Church of the United Brethren in Christ (New Constitution)
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ was a Protestant Christiandenomination formed in 1889 by a majority of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ when that denomination adopted a new constitution. A minority of the Church, led by Bishop Milton Wright, contended that the proposed changes were invalid since they were not adopted by all church members and formed the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. The Church of the UnitedBrethren in Christ ceased to exist when it merged with the Evangelical Church in 1946 to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church, which in turn merged in 1968 with the Methodists to form the United Methodist Church. The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is now known as the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In the 1968 merger with the Methodists, all property deeds of the Evangelical United Brethren were ceded to the United Methodist Church. In the Northwest United States, over fifty Evangelical United Brethren churches immediately negotiated to purchase their deeds back and depart. They formed the Evangelical Church of North America. Many of the former Evangelical United Brethren churches in Pennsylvania joined the new ECNA, even though their deeds belonged to the Methodists, prompting a ten-year dispute. Eventually, the Methodists gave the dissenting Pennsylvania churches the opportunity to purchase their deeds for token amounts. The churches did so with haste and were much relieved to have their property back and be in an organization of former EUB churches. At about the same time, the ECNA and Canadian Evangelical Church began talks and proposals of merging. The ECNA composed and printed a compatible draft of new By-laws for the possible merger. When the Pennsylvania churches reviewed the draft they requested wording that would guarantee local churches own their property. The ECNA conveyed it was not necessary since there was no overt statement of property ownership currently in the By-Laws. With sensitivities heightened by the recent regaining of their deeds, the churches asked for wording that would prevent future changes in the by-Laws claiming church property. When the ECNA refused, the Pennsylvania churches requested withdrawal without contest for property, which the ECNA reluctantly granted. Anticipating departure, the Pennsylvania churches formed the Association of Evangelical Churches in 1981, and stated in their first By-Law that each church shall hold full title to its property. As an added precaution, it further stated that the paragraph on owning church property could not be amended without a unanimous vote of its member churches.
