[ Editor’s Note: The following first person account describes some of the legislative issues up for discussion and vote at the quadrennial General Conference of The United Methodist Church April 24 through May 4 in Tampa. ]
By Ethan Gregory
I remember back to the Monday of the 2011 session of the Central Texas Annual Conference last summer. We had just returned from lunch and were beginning the afternoon business session. The first item on the agenda was to read the results from the first ballot of votes. This ballot determined who would be serving as delegates from the Central Texas Conference to the 2012 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. The results were read, laity first, and there were three elections: Tom Harkrider, Steve McIver (the Conference Lay Leader), and me, a 19 year-old young adult, elected on the first ballot. This was definitely an exciting afternoon for me personally, and for our annual conference, as I was the first young adult ever elected by our annual conference to serve as a delegate to General Conference!
General Conference is the top legislative making body of The United Methodist Church. It meets every four years, bringing together United Methodists from all over the world. General Conference is the only official body that can speak for our denomination. General Conference will be held this year from April 24 through May 4 in Tampa. The primary objective of the General Conference is to discuss and vote on legislation in order to edit and revise our denomination’s Book of Discipline and Book of Resolutions. There is an enormous amount of legislation sent into General Conference, so it is divided into thirteen groups, or legislative committees. During the first half of the conference, delegates meet in those legislative committees to discuss and condense the legislation before it is presented for more discussion and a final vote by the entire body.
One of the biggest pieces of legislation being presented this year is a proposed reorganization of the general church structure of our denomination. Currently The United Methodist Church operates out of a structure that was designed to be temporary following the 1968 merger of The Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church. The new structure would condense the general agencies and align them with the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church. United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men would become separate autonomous agencies. There would also be a significant reduction in the number of boards and committees that oversee the general agencies. The new structure calls for a 45-member General Council for Strategy and Oversight and a 15-member Connectional Mission and Ministry Board to oversee the condensed general agencies. While it may seem like these changes will not have any affect on the local church, this assumption is entirely untrue. With this newly proposed structure in place the work of our general church structure will be aligned to better help and support the mission and ministry of the mission field, our local churches.
Another important issue is licensed and ordained ministry. Out of all the clergy in our denomination, less than 10 percent are under the age of 35. Legislation will be presented to address this. The greatest General Conference discussion issue regarding ordained ministry will center on the push to get rid of guaranteed appointments for Ordained Elders. Guaranteed appointments are nothing but a hindrance to our denomination; they hinder young clergy who are capable of serving larger churches from doing so, and they promote mediocrity in ministry.
Other issues up for discussion include pensions and the financials of The United Methodist Church and our denomination’s Social Principles, especially regarding the issues around homosexuality.
As we get closer to departing for Tampa in late April, Tom Harkrider and I ask that you be in prayer for us, for our delegation, and for The United Methodist Church. We are always available to answer a question you may have or discuss any issue.
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