YOUNGSTOWN - The Millcreek Community Methodist Church in Youngstown is officially disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church. 

The church sent out the following statement: 

"On Thursday, June 8, 2023, the Millcreek Community United Methodist Church in Boardman joined hundreds of other United Methodist churches and clergy in northeast Ohio in officially disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church. Approximately 38% churches in the East Ohio Conference were approved to leave the denomination due to theological differences surrounding human sexuality."

Millcreek Community Methodist Church will join the new Global Methodist Church denomination starting July 1, 2023. 

Reverend Gregory Calko will continue as pastor of the church. 

Reverand Calko told 21 news in an email, "Though there are several mitigating factors, the primary motivation for disaffiliation was the failure of the United Methodist Church to uphold its current Book of Discipline, specifically the clauses that disallow the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals and the performing of marriages of non-heterosexual couples within the United Methodist Church..."

"The position of the Millcreek Community Church is that we could no longer associate with or support a denomination that overlooks and otherwise refuses to hold accountable those who are in open defiance of their ordination and membership vows. We embraced a temporary clause that was added to the Book of Discipline in 2019 that allowed churches to leave the denomination over matters of human sexuality," Calko added. 

Calko says that he does not expect to see a decline in attendance, and that their doors are open to anyone who wants to enter.