The one I attended was too, until the pastor left and the conference assigned a new liberal one. That was the nail in the coffin for me ( I was having issues with the national church before over the gay and women issues ). The problem with them is the centralization of power. The local church gets little say in who gets the pulpit and where there money goes. Once one comes in he is there a couple of years until the local church can get him to move on and the damage is already done.
I for one have always opposed having a large central authority versus belonging to an independent group/association that aids in ethics and accountability and maintaining control locally. Just like in government people rise up the ladder that are not good for the overall church but layperson have no say. Women pastors and bishops are an example. We got a woman bishop a few years back and she immediately made sweeping changes in our summer youth programs to push her own agenda and begin and try to recruit more women into the ministry and attendance dropped dramatically. Did she accept responsibility and revert it back, no she blamed the local clergy and parishioners for not getting out and rallying the youth. She did other things to that were agenda driven. These changes are originating in the NE churches and being pushed onto the more conservative southern churches. Almost every Methodist I know does not condone women pastors but they have no say in the national church which governs who gets ordained.
I used to turn a blind eye and rationalize it by saying, well at least I am not ... or it does not happen here... but finally just got so sick of being apathetic I had to take a stand. Just like in politics I used to hold my nose and vote for the best of the worst, no more, I will not cast a vote for a candidate I cannot support nor attend a church that tacitly or openly supports or does not speak against things the Bible says are wrong. You are guilty by association if you do not take a stand and just ride the fence so you do not upset the apple cart.
I know whereof you speak on the UM church. We left it too. But I do know that the church we used to attend before we moved is still a conservative church and the members are active in the confessing movement. I pray for their success although I know it is an uphill battle.