South Dist. Union etc. v. First United Methodist Church etc. CA4/3

STATEMENT OF FACTS

I.

THE DENOMINATION

The United Methodist Church (the Denomination) is a Christian denomination formed in 1968 by the union of two churches. The Denomination does not have a central headquarters or single executive leader. It is divided into geographical subunits called annual conferences, which have been described as “the basic unit of the church.” There are 54 annual conferences in the United States. Some, but not all, annual conferences are led by a resident bishop. The annual conference covering Southern California is the California-Pacific Conference.1 The California-Pacific Conference is subdivided into five geographic regions: the South, North, West, East, and Hawaii Districts. The South District geographic region (defined above as South District) is separately incorporated and headed by a district superintendent. One of the Denomination’s governing instruments is the Book of Discipline, which is its book of law. The Book of Discipline is the controlling document for the annual conferences and the local churches, including Surf City. The Book of Discipline states that all local church property is held in trust for the benefit of the Denomination. It…