After a large initial swell amid a historic schism, a final wave of congregations in the region around Chattanooga are leaving the United Methodist Church as a key end-of-year deadline approaches.
The former business manager of a Cleveland, Tennessee, church was sentenced to 54 months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud for using church money for personal expenses, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Holston United Methodists Finalize Departure Of 264 Congregations, Including Several Locally chattanoogan.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chattanoogan.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church counts about 150,000 members in and around East Tennessee. Now, roughly 1 in 4 of the churches that comprise it are poised to exit the denomination, according to figures from a conference newsletter.