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Commission Continues Planning for Postponed 2020 General Conference

Announcements

Nashville, Tenn.: Meeting on March 28, the Commission on the General Conference continued the work of preparing for the postponed 2020 General Conference.

At their previous meeting, the Commission discussed the need to proactively look for possible solutions that could help avoid delays in 2024 should unforeseen circumstances occur or persist.

The Commission adopted a proposal to form two strategy teams “to formulate plans for effectively executing key aspects of the General Conference.” One team will look at the issue of visas, given the long wait times for visa issuance in some countries. The other team will look at event logistics, considering options that may exist. The teams would be led by members of the Commission.

Sara Hotchkiss, Business Manager of the General Conference, reported that negotiations regarding the terms of existing Minneapolis contracts are in progress. Those negotiations could impact the remaining contracts with the 2024 location. At the point the terms with Minneapolis have been agreed upon, there will be a called meeting of the Commission for ratification of the agreements.

The Rev. Gary Graves, Secretary of the General Conference, reported that work continues on the transition to new office space in the Denman Building in Nashville, Tennessee. Occupancy began on March 1, 2022, and some construction will be necessary. Plans are to utilize the same contractor who is doing work for the general agencies that also occupy that space.

Graves said that evaluation is underway as to the impact of the recent Judicial Council decisions regarding petition deadlines and the relation to postponed dates of the General Conference. The postponement to 2024 now has to be added to the considerations. Plans will be brought back to the Commission should they require Commission approval or impact the budget.

In addition, a request has been made to the Council of Bishops to fill two vacancies on the Commission caused by the death of one member and the resignation of another.

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About General Conference

General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The assembly typically meets at the beginning of each quadrennium to consider revisions to church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs for the next four years.

Media contact:
Diane Degnan
presscenter@umcom.org
615.742.5406

Commission Continues Planning for Postponed 2020 General

Church Court Says GC2020 Delay Resets Deadlines

Announcements

By Heather Hahn
Feb. 22, 2022 | UM News

The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that any postponement of General Conference resets the submission deadlines for proposed legislation.

The Judicial Council ruling comes as the Commission on the General Conference is considering whether the international lawmaking assembly — already twice postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic — needs to be delayed again.

The commission plans to decide by the end of March whether General Conference can go forward as scheduled on Aug. 29-Sept. 6 this year in Minneapolis. The commission next meets Feb. 24.

Ahead of that meeting, the Judicial Council said the General Conference commission “erred in using the original date as point of reference for the submission deadlines.”

The deadlines for General Conference petitions set out in the Book of Discipline — the denomination’s law book — “are based on the date of the postponed General Conference and reset with each postponement,” the church court said in Decision 1429.

The ruling is among two decisions that the Judicial Council released Feb. 22 as it continues to work through a 22-item docket. The church court previously released six rulings related to a new church law that allows congregations, under limited conditions, to leave the denomination with property.

In Decision 1429, the church court addressed questions brought by the Alaska Conference related to Paragraph 507 in the Book of Discipline.

The paragraph says petitions can be submitted until 230 days “prior to the opening session of the General Conference.” The paragraph also allows annual conferences to submit petitions up to 45 days “prior to the opening session.” A petition is a request to the General Conference for official action on a topic or issue, similar to a bill before the U.S. Congress.

After General Conference’s initial postponement, the commission announced that it was holding to the original petition deadlines for the 2020 General Conference.

That meant the commission would treat all petitions filed after Sept. 18, 2019, as late unless submitted by an annual conference. Any annual conference legislation arriving after March 21, 2020, also would be deemed late. Whether General Conference would consider later-arriving petitions would be at the discretion of the Committee on Reference, a bishop-appointed group of 24 delegates that typically meets the day before General Conference.

Under that interpretation, legislation submitted Jan. 8, 2021, by the Alaska Conference delegation to General Conference would be late. The Alaska delegation’s petition — titled “Christmas Covenant Combined with Wespath Provisions and Protocol” — amends, deletes and combines parts of other legislative proposals previously submitted to General Conference.

Based on the Discipline’s text, the Judicial Council determined that the Alaska delegation had submitted the legislation “in a timely manner.”

The church court directed the General Conference commission “to process all petitions duly submitted by the Alaska Delegation and bodies other than annual conferences between September 19, 2019 and January 11, 2022 in a manner not inconsistent with this holding.”

Before the Alaska Conference made its request for the court’s declaratory decision, the Alaska delegation itself made a similar request about petition deadlines.

However, in Decision 1428, the Judicial Council ruled that an “annual conference delegation to General
Conference, jurisdictional, or central conference is not a body authorized” to ask for a declaratory decision.

For that reason, the Judicial Council ruled on the Alaska Conference request instead.

Hahn is assistant news editor for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Friday Digests.

Commission Considers Status of Postponed General Conference

Announcements

Commission on the General Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2021

Nashville, Tenn.: The Commission on the General Conference announced today that it is continuing to move forward with logistical planning for the postponed 2020 General Conference, but that it continues to monitor various factors, including pandemic-related developments, which could impact the decision to hold the event on the previously announced dates of August 29 – September 7, 2022.  A determination is slated to be made during the first quarter of 2022 about whether to hold the postponed 2020 General Conference as currently scheduled or to consider further postponement.

Meeting online on November 18, 2021, the Commission voted to meet during the first quarter of next year, when they will consider the most up-to-date information available relative to COVID-19 disease prevalence, vaccine availability, public health guidelines, travel restrictions, financial considerations and other pertinent issues.

Upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the Commission also adopted a set of values to guide them in their decision making: a reasonable threshold of delegate presence and participation; the health and safety of General Conference delegates, staff, volunteers and guests; inclusion of the broad diversity of the church; anti-racism; integrity; credibility; recognition of the mission of The United Methodist Church (making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world; and awareness of the Commission’s responsibility and purpose in planning for the General Conference.

“We wanted to have stated values that we will lift up as we make these important decisions,” said Kim Simpson, Commission chairperson. “For example, we feel it is important to go beyond the minimum requirement of quorum when thinking about the involvement of as many delegates as possible.”

In other business, the Commission received a report from the Program Committee and approved some recommended changes to the agenda made necessary because the postponed 2020 General Conference will have nine working days instead of ten.

About General Conference:

General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The assembly meets at the beginning of each quadrennium to consider revisions to church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs for the next four years.

Media contact:

Diane Degnan 
presscenter@umcom.org 
615.742.5406 (o)

Bishops Reconsider May 8 Special Session of General Conference

Events

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church met on Monday, March 22, 2021 in an additional meeting to consider pressing matters related to the Council’s work. After much conversation, the bishops reached a decision that in the best interest of the church at this time, they would cancel the Special Session of the General Conference which was set for May 8, 2021.

The bishops announced that they will dedicate their regularly scheduled April meeting to conversation based on results of listening sessions that are occurring and discern a possible need for a new timeline toward General Conference 2020 set for August 29 to September 6, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At the April meeting, the bishops will also discuss ways to empower the work at the Jurisdictional and Central Conferences.

“Much has been learned over the past few weeks and the extended timeline will allow for even deeper listening by the bishops at the general church level but also in our residential settings,” said Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, president of the Council. “We are thankful for the collaboration fostered with the Commission on General Conference and especially grateful for the work that had already begun in the planning for the Special Session,” Bishop Harvey added.

United Methodist Bishops Reconsider May 8 Special Session of General Conference

Media Contact: Rev. Dr. Maidstone Mulenga
Director of Communications – Council of Bishops
The United Methodist Church|
mmulenga@umc-cob.org
202-748-5172
www.unitedmethodistbishops.org

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