The Cornerstone Church of Caledonia, a United Methodist Congregation, voted 616-9 in favor of leaving the congregation over the debate of homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

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Michigan: The Cornerstone Church of Caledonia, Michigan's largest United Methodist Church (UMC), has won a landslide vote to leave the UMC amid differing views on the same-sex marriage and homosexuality debate.

The vote, which accounted for 627 voters in total, had 616 in favor of leaving the UMC to become nondenominational, nine opposed and only two declined to vote entirely. The decision to leave the Protestant denomination however wasn't considered a malicious move. It was viewed more as a 'agree to disagree' and both organizations intend on staying in communication to continue to work on certain efforts.

Ken Nash, Pastor of the Cornerstone Church of Caledonia said in a statement, "We like being networked and connected. We love the idea of connectionalism. So this isn't a renegade spirit that we have. We want to have a connection in the future. It just doesn't have to be as formalized."

Part of the reason Cornerstone is detaching from the UMC comes from their theologically diverse views, despite being considered conservative. And their departure is considered accepted and mutual in nature, and not severed completely.

"We realized we can have a gracious exit," Nash said. "And because of the graciousness of [Michigan Bishop David Bard], we can have a gracious exit." He continued, "That allowed us an opportunity for more dialogue around how can we continue to be a bridge between differences and not be forced into one camp or another."

The Cornerstone Beliefs

The United Methodist Church is the third largest Christian denomination in the United States. They have recently been involved with internal debate over how, if at all, to amend the current requirements over same-sex unions and normalizing same-sex couples within the church's regular operations.

Although these debates have not settled on any one change, some leaders within the UMC have openly defied traditions by blessing same-sex unions and openly welcoming people from the LGBTQ community.

"Since the formation of The United Methodist Church over 50 years ago, members have engaged in a passionate debate to define church beliefs and relationship with LGBTQ persons in the church," a spokesperson for the UMC's Michigan Conference stated. It continued, "The root of this conflict is how United Methodists interpret the Bible."

However, despite removing themselves from the UMC denomination, Cornerstone is progressive but still has its limits. According to the Cornerstone website, "While we do not perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, we do invite all people, including LGBTQ persons, into full participation within our church. At Cornerstone, participation includes attendance, serving, receiving sacraments, and membership. We also invite LGBTQ individuals and their families to not only participate but to stop into the discipleship journey and receive spiritual care that every sacred person deserves."

The Right to Choose Using Align Us

Religion and faith is a very important matter for many Americans. It is the foundation for many people on how to live their lives and under what guidelines.

Where do you fall in the spectrum of faith and the interpretation of the Bible?

Wherever your stance is on the subject, make sure you check with our Align Us app platform to find out more about your community and the churches within it. If you are new to an area, it is likely important for you to choose a local church that aligns with your beliefs. Having this knowledge may be all the difference in the world, because faith is everything to many people.

And in this particular scenario with the Cornerstone Church, the nine members who voted against leaving UMC still have options. If they choose not to follow the rest of their group, they can simply log onto the Align Us platform and search for a new church that still aligns with their beliefs.

That's why we're here.

-Align Us

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