Fireside ChatSt. Paul UMC November 16, 2021

UMC Governance Overview

The UMC is set up as a hierarchy of conferences

General Conference (Legislative body that meets once every four years)

Jurisdictional Conference (Group of Annual Conferences - elects bishops)

Annual Conference (Group of churches under the care of one bishop - legislative)

District Conference (Sub-group of churches within the AC under a DS)

Charge Conference (Local church’s legal administrative body)

Bishop, District Superintendents, & Cabinet oversee clergy & the bishop presides/facilitates annual conference’s legislative process.

DS’s are an extension of the bishop’s office & oversee clergy (closer relationship)

Bishop makes appointments to churches

The UMC has three branches of governance:

Legislative: General, Central, Jurisdictional, & Annual Conferences

Executive: Council of Bishops (worldwide)

Judicial: Judicial Council (UMC Supreme Court)

Bishops have no legislative authority

General Conference is a group of 862 (for 2021) persons elected from Central Conferences and Annual Conferences around the world. (Africa, Asia, Europe, and United States)

Each Central or Annual conference is given an allotment of delegates based on a formula on lay & clergy membership. Delegates are always balanced by laity and clergy. Each conference is guaranteed one clergy and one laity.

Delegates are voted on in the annual conference prior to GC. Lay for laity, clergy for clergy.

General Conference is the only voice that speaks for and directs the ministries of the Church. Individuals do not…

Ordained Clergy are eligible to be delegates. Laity who have been active in their UM church for four years and a member at least two years are eligible for election to the delegation.

Legislation can be drafted from any individual, church, agency, or organization in the UMC. It must be submitted 210 days before GC.

Proposed legislation goes before legislation committees which debate them and determine whether to approve, amend, combine, or disapprove them for recommendation to the full body of GC.

Legislative Process

•Annual conferences, local churches, general agencies and other organizations and individuals submit petitions.•The petitions secretary (the Rev. Gary W. Graves for 2016) assigns a petition number to each. The number indicates the legislative committee, chronological order and source. Each petition is assigned to a legislative committee.•Petitions are printed in the Advance Edition of the Daily Christian Advocate.•A reference committee reviews assignments by the petitions secretary. The committee combines petitions and makes new assignments to legislative committees as necessary.•Legislative committees review petitions and make recommendations to the plenary session.•Reports are sent to the Daily Christian Advocate. A copy is returned to committee officers for approval and sent to the General Conference secretary for a calendar number prior to printing in the Daily Christian Advocate.•Delegates in plenary session act upon the calendar item.•Adopted legislation is printed in the Book of Discipline or the Book of Resolutions. The Daily Christian Advocate becomes the official journal of General Conference.

Delegates to General Conference are not representatives. They are not sent to represent the views of their conference, local church, or constituency. The AC delegates authority to each person elected to vote their conscience as moved by the Holy Spirit regarding matters before them.

Reserve delegates are also elected in the event that primary delegates cannot attend.

Delegates for 2022 will be 55.9% US, 32% Africa, 6% Philippines, 4.6% Europe

Delegates to GC, as well as reserve delegates to GC also attend Jurisdictional Conference to elect bishops.

Annual Conferences also elect additional member and reserve delegates to Jurisdictional Conference.

GC typically is two weeks. The first week, delegates process petitions. The second week is debate and voting.

At present, it is unknown what all of the legislation will be, or what form it will take once it is put on the consent calendar for a vote. Last date is January 31st.

GC is August 29 to September 6. It is shorter because it is a special session of General Conference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2MLEFn3b8M

Protocol

As is present, allows Annual Conferences to affiliate with a new Methodist denomination.

A vote with 20% approval must be held to support a motion to conduct a vote to affiliate with a new Methodist denomination.

In the actual vote, the motion must be supported by 57% of those voting. If an AC does not vote, it remains part of the post-separation UMC.

Churches and clergy must then decide whether to remain in or affiliate with another AC/Methodist denomination.

Clergy have an independent decision to make apart from their church.

Churches would vote in a charge conference regarding their affiliation. The church council must determine a voting threshold for the charge conference to affiliate with another denomination. (Simple majority or 2/3 of those present)

DS will preside or authorize an Elder to preside. If a church does not vote, it remains part of the Methodist denomination selected by its annual conference. Churches maintain their assets and liabilities.

https://www.umnews.org/en/news/protocol-of-reconciliation-and-grace-through-separation-faq