While many churches and organizations have adapted technology for events that are based heavily on presenter/observer situations, that is not the type of gathering that embodies a General Conference. A technology study team appointed by the Commission reported in February 2021 that it wasnt feasible to create a virtual alternative of the General Conference that would safeguard the integrity of the voting and credentialing process, meet legal requirements, and support the complexity of the legislative committees required by 507.11 including but not limited to interpretation in multiple languages, and meaningful participation across multiple time zones. I hope this letter will be the beginning of renewed dialogue and prayer for The United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies typically have held a General Conference at least every four years since 1792. The last General Conference was set to happen in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until the pandemic made it necessary to postpone the quadrennial legislative event until 2024. Annual conferences have approvedthe disaffiliation of about 130 U.S. churches in the past two years. Our people are hospitable and welcoming, and we trust that the delegates who gather for what promises to be an historic gathering will be blessed by the city of Charlotte and the state of North Carolina and its warmth and beauty., We bathe this gathering in deep prayer while also praying for each delegate who will seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we spend time in Holy Conferencing. The United Methodist Churchs highest court ruled that new delegate elections are not required for the long-delayed and potentially pivotal 2020 General Conference, now set for 2024. United Methodist Church This is the place to get answers. Nashville, Tenn.: As the pandemic continues and the wait time for visas stretches to over two years in some countries, the Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2020 General Conference cannot be held in 2022 due to COVID-related and governmental policies/constraints. At present, a disaffiliating church must pay a share of its conferences unfunded clergy pension liability. The churchs court, known as the Judicial Council, ruled last month in Judicial Council Decision 1451 that the General Conference session to be held in 2024 is the postponed 2020 General Conference. Ultimately our decision reflects the hope that 2024 will afford greater opportunity for global travel and a higher degree of protection for the health and safety of delegates and attendees., Bishops do not have a vote on the commission. "The visa issue is a reality that is simply outside our control as we seek to achieve a reasonable threshold of delegate presence and participation. The Wesleyan Covenant Association has been shepherding the formation of the Global Methodist Church, and DiPaolo serves on the associations leadership council. Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation, wrote the Rev. WebThe 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. 2024 It is problematic that the members of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church who are making decisions about what can and cannot happen in relation to General Conference 2024 were elected for their 8-year terms in either 2012 or 2016 by delegations that included many persons who will not even be members of the United Methodist Church in 2024. 2: If a person was elected as a lay or clergy delegate for the postponed 2020 General Conference and that persons status as a lay or clergy person has changed since election by the annual conference, do 34-36 of the 2016 Book of Discipline require that the delegate be declared ineligible to serve as a delegate in the status as elected and thereby creating a vacancy to be filled by the election of a new lay or clergy delegate if there is no reserve delegate to fill the vacancy? General Conference 2024 WebGeneral Conference, which was scheduled to meet in August 2022, has been re-scheduled to 2024. Commission chairperson Kim Simpson said the decision to postpone once again was an exceedingly difficult one, with many factors to consider -- including visas and passports, the health and safety of delegates, volunteers and other attendees, vaccination rates, and the need for provisions for quarantine or medical care should any delegates contract COVID-19. In a relatively closely divided vote last month, a predominantly American faction of the Commission on General Conference chose to block the United Methodist Churchs General Conference meeting before 2024. General Conference (A surge of centrist and progressive U.S. delegates was elected for the 2020 conclave after a 2019 special General Conference at which the UMCs bans against homosexuality were tightened.) At this point, the United Methodist Church needs to conduct new elections of delegates for the 2024 General Conference. The United Methodist Judicial Council released nine rulings dealing with such matters as the eligibility of some churches to exit and the role of conference trustees in setting the terms for disaffiliation. Chelsea Morse, Associate Pastor. In response to the decision, Council of Bishops President Bishop Cynthia Fierro General Conference 2024 UMC General Conference General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. However, there is one church, First United Methodist Church in Columbia, that has elected to stay the course and stay a part of the UMC, at least until the annual conference of 2024 is completed. While the COB appreciates the clarity and guidance on that issue, the bishops feel that the decision has generated a number of other General Conference 2024 | Postponed from 2020 The Commission on the General Conference has announced that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. What should United Methodist congregations know about disaffiliation? Also unclear is what General Conferences delay means for bishop elections. Media contact: The focus of my reflections here is on this question: What are the implications of this development for the postponed 2020 United Methodist General Conference that is now scheduled to be held in 2024?. Chelsea Morse, Associate Pastor. WebUnited Methodists to Meet in Charlotte for Worldwide Conference The 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. UMC Bishops ask church court for clarification on 2024 Conference WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church is petitioning the denominations top court for clarification on its recent decision regarding the General Conference that will be held in 2024. However, there is one church, First United Methodist Church in Columbia, that has elected to stay the course and stay a part of the UMC, at least until the annual conference of 2024 is completed. Technically, delegates elected to the 2020 General Conference are still eligible to serve at the 2024 session. Rev. The Wesleyan Covenant Association, which has been serving as a midwife to the planned Global Methodist Church, previously had encouraged churches to wait for the protocol to pass to make a move. Nashville, Tenn.: As the pandemic continues and the wait time for visas stretches to over two years in some countries, the Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2020 General Conference cannot be held in 2022 due to COVID-related and governmental policies/constraints. Dr. Davies serves on the United Methodist University Senate, which is an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.. Conference In a nonbinding vote last year, the Northwest Texas Annual Conference signaled its plans to join the Global Methodist Church under the protocol. Council of Bishops What is the Church's position on homosexuality? Ultimately our decision reflects the hope that 2024 will afford greater opportunity for global travel and a higher degree of protection