(RNS) — After their congregation took a straw poll that showed the majority of members were in favor of breaking away from the United Methodist Church, Michael and Heather Hahn had to make a decision.

Hundreds of churches split from a regional body of the United Methodist Church (UMC) over the weekend as the second-largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. continues to hemorrhage congregations.

A lawyer representing multiple congregations facing legal hurdles in their attempts to leave the largest mainline Methodist denomination in the U.S. said the battles are ultimately financial. "It's ...