Diane Degnan [emailprotected] With the 2020 General Conference now delayed to when the next one was supposed to take place, it remains unclear whether new delegates will need to be elected. The commission is made up of 25 members who are elected quadrennially by the General Conference body. United Methodists reacted to General Conferences third postponement this time to 2024 with strong emotions ranging from outrage to relief. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs for the next four years. The next General Conference will be in 2024. The COVID-19 menace first led the Minneapolis venue to cancel events in 2020 and then led the commission to delay again until August this year. Also unclear is what General Conferences delay means for bishop elections. The restrictive language is painful and harmful, and I remain committed to its removal from our Book of Discipline but the delay in getting it changed does not impact our ability to love all people of God, she said. Is there anything in our Discipline that requires delegates to be members of the United Methodist Church? While the COB appreciates the clarity and guidance on that issue, the bishops feel that the decision has generated a number of other We continue our steadfast scenario planning, seeking security and certainty for our customers first and foremost, said Andy Hendren, Wespaths top executive, and also working with stakeholders from all viewpoints, in a neutral, bridge-building, and non-anxious way, to serve the church as it changes even as its future is still in flux.. Proposals from three cities were considered, but ultimately Charlotte was determined to be the best fit. A significant advantage of further postponing the 2020 General Conference to 2024 is that the Commission has already secured a venue for what would have been the regularly scheduled quadrennial event. In 2020, delegates to the global UMCs General Conference were expected to consider a proposal to split the denomination, but the meeting was subsequently delayed three times due to the pandemic. Hotchkiss added, We appreciate the patience and understanding of the Local Host Committee as we have gone back to the drawing board on multiple occasions. We engaged in a fair, thorough, integrity-filled discussion of the alternatives," said Kim Simpson, chairperson of the Commission on the General Conference, in a press statement. Commission members remain hopeful and pray that the worlds circumstances improve to help make the next General Conference not only possible, but a reminder of the witness of The United Methodist Church as a global representation of the body of Christ.. WebUMC General Conference 2024. Media contact: I fear we will shortly see renewed and intensified internal conflict across our connection, he wrote. The coming General Conference was to have 862 voting delegates 55.9% from the U.S., 32% from Africa, 6% from the Philippines, 4.6% from Europe and the remainder from concordat churches that have close ties to The United Methodist Church. Learn more General Conference 2020 General Conference further postponed to 2024 Annual conferences have approved the disaffiliation of about 130 U.S. churches in the past two years. Ultimately our decision reflects the hope that 2024 will afford greater opportunity for global travel and a higher degree of protection for the health and safety of delegates and attendees.. Many of us may have strong feelings about this development, but this is the new reality for Methodism in the world. The commission did not cite vaccines as an issue, but visas. The Global Methodist Church has launched, and traditionalist United Methodist churches and clergy are publicly announcing their intention to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church to join the new traditionalist Methodist denomination. In making the selection, Simpson said that the Commission looked at the suitability and capacity of meeting facilities, availability of adequate space, the proximity of hotel rooms, accessibility and convenience of travel and costs of meeting space, lodging, meals and airfare. In an essay for the theologically conservative advocacy group Wesleyan Covenant Association, the Rev. To read more United Methodist news,subscribe to the free Daily or Friday Digests. Technically, delegates elected to the 2020 General Conference are still eligible to serve at the 2024 session. UMC General Conference postponed till 2024; bishops to explore various pathways WASHINGTON, D.C. The Commission on the General Conference today announced the further postponement of the postponed 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. He has called a special session of the Oklahoma Conference on Oct. 21-22 to vote on church disaffiliations. General Conference the only body that can speak for the church has the final say on whether the protocol takes effect as written. Nashville, Tenn.: The Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, atCharlotte Convention Centerin Charlotte, North Carolina. For Manchester, the delay will mean a few more years in the wilderness, he said. Chelsea Morse, Associate Pastor. Many also expressed weariness with the uncertainty that has faced the The United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies typically have held a General Conference at least every four years since 1792. The decision by the Commission on General Conference to postpone the 2020 General Conference A decision about the 2024 General Conference delegation seems to be currently in the hands of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church. Read Full Story, The Wisconsin Conference of The UMC 2024. Sign up for our free daily and weekly digests of important news and events in the life of The United Methodist Church. The churchs court, known as the Judicial Council, ruled last month in Judicial