Who will save us from our limited perspective?

After much discussion, one lady confronted me with their plan. "We're thinking of just leaving the United Methodist Church," she said. "And how would that be helpful to your church?" I asked.
"The United Methodist Church just has too many rules. If we leave it, we could do whatever we wanted."
I am not going to disagree that we have lots of regulation in ordering church life. That's the METHOd in Methodist. Every one of our rules has a history (the rule was made because somewhere along the line, a church got hurt when the policy was not in place) and a purpose (to make holy use of the bad experience to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to other churches). I have no trouble granting that United Methodists struggle --but benefit--from our organizing covenant.
But my question hadn't been answered. Would "being able to do whatever we wanted" be a good thing for the church?
My pastoral experience says that being free of the rules would, more likely, leave the church stranded in an inwardly focused self-centeredness. Mind you, I was talking with good people. But history bears me out: when people as individuals or groups get to do things their way, there's a spiritual trainwreck waiting to happen. That's why we do wealthy people no favors to let them think that their financial contribution can buy unquestioned influence in decision-making. That's why we do popular political or sports figures no favor when we adulate them and contribute to their spiritually false sense that they are better than anyone else. We see one life after another destroyed. The headlines are full of intelligent people, powerful people, talented people. and religious people who fall into life-wrecking sin because they got away from humility and accountability.
Do I think a church (or an individual or a nation) would be helped to be cut loose from accountability? Nothing in my years of pastoral experience suggests that people are better off without accountability. Everyone needs perspective and we, ourselves are often the last to see the perspective we so desperately need.
At the heart of Christian life is a willingness to leave self behind in order to put Christ first. No idea is more central that this core conviction. The Christian faith is not about having things our way. Christian faith is about having things God's way. Having things our way is about selfishness. Putting Christ's way first in all things is about selflessness. Having things our way intensifies our selfishness. Doing things God's way increases our unselfishness.
I don't mean to glorify the regulation and accountability of our church rules. Our rules can't make us the kind and loving people Christ has called us to be. But our regularized, methodical ways of ordering church life can streamline the administration of a church, keep people focused on the mission of following Jesus and avoid endless squabbling about how things should be done.
I know we have many brothers and sisters in Christ who worship God in congregational-based settings. I believe the "we get to decide what we want to do" settings leave congregations vulnerable to short-sightedness and limited perspective. Without accountability, what will save them from limited perspective?
Every mature Christian has lived long enough to be thankful that God didn't answer some prayer the way they had hoped.