The United Methodist Publishing House
September 14, 2018
A new edition of the Book of Discipline 2016 Errata is now available which includes changes to paragraphs 408.3, 410, and 422. These changes were tied to a constitutional amendment on Paragraph 50 of the Constitution that was passed by the 2016 General Conference and subsequently ratified by the members of the annual conferences. The ratified amendment was published in the Errata in May 2018, but the paragraph changes were not included at that time.
The 2016 General Conference approved three pieces of enabling legislation intended to take effect if and when an amendment to Paragraph 50 of the Constitution was passed. This enabling legislation, which affects the aforementioned Book of Discipline paragraphs (408.3, 410, and 422), outlines processes for how the Council of Bishops would hold its members accountable as general superintendents and as presidents and residents in episcopal areas. The legislation took effect in May 2018 when the Council of Bishops announced the constitutional amendment was approved by over two thirds of the members of the annual conferences.
When the enabling legislation was brought to the attention of The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH), UMPH staff notified the Committee on Correlation and Editorial Revision (CCER), who reviewed the legislation and prepared the updated version of the Errata. The most recent additions to the Errata appear in red type to be easily identified.
Paragraph 59 of the Book of Discipline allows the General Conference to pass enabling legislation contingent on a constitutional amendment. Longstanding practice has been to print constitutional amendments passed by the General Conference in the Book of Discipline Errata if and when they are ratified. They are then printed in the following edition of the Book of Discipline. Enabling legislation tied to a constitutional amendment follows the same procedure.
Both the amendments and the enabling legislation will be printed in the Book of Discipline 2020.
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Media contact:
Amy Smith asmith@umpublishing.org