Leader resigns presidency of ex-RLDS Church

Leaders and members of what was once known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are reacting with "sadness and grief" after the resignation of President W. Grant McMurray earlier this week.

Now known as the Community of Christ, the 250,000-member faith, headquartered in Independence, Mo., is dealing with the news, which became public Wednesday during a videoconference with top leaders after McMurray tendered a letter of resignation Monday.

The letter said McMurray had "made some inappropriate choices, and the circumstances of my life are now such that I cannot continue to effectively lead the church."

"It is not appropriate for me to function in a priesthood capacity as I work through these personal issues," he wrote, "and so I request to be released from my priesthood office at this time."

McMurray also said he has recently been diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's disease, so resigning his duties will allow him to devote more attention to his health. Now 57, he served as president of the Community of Christ for eight years.

He said he "deeply regret(s) the difficulties that this causes for the church I love."

As the top leader in the church's three-member First Presidency, McMurray addressed his resignation letter to his counselors, Peter A. Judd and Kenneth N. Robinson. The two men will now function as co-presidents of the church until a successor is named.

When contacted by the Deseret Morning News, McMurray said his letter of resignation "was written in a way to express what I felt I needed to express to the church. Beyond that, it's an entirely personal and family matter and the letter says what I felt I needed to say."

He said he has been "deluged by e-mails and phone calls from supporters," and will try to thank them "once we get a few days away from this and have the opportunity to regroup. I need time for personal and spiritual renewal, and I'm looking forward to focusing on personal and family things that are very important to me."

Though he will not actively function in ministry for the foreseeable future, McMurray said he is still "a full member of the church. I've simply asked that during this period when I need to focus on personal things, the obligations of priesthood ministry are something I prefer not to deal with. At any point in the future I can ask to be reinstated. It's really an administrative matter."

McMurray said while he has "deep regrets and a sense of sorrow in many respects, I'm also very much at peace with this decision."