For many respondents, it is not the UM denomination that holds them. It is, instead, the strong allure of the people within and the community of the local church. They like the kindness and loving acceptance of the members, the diversity of the congregations, and the sense of family and belonging they experience. They appreciate the support of the welcoming and Reconciling Congregations where they know they will feel comfortable and allowed to participate in the full life of the local church. They do not accept without question the denominational policies and stances; instead, they question and explore and grow in their faith.

My relationship with the local church is great. It's the big church I have a problem with.

I feel very good about my membership at my local church because the pastors are very open, accepting and affirming of GLBT persons. I feel less comfortable with an affiliation with the United Methodist Church in general because of the discriminatory statements contained in the Social Principles.

The welcomeness [sic] that I felt the first time I walked in the door . . . It was a wonderful feeling to be accepted because I have an interest in learning about God and not what I do in my bedroom.

I have met many, many wonderful people and experienced many times of spiritual growth, support, and invigoration within the church.

It's my "church of origin", by which I mean, the church I grew up in. I went to Presbyterian and Baptist churches as well but never liked them as much as the Methodist church. Now, as an adult, I choose to be a member of this particular church because of the people and the minister. They are kind, loving and accepting of me. Although I don't agree with all church policy, I still find the denomination to be more suited to my needs than others.

A combination of comfort (the known versus the unknown), the peacefulness of the service, and a desire to see change.

I am 43 years old and a lifelong member of the UMC. Having a strong relationship with God is important to me, and if I didn't enjoy attending and worshipping in a Methodist church I'd find somewhere else to go.

I often joke that my leadership at my church is my part-time job but I must admit I love the work I do with my church because of its unique character. This character has been developed by my church as a result of the United Methodist's bigoted stance on homosexuality.

. . . my local church is great. I'm less trusting of the national church and I'm leery of supporting them too much.

I need the fellowship it provides and find it nurturing, warm and loving. The larger church issues are frustrating however. God created us all and some very vocal people try to say who is right with God but there are others willing to stand up for those who don’t fit the mold. Basically on the local level it fills a need but on the national level it misses it.

My specific church family is extremely wonderful. I have found a church home there.

I joined the UMC . . . because of [its] reconciling nature. The clergy of that particular church have beliefs similar to mine on several levels and I find it a warm, inviting, loving place for all. I am/was Catholic, but did not go to Catholic church for many years.

I see my membership with my church as the most important aspect of the UMC. As a relative newcomer to the UMC (formerly Southern Baptist), I am much more loyal to the local church than the denomination, although I care very much about the larger church.

I thank God daily for my church. I never expected to be able to find such a loving, caring congregation. Now if only we could get the church as a whole to wake up and smell the coffee!!

I feel my congregation is of a high quality and therefore makes my membership in the higher church an option worth taking.

I am a member of a very unique church community. We are inclusive. We are a family. We belong to each other more than to the UMC. It really wouldn't matter if the sign on the building said UMC or not, I would remain loyal to my church family.

My congregation is officially reconciling and the people in the church are wonderfully accepting.

My loyalty is not so much to the UMC as to my local congregation which is a reconciling congregation. . . . My involvement with my local church has been fulfilling. As for the UMC 'at large,' I believe that it is only a matter of time before they come along, very much in the same way as Southern Methodist churches eventually came to believe that enslaving African-Americans was wrong.

I am active in the local church. What the rest of the UMC does is its business and not mine.

I have recently joined a reconciling congregation and feel welcome, after 40 years of membership in a church that I assumed would reject me for being gay. Nonetheless, I do not accept the doctrine 100% anymore.

I grew up Methodist because it was the only church in my very rural town. . . . After leaving [home] after high school, I've been a Presbyterian deacon and a member of the Board of Directors at a local Metropolitan Community Church. My current church home happens to be Methodist. I consider my membership/affiliation to be more centered with the character of the local UMC church I attend more than any ideological agreement with UMC principles.

[I like] the attitude of my local congregation. The "brand name" of the church doesn't matter to me as much as how I'm treated by the people I interact with.

Though the UMC is a connectional church, my main affiliation is with my local church which I feel is an extension of my family. . . . I have been a member of my church for 15 years and would have to say it is the people that surround me in this church which keep me loyal.

My church . . . is the center of my life in the community. As a UM congregation, we . . . are working to return the denomination to its roots in evangelism, work for justice, and inclusion of all. I feel that I am doing the work that God is calling me to do.

Now more than just the memories, . . . I keep my name on the membership roll of [my local church] . . . because of the particular philosophy and history of that particular Methodist church [and their social justice actions]. . . . It is this welcoming spirit, this ideal of loving kindness that requires me to keep my membership there. . . . [A]s the community has changed in the inner city and the permanent membership of this church has suffered some decline, my membership helps keep the roll high enough so that church officials . . . do not close it down.

I can't imagine not attending a reconciling congregation. But, I think it is important to attend a mixed congregation instead of a GLBT-only church like the MMC.

Because my local church is SO [sic] supportive, I tell myself I didn't join the United Methodist Church; I joined this particular congregation. I like to think I can better help enact change from within rather than outside the church.

[Our local church] is a very open and accepting church, and we have been members there since 1996. In the last year, [it] has been very vocal about accepting ALL [sic] of God's children. Our average attendance has increased from about 35 to over 150 just since last annual conference. Who says that liberal churches can't grow? . . . P.S. I long for the day when I may again pastor as a United Methodist.

I stay because I know that there are other places like this congregation that are so wonderful and accepting. This is a congregation that truly practices the things Christianity teaches. So many gay people are looking for what I have found and I believe that things can be changed from inside the system - we are constantly striving for justice in all aspects of the world.

