left 308 churches still in the North Alabama Conference, but the bishop has announced plans to start new churches in many of the places where churches are disaffiliating.

The vote to approve the disaffiliations was taken on a teleconference call Thursday night.

“My prayer is that each of the churches represented on this call grows increasingly effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” said Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, head of the North Alabama Conference, who presided over the vote. “The North Alabama Conference will miss the 132 congregations that are disaffiliating today from the United Methodist Church. At the same time, we rejoice at the 300-plus churches that are continuing on the journey together as United Methodists.”

Earlier in the week, the Alabama-West Florida Conference finalized the disaffiliation of 193 churches, 160 in Alabama and 33 in the Florida panhandle.

The Methodist churches that are leaving the denomination have either remained independent or joined more conservative denominations such as the Global Methodist Church, formed last year to welcome new conservative Methodist congregations, or the Free Methodist Church, or the Foundry movement, a network of affiliated churches in the Methodist tradition.

Last year, Frazer Memorial Methodist Church in Montgomery, which had long been the largest membership United Methodist Church in Alabama with more than 7,000 members, disaffiliated. Frazer joined the Free Methodist Church, a more theologically conservative denomination.

Before Thursday’s vote, United Methodist News Service tallies totaled 2,996 disaffiliations. The additional 132 in North Alabama would bring the total nationwide to 3,228 that have disaffiliated.

Churches have until the end of this year to negotiate to leave and take their property with them.

See also: ‘Division is of the devil,’ United Methodist bishop says as 193 churches disaffiliate

United Methodists ‘crushed’ after being left behind by disaffiliating churches

United Methodists plan new churches in Prattville, Orange Beach, elsewhere to replace churches that disaffiliate in split

United Methodists start new congregations where churches disaffiliated in North Alabama

United Methodist split: 198 churches leave North Alabama Conference