for the health and safety of delegates and attendees.". During a March 9 webinar on General Conference and disaffiliation, Oklahoma Conference Bishop Jimmy Nunn said two Oklahoma churches have entered the disaffiliation process. While the COB appreciates the clarity and guidance on that issue, the bishops feel that the decision has generated a number of other questions that arise from the language of the decision, and the COB therefore was petitioning the Judicial Council for clarification of the decision on four limited questions. According to Sara Hotchkiss, Business Manager of the General Conference, moving the legislative gathering to 2023 was an option that was discussed, but was not found to be feasible due to a number of reasons, including but not necessarily limited to the logistical challenges of planning, the remaining backlog of visa applications and interviews, and the proximity to the 2024 General Conference. Question for Clarification No. UM News. With the 2020 General Conference now delayed to when the next one was supposed to take place, it remains unclear whether new delegates will need to be elected. Chief among those is: Will delegates elected to the 2020 General Conference be able to serve in 2024, or will annual conferences need to elect new slates? WebGeneral Conference, which was scheduled to meet in August 2022, has been re-scheduled to 2024. General Conference further postponed to 2024. United Methodist Church bringing 2024 General Conference to Charlotte amidst schism Delegates are likely to discuss a proposal to splinter one of the world's largest Christian denominations. In the meantime, both the Western North Carolina Conference delegation and the Minnesota Conference leadership announced how they hope to live into a hopeful and inclusive future. After the commission's announcement, Council of Bishops President Cynthia Fierro Harvey saidin a statementthat she and her fellow bishops would begin "to explore various pathways for sustaining the worldwide mission and witness of The United Methodist Church, given the announcement of this further and understandable delay.". I believe the commissions decision to postpone General Conference until 2024 is exactly the wrong decision, said the Rev. A significant advantage of further postponing the 2020 General Conference to 2024 is that the Commission has already secured a venue for what would have been the regularly scheduled quadrennial event. A forum for discerning God's future for The United Methodist Church, hosted by St. Stephen UMC, Mesquite, TX. However, some churches already have decided to leave. The delay is difficult for the denominations progressives too. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs for the next four years. Advocacy groups across the theological spectrum responded to the third postponement of General Conference. General Conference 2024 Andy Bryan is among the General Conference delegates who see the third postponement as regrettable but necessary. The delegates duly elected to the 2020 General Conference for the 2020-2024 Quadrennium stand as submitted and certified by the Many also expressed weariness with the uncertainty that has faced the denomination since before the pandemic. WebThe Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Keith Boyette in an email. The United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies typically have held a General Conference at least every four years since 1792. The Book of Discipline updated by each General Conference says annual conferences are to elect delegates no more than two annual conference sessions before the calendar year preceding the session of General Conference. The delegates to the postponed General Conference were elected in 2018 and 2019. The United Methodist Church, United Methodists to Meet in Charlotte for Worldwide Conference. The Rev. Most of the departing congregations identify as traditionalist. He went on to say that he hopes to help congregations live into their conscience. Learn more General Conference 2020 General Conference further postponed to 2024 We want to recognize the efforts of everyone who has worked so hard over several years to provide a welcoming experience. The 600,000-square-foot convention center recently completed a $126.9 million expansion and is only 7 miles from the Charlotte International Airport and within walking distance of 200 restaurants. That means that everyone who was elected in 2020 is on the delegation for 2024. the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation, both the postponement and the planned new denominations launch, bringing questions related to such a possibility to the Judicial Council, related to the disaffiliations of individual congregations, Love Your Neighbor Coalition, which represents 12 advocacy groups and ethnic caucuses, the Northwest Texas Annual Conference signaled its plans to join the Global Methodist Church under the protocol, In an essay for the theologically conservative advocacy group Wesleyan Covenant Association, some big legislative changes submitted by Wespath, which played host to the WCAs global gathering in 2019, its plans to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church and possibly join the Global Methodist Church, a March 9 webinar on General Conference and disaffiliation, in a video following the announcement of General Conferences postponement, the Western North Carolina delegation said in its joint statement, to live into the vision conference voters approved in 2019, Does United Methodist church law allow for annual conferences to leave now without General Conferences adoption of the protocol? However, the global pandemic has twice foiled plans for The United Methodist Churchs main global gathering. General Conference "The visa issue is a reality that is simply outside our control as we seek to achieve a reasonable threshold of delegate presence and participation. Still unknown is what General Conferences continued delay will mean for the proposed protocol, negotiated by professional mediator Kenneth Feinberg with a theologically diverse group of United Methodists. Find the official General Conference 2020 official page. Here are the four questions on which the bishops are seeking clarification: The bishops are asking for an expedited hearing in the matter. I hope this letter will be the beginning of renewed dialogue and prayer for Shortly after the commissions announcement, the Resist Harm movement released a statement signed by more than 1,000 United Methodists urging bishops to hold charges related to LGBTQ restrictions in abeyance. Commission members remain hopeful and pray that the worlds circumstances improve to help make the next General Conference not only possible, but a reminder of the witness of The United Methodist Church as a global representation of the body of Christ.. The next General Conference will be in 2024. In February, the Judicial Council ruled that any postponement of General Conference resets the submission deadlines for proposed legislation. The Commission will meet again on March 28 to continue the work of preparing for the postponed 2020 General Conference and looking ahead for possible solutions that may help avoid delays in future meetings should unforeseen circumstances occur or persist. General Conference Sites Chosen for 2024 Sign up for our free daily and weekly digests of important news and events in the life of The United Methodist Church. Ultimately our decision reflects the hope that 2024 will afford greater opportunity for global travel and a higher degree of protection for the health and safety of delegates and attendees.. WebThe 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, it remains to be seen what has happened to the legislations support. However, the Book of Discipline already offers procedures for churches to disaffiliate with property under limited conditions.