More than half of the United Methodist churches across Alabama have disaffiliated from the denomination, and the signs are becoming obvious – churches are literally changing their signs, hinting at the upheaval that’s happened.

It started in many cases with a swoosh of black paint covering up the “United,” leaving behind “Methodist Church.” Some have since ordered new signs. The signs represent decades of pent-up infighting over theology, bureaucracy and human sexuality that finally brought the split to a climax this year with churches facing an end of the year deadline to seize an opportunity to leave and take their property with them.

It’s happening across America, as more than 7,200 congregations voted to leave, about 24 percent of the congregations in the denomination. It’s more obvious in the South. In the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, 348 churches left. In South Alabama and the Florida panhandle, 248 churches left and 45 filed a lawsuit saying they were prevented from leaving by the end of the year. Both North Alabama and the Alabama-West Florida Conference previously had more than 600 churches each.

Many towns across Alabama now have two Methodist churches instead of one. Many of those that left had to get rid of their old signs featuring the United Methodist cross and flame logos.

“The cross and flame logo is a trademark of the United Methodist Church,” said the Rev. Steve West, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Jacksonville. West was the founding pastor from 1995-2004 of Morningstar Methodist Church in Chelsea, which left the denomination this year.

“I didn’t meddle in their decision,” West said. “I was personally sad.”

When the church got rid of its red and black metal cross and flame signs, it offered them to West, whose church remained in the denomination. “I took them up on it,” West said.

Gift of a cross and flame

He gave one metal cross and flame logo to a new church start called Abundant Life in Albertville, where people who wanted to remain United Methodist started a new fellowship after the Albertville First Methodist Church disaffiliated.

“We don’t have it up yet,” said the Rev. Carol Gullatt, pastor of Abundant Life. “We’re meeting at the Chamber of Commerce right now.”

That group of about 20 people also has a Wednesday night Bible study at an Albertville bakery, Gullatt said. “It’s been going slow, but it’s been a wonderful time of having meaningful conversations that help us name our values,” she said.

So far, there’s no building to put the cross and flame logo on, but there could be one day. “We haven’t done our mission church application, but we are functioning as a United Methodist church,” Gullatt said.

West gave another cross and flame logo to Pell City First United Methodist Church, where the dynamics of the split were as dramatic as anywhere. The 800-member church, with nearly 300 attending a church meeting a year ago, voted 65 percent to leave the denomination, but fell three votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to disaffiliate.

“That added to the turmoil of the whole process,” said the Rev. Rachel Gonia, who remains as senior pastor of Pell City First United Methodist. “People knew it was a majority that wanted to disaffiliate. There were rumors in town that something nefarious happened. Some people didn’t understand that it required a two-thirds majority.”

About 200 people left and began a new congregation, called New Life, with the Rev. Wes Savage, the former associate minister at Pell City First, as pastor. That group, which has not yet affiliated with another denomination, has already bought property on U.S. 231 with plans for a future church, Gonia said.

The disaffiliation vote not only split the church, it split up some couples on Sunday mornings.

“We have some wives in this church, but the husbands in that church,” Gonia said.

Pell City First previously had two services on Sunday mornings, a traditional and contemporary. It now alternates between those two worship styles on Sunday mornings and just has one service to bring everyone together.

“That’s been well-received,” Gonia said. “It’s kept our congregation as one body. Before people didn’t know each other as well. Now they’re all together.”

While the “presenting issue” of the disaffiliations has been over whether the United Methodist Church will lift its ban on same-sex marriage and ordination of openly gay clergy, which LGBTQ activists in the denomination have been lobbying for since the ban was adopted in 1972, it also involves complex theological and church bureaucracy issues.

“There were lots of other reasons people left,” Gonia said. “For many of the people who voted to stay, it was not so much about that issue.”

Many conservatives decided the denomination had become too liberal, so it was better to leave. Others had gripes with the way pastoral appointments are controlled by the bishop’s office, some wanted to have clear ownership of the church property, some wanted to keep their pastors, Gonia said.

“We’re just focused now on being welcoming, and being able to disagree,” she said.

New sign in Trussville

In Trussville, there’s a brand new sign out in front of Trussville First Methodist Church, replacing the one where the “United” was painted over for awhile. The new sign cost several thousand dollars and overall, the church spent more than $100,000 to make its transition to a new denomination, with much of that going to pay off its obligations to the North Alabama Conference to buy the property and pay off annual dues called apportionments, plus paying for pensions for previous pastors.

“What we didn’t take into consideration is how many things have a cross and flame on it,” said the Rev. Steve Strange, pastor of First Methodist Trussville, which is now affiliated with the Global Methodist Church, a new conservative-leaning denomination. “We changed the back awning, all the lettering on all the buses. We had to file for a new tax exemption, re-write bylaws and re-file those. We also had to change out our hymnals. We did go to a hymnal that returns to our roots.”

More than 3,800 churches have affiliated with the Global Methodist Church since it launched last year, including most but not all of the churches that disaffiliated in Alabama, Strange said. Many have remained independent or joined the Free Methodist Church or the Foundry network of churches.

The new sign at Trussville First features the words, “A Global Congregation,” to indicate its new affiliation, but that part of the sign is an easily removable piece, just in case. “I think we’ll stay Global,” Strange said. “You just never know down the road.”

Even road signs that say, “United Methodist Church two miles ahead,” had to be changed, Strange said.

Church linens that line the altar and robes worn by clergy had to be given away to United Methodist clergy and churches, he said. “Half of ours had cross and flame on them,” Strange said.

Strange said that 83 people left the congregation after the disaffiliation vote. They took on the name All Saints’ United Methodist and moved east on U.S. 11, with services at an Episcopal church, Church of the Holy Cross, led by the Rev. David Teel, former associate at Trussville First.

But Trussville First Methodist has also attracted new members from other congregations that didn’t disaffiliate and wanted to be part of the Global Methodist Church, so attendance has remained at about 300, Strange said.

“We’re probably 50 members less out of 400,” said Strange, who was previously pastor at Riverchase United Methodist Church for nine years. Riverchase fell seven votes short of disaffiliation in its vote, so some who wanted to leave now attend Trussville, he said.

“We’ve picked people up from Riverchase, and Asbury, Huffman, Trinity, a lot of churches that didn’t vote,” Strange said.

Calm after storm?

At First United Methodist Church of Jacksonville, which avoided a disaffiliation vote, a calm has settled in, West said. Several families left anyway and started a new church that meets at the Hampton Inn in Jacksonville on Sunday mornings.

“The people who remained are having a fresh start and finding renewal, because the decision’s over,” West said. “A lot of churches are experiencing renewal and a refreshing openness. It’s painful, but then you move forward, and there’s renewal and refreshment.”

The signs now point to the future.

“I have a lot of hope,” West said. “These can become times of refreshing when you get back to basics. We’ll move forward.”

See also: United Methodist split: 45 churches who sued bishop to disaffiliate file appeal to state Supreme Court

United Methodist split: 8 more churches disaffiliate, including 1 of Mobile’s largest

United Methodists urge repeal of ban on same-sex marriage, openly gay clergy

United Methodists ask for loyalty from leaders, tighten rules on disaffiliation and downsize

Another 132 North Alabama United Methodist churches disaffiliate: Trussville, Helena, Gardendale

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