I love my specific church . . . . I am not happy being part of a denomination that openly discriminates against me, my family and other gay and lesbian people. At times I have considered withdrawing my financial support but have convinced myself to continue supporting the church for now.

While I love my local church, I am in great pain over the actions and the political stand of the international UMC.

If the local church I am active in weren't a Reconciling congregation, I would think twice whether or not I would continue placing my energies into it, particularly my financial support. I believe in the mission work that I am a part of even though I have but limited faith in the institution.

I'm afraid that my relationship is not with the UMC but with the community of faith at my local church. . . . we could split from the UMC and I would still be as active with my church family as I am today. I have even looked into ways that I can make special donations of money or property to the church family but keep it out of the hands of the United Methodist corporate structure. My financial support of my church is most definitely to further the ministries of my specific church and not the UMC as a whole.

The people in my church, their dedication to social activism, their spirituality, and their unconditional love of all.

I have felt very upset about recent General Conference actions and severed myself from all connections from local church, annual conference, etc. My own local congregation is becoming more supportive, so new doors seem to be opening. It now allows the local PFLAG group to meet in its building, and several local members who know I am gay have been personally supportive.

I stopped attending church for a number of years after coming out as a gay man. I used to visit my current church only occasionally, but after it became a reconciling congregation and the current minister came, explicitly welcoming GLBT persons to participate fully and openly in our congregational life, I started coming regularly and felt "revived," as we used to put it in my evangelical childhood. The act of worshipping and fellowshipping and working in a church where I could be open and out as exactly the person I am was an experience of grace that has altered my life for the good.

I was raised a Baptist. I know without a shadow of a doubt I will never be welcome there. I do not go to [my UMC] because it is a Methodist church. I go because people like me go there.

[I] am comfortable with [my UMC membership]. Why? Well, my local church is one of the most liberal in the conference and certainly in my small city except for the UU church with which I am not comfortable as a Christian. So I really have no other place to worship. My church is a Reconciling Congregation and that is what is so special. . . .

I feel very good about my local church because we are diverse and inclusive. By staying in the church, I may help bring about a positive change in the Book of Discipline.

The people in our congregation. It is a very loving group. Thus our loyalty is more to the individual church and the way its members represent Christianity than to "Methodism."

My local congregation is a reconciling congregation.

Since moving . . . and becoming involved with a Reconciling Congregation . . .

I have become much more involved with the church. I have found a community of diverse individuals beliefs and values that are similar to my own, and a place to interact with others and make friends that is safe, open, welcoming, and encourages me to be a better individual.

The denomination is not as important as the individual church we attend.

I like the church. I've met some great people who advocate for LGBT people within the church community. However, I'm saddened by the way some choose to alienate their gay brothers and sisters.

I find that opportunity [exploring Christian spirituality] in my congregation of the UM Church and expect that I could find that as well in some other Christian faiths. My congregation is more important to me by far than its affiliation. BUT [sic] I have grown fond of the Methodist Church based on its willingness to prayerfully explore and debate issues, and for the intelligence and thoughtfulness of the ministers it has sent our congregation. I would probably seek out a Methodist congregation first were I ever to move from my present home.

[My local church is] the first church that opened the door for me and my partner [sic] to heal from the persecution we have experienced from our own families. In turn healing has begun. The UMC is very organized when so much hurt is in the GLBT community, emotions can get in the way. Knowing that my church is consistent creates a sense of security. A solid rock you might say.

If it were not for my local church, I would leave the UMC as it seems to go down a more conservative path. . . My involvement with the church has been and still continues to be a blessing to my life.

I stay because I have a supportive congregation.

I feel that my association with the UMC as a body is irrelevant, as most of my focus is directed to my particular congregation.

The United Methodist Church is one of several Protestant Churches of which I could be a member, but I feel a bond with the particular congregation where I am a member.

My true loyalty is to my local congregation . . . and I deeply resent the denomination's homophobia as an intrusion upon that commitment.

The people in the local congregation; my personal relationship with God; and the support of the local bishop.

I feel a strong connection to my "home" church, mainly because they work hard to stress their reconciling stance towards LGBT members. I feel discriminated against and hated by the UMC as a whole. Walking away from this church would be so very painful, but being treated as "less than" is very demeaning and wrong. I wouldn't ask a victim to stay in a place where they are being victimized and I wonder how long I will force myself to stay in a church that attacks.

I have been fortunate to [attend] very supportive and open-minded congregations.

While I am very happy with my local church, there are times when I am resentful of the way heterosexual couples can be out and supported by the church staff, but gay and lesbian couples, while supported by the church staff, can't be as "out" as our straight counterparts. The game seems silly that we have to play.

I am only there because the gay affirming church I belong to happens to be UMC.

I am very pleased with my affiliation with my local United Methodist Church. I wish the general conference would realize that Christ came for all people. I was created by God as I am and, as many of my friends and coworkers would attest, being gay is only one part of my personality. To be treated differently simply for that one part, either positively or negatively, bothers me.

My particular church is very open and accepting while others in the same city are closed and very hateful.

I love my church. It's what feeds me and keeps me centered.

This church is great! Over half -- maybe 75% -- of the people are gay -- even two of the ministers! Diversity and acceptance is a top priority and ministering to gays is a PROMINENT focus of almost everything the church does. I'm HOME!!! . . . It's the particular church, not the denomination that keeps me coming back. They REALLY value diversity, actively and vocally support LGBT people and causes. [all emphasis original to respondent]

[The UMC’s] openness, and not trying to force doctrine down your throat.

Membership at [a reconciling congregation] - no other reason.

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