An evangelical Methodist church has left the denomination – but now faces issues with church authorities over its building and finances.
In en last October, the leader of The King’s Cross Church, at Hexthorpe, near Doncaster, Richard Iball, said it was leaving the British Methodist Church (BMC) because it had ‘abandoned its submission to the word of God’ following liberalisation of its views on sex and marriage.
The church has sought to ‘Make Jesus Known’ in one of the most deprived parts of the UK, by intentional and appropriate evangelism backed up with social action to support the many local people facing huge financial and social disadvantages.
In a letter published in this edition, Iball updates readers on the current position regarding King’s Cross. He says: ‘We have established a new charity and bank account and have formally left the BMC for The Free Methodist Church (UK), which is thoroughly evangelical and missionary in its very being. But BMC still owns our buildings and are claiming their legal right to the contents of our bank account. We have to pay them £24,000 a year for a lease and an unknown sum to purchase the buildings. We need our premises that were all built within the last ten years or renovated in that period. We go forward with full trust in the Lord our God.’
The Revd David Hull, Chair of Methodist Evangelicals Together, commented: ‘Methodist Evangelicals Together has been committed to supporting all evangelicals in the Methodist Church throughout this recent period of upheaval, with some speaking of a call to remain within the denomination, and others of the necessity of leaving. I am delighted that the way ahead has become clearer for The King’s Cross Church in Hexthorpe. There have been wonderful examples in the past of the Methodist Church releasing buildings and funds to similar charitable bodies; I hope and pray that a way will be found for TKCC to flourish in the work of the gospel without unnecessarily high financial burdens.’
The BMC declined to comment.
