The ONLY way to be ENTIRELY removed from The UMC is transfer. This is grounded in our theology of baptism and membership.For most Protestant churches…you simply stop going. If they send you mail or email, you ask them to remove you from their list. Done. If a pastor is informed that a member has without notice united with a church of another denomination, the pastor shall make diligent inquiry. The Book of Discipline provides that members can be removed from the membership role if they "transfer, die or have withdrawn from membership." A bishop has the remarkable authority to remove any pastor from an appointment. (See Paragraph 241) The bottom line is the ONLY way to be ENTIRELY removed from The UMC is transfer. " In most cases, however, people simply leave the local church without providing notice to the pastor or leadership team. I left the puzzle out the rest of the Easter weekend, and I began to reflect on my process of completing it.