Council Decision 1451 that the General Conference session to be held in 2024 is the postponed 2020 General Conference. Our work in these specific areas needs to be conducted in a manner that is consistent across the church, said COB President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton of New York Area. The Rev. In the meantime, the rapidly spreading virus variants and resulting travel restrictions have continued to bedevil General Conference planning. Delegates from Africa, Europe, Asia and the U.S. will attend the 11-day gathering, which is expected to attract about 5,500-7,500 people. WebUnited Methodists to meet in Charlotte for worldwide conference. In times of relative stability, one might make the argument that the delegation elected for the 2020 General Conference ought to be allowed to serve as delegates when General Conference is held in 2024, but this is not a time of relative stability. I hope this letter will be the beginning of renewed dialogue and prayer for The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Do you have a question about The United Methodist Church? Furthermore, conference delegates foresee that the process by which they worked across jurisdictional lines portends more grassroots activism ahead of the 2024 General Conference, the UMCs worldwide legislative assembly now slated to take place April 23May 4, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. At the same time, theologically conservatives groups such as the Wesleyan Covenant Association, Good News and the Africa Initiative have urged the commission not to postpone General Conference any further. The association plans to hold a global gathering on May 7 to discuss its plans for the new denomination. 615.742.5406. This allows churches additional time to have any necessary conversations they feel they need to have, explained Bishop David Graves, in a video following the announcement of General Conferences postponement. In a relatively closely divided vote last month, a predominantly American faction of the Commission on General Conference chose to block the United Methodist Churchs General Conference meeting before 2024. Nashville, Tenn.: As the pandemic continues and the wait time for visas stretches to over two years in some countries, the Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2020 General Conference cannot be held in 2022 due to COVID-related and governmental policies/constraints. Our request for clarification is to simply ask for specific clarification so that our work, both in the Annual Conferences and the General Church, can function with uniformity and alignment. We continue to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, seeking creative ways to be in mission and ministry as ambassadors of Gods unconditional love.. (A surge of centrist and progressive U.S. delegates was elected for the 2020 conclave after a 2019 special General Conference at which the UMCs bans against homosexuality were tightened.) Secretary of the General Conference, Gary Graves, said the further postponement raises a number of additional questions not specifically addressed in The Book of Discipline 2016. Kim Simpson, the General Conference commission chair, said that moving the General Conference was the commissions decision by majority vote. While the COB appreciates the clarity and guidance on that issue, the bishops feel that the decision has generated a number of other questions that arise from the language of the decision, and the COB therefore was petitioning the Judicial Council for clarification of the decision on four limited questions. We believe now is the time for annual conferences and local churches to move forward into a new reality, free of the burdens of conflict and liberated to focus solely on the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world through the Holy Spirit, wrote the Rev. Full participation of delegates in Christian conferencing as a means of grace was not seen as possible under these circumstances. What should United Methodist congregations know about disaffiliation? General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The next General Conference will be in 2024. Earlier Event: June 1. Support the ministry of UM News! 3: In regard to delegates who were elected from two previous annual conferences for the postponed 2020 General Conference that have since merged, (a) which delegates previously elected are eligible to serve at the postponed 2020 General Conference; and (b) if the merged annual conference is entitled to fewer delegates, what is the process under the Discipline for determining who among those previously elected is eligible to serve, including the date for determination of the delegates? About General Conference The requested decision pertains to how Council of Bishops holds its individual members accountable for their work, both as general superintendents and as presidents and residents in episcopal areas. Gary Graves, General Conference secretary, said the commission would look to the Judicial Council, the denominations top court, for clarity for what needs to be done should this be seen as a postponed General Conference instead of a new assembly. Hotchkiss added, We appreciate the patience and understanding of the Local Host Committee as we have gone back to the drawing board on multiple occasions. The Commission also voted to hold the 2028 conference in Harare, Zimbabwe. Molly Vetter, a General Conference delegate and senior pastor of the Westwood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. Mulenga, Director of Communications General Conference further postponed to 2024. The United Methodist Church and its predecessors have long maintained a policy that all congregations hold property in trust for the benefit of the entire denomination.
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