Books, studies, videos, webinars – there is a growing collection of resources to guide your congregation in preparing for General Conference on February 23-26, 2019. At this special event, delegates will receive and act on a report from the Commission on a Way Forward based on the recommendations of the Council of Bishops. The 32-member Commission examined paragraphs in The Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and explored options to strengthen the unity of the church.
The decisions made at this General Conference may have significant implications for your local church, and they will be in the news. This page lists resources that you can use to inform your congregation about the event and the issues that will be discussed there. This page will continue to be updated as new resources are made available.
Online Resources
North Carolina Conference Web Page for General Conference 2019
Advance Edition Daily Christian Advocate for General Conference 2019
Bishops’ Website on the One Church Plan
Circuit Rider Magazine (Aug/Sep/Oct 2018): Decision 2019
Comparison Chart of the Three Plan Proposals (PDF)
Compass Podcast Episode 16 on Human Sexuality and the UMC
Courageous Conversation about the Way Forward (Sample Outline)
Courageous Conversations following the Special Called General Conference
Final Report from the Commission on a Way Forward
Healthy Conversations Guidelines and Training
Judicial Council Ruling on Constitutionality of One Church and Traditional Plans
Chart of The Three Plans after the Judicial Council Rulings (PDF)
General Board of Church & Society Statement on Shared Values
General Conference History with LGBTQ (Timeline)
Perspectives on a Way Forward Panel Discussion (Video)
Pray Forward 2019 (For Youth Ministries)
Seeing a Way Forward Video Series
United Methodist Communications Toolkit
United Methodist Communications GC2019 Resources for Leaders
United Methodist News Service – News about General Conference 2019
Includes commentaries.
Videos Released by the Commission on a Way Forward (Part 1)
Videos Released by the Commission on a Way Forward (Part 2)
Webinar on Constructive Ways to Present This Information to Your Church
(Download Video)
Books Available in the NC Conference Media Center
Homosexuality and the UMC Way Forward (Church Unity) Pathfinder
A list of all of our resources related to this topic. Click this link for an extended list of books available in the Media Center that are relevant to the UMC Way Forward.
United Methodists Divided: Understanding Our Differences Over Homosexuality by Dale McConkey; Global Parish Press, 2018.
Embracing the Wideness: The Shared Convictions of The United Methodist Church by Kenneth H. Carter Jr. ; Foreword by Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon; Abingdon Press, 2018.
Entangled: A History of American Methodism, Politics, and Sexuality by Ashley Boggan Dreff; New Room Books, 2018.
A Methodist Requiem: Words of Hope and Resurrection for the Church by William B. Lawrence; Foundery Books, 2018.
Unity of the Church and Human Sexuality: Toward a Faithful United Methodist Witness; General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church, 2018.
A printed Study Guide based on this book.
Unafraid and Unashamed: Facing the Future of United Methodism by Wil Cantrell; Market Square Books, 2017.
A PDF Leader’s Guide for this book.
Bid Our Jarring Conflicts Cease: A Wesleyan Theology and Praxis of Church Unity by David N. Field; Foundery Books, 2017.
The Bible and Human Sexuality: Claiming God’s Good Gift by Ellen A. Brubaker; Participant’s Guide by M. Garlinda Burton; United Methodist Women, 2016.
The Causes, Evils, and Cures of Heart and Church Divisions by Francis Asbury; Abingdon Press, 2016.
A Study Edition is also available.
Finding Our Way: Love and Law in the United Methodist Church edited by Rueben P. Job and Neil M. Alexander; Abingdon Press, 2014.
Faultlines Series
The United Methodist publisher, Abingdon Press, published this series of print books to “inform conversations around human sexuality and the church.” The books are listed here in the order that they were published.
Living Faithfully: Human Sexuality and The United Methodist Church; Abingdon Press, 2017.
Is It Time? Helping Laity and Clergy Discuss Homosexuality One Question at a Time by Adolf Hansen; Abingdon Press, 2017.
Holy Contradictions: What’s Next for the People Called United Methodists edited by Brian K. Milford; Abingdon Press, 2018.
The Marks of Hope: Where the Spirit is Moving in a Wounded Church by Matt Rawle, Juan Huertas, and Katie McKay Simpson; Abingdon Press, 2018.
Our Strangely Warmed Hearts: Coming Out Into God’s Call by Karen P. Oliveto; Abingdon Press, 2018.
A New Church and a New Seminary: Theological Education Is the Solution by David McAllister-Wilson; Abingdon Press, 2018.
The Fight for Marriage: Church Conflicts and Courtroom Contests by Phillip F. Cramer and William L. Harbison; Abingdon Press, 2018.
Are We Really Better Together? An Evangelical Perspective on the Division in the UMC by Rob Renfroe and Walter Fenton; Abingdon Press, 2018.
The 19: Questions to Kindle a Wesleyan Spirit by Carolyn Moore; Abingdon Press, 2018.
Our Purpose is Love: The Wesleyan Way to Be the Church by David N. Field; Abingdon Press, 2018.
A printed Leader Guide for this book.
Request These Resources
The books listed here can be borrowed or free by anyone involved with a United Methodist church in the North Carolina Conference. We can even mail them to you! All you need to do is fill out the Resource Request Form.