Loyalty and the Church today

I recently meet with a couple to discuss The United Methodist Church (UMC) and what it stood for. In the course of conversation we talked about what it meant to join the UMC. I pulled out a hymnal and showed them the words that are to be spoken at such an event. The line is something to the effect of "will you be loyal to The United Methodist Church and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?" Given the way that people move from church to church and denomination to denomination over the course of their life, what does it mean for someone to be loyal to any particular denomination? Certianly the UMC does not expect it members to have some absolute loyalty to everything that it does. The church takes far too many positions for someone to be loyal to all of them. So what does this loyalty mean? How is one's loyalty to the greater church separate from the individual church they are a part of? Is it simply a matter of supporting the greater efforts of the church, so praying for and providing time and money towards the grater church in its efforts to build up churches and help people around the world? What does being part of a denomination mean today? I know a couple that was moving. They had been a part of a UM Church in one town, but when they looked at moving to a new town they did not think they would go to a UM church. The reason they give was a recent vote taken that showed a degree of support for homosexuality by the UMC. They were not ready to leave their home church because of the vote, but given the choice they would not join another UMC because of the same vote. In light of such actions what does loyalty to the church really mean? How much of a disconnect is there between the actions of local churches and the actions of the Church as a whole? Other than as an organizational tool for churches, and as a support system for clergy, what does a denomination mean today? I think for myself and how I present church membership to others the question must be a personal one. Each person must decide for themselves what the UMC means to them, and feel comfortable saying that they will be loyal to it and support it ministries. A universal standard is not practical, nor really in my mind advisable.