United Methodist General Conference 2012 is over.  It is still early for an in-depth analysis of how this conference will affect the church in the next four years.  Here are some first impressions, however, from an evangelical perspective.

Positives

    1) The Reform and Renewal Coalition represented evangelical causes well and had a positive effect on the conference.  The Confessing Movement, Good News, UMAction, Transforming Congregations, Lifewatch, and Renew were the six groups working together for the two weeks.  Several staff persons from the groups and a number of volunteers tracked legislation, sought to be a resource for delegates, and interpreted the perspective of evangelicals on legislation.  Legislation from various evangelicals was given serious consideration (not always true in the past).  Volunteers handed out Confessing Movement materials and Good News published a daily news sheet.  Seven early breakfast briefings for delegates were provided.  Delegates, including those not theologically aligned with the Coalition, appreciated these briefings.  Leaders of the groups had contact with bishops and were present at an important special meeting of the Agenda and Calendar Committee.  There was a good relationship with overseas delegates.  The efforts, prayers and financial gifts of our supporters produced dividends and we give thanks for all who were involved.

    2)  One of the areas where The Confessing Movement and Coalition efforts was very successful was in the election of members to the Judicial Council and to the University Senate.  Four years ago the Council of Bishops would not even re-nominate persons who had served well on the Judicial Council (because they had ruled against a bishop’s judgment on the right of a pastor to determine church membership).  At that time some well-known progressives were nominated by the bishops and elected.  At this conference three of the four persons elected to the Judicial Council — Dennis Blackwell of New Jersey, J. Kabamba Kiboko ofTexas, and N. Oswald Tweh Sr. of Liberia — were recruited and supported by the Coalition.  Three of our candidates — Billy Abraham of  Perkins School of Theology,  Dr. Thimbang Kasap Owan, President of Katanga United Methodist University, Congo, and Bill T. Arnold of Asbury Seminary, were elected to the University Senate.  

    3) Despite the fact that in the past four years just under a million dollars had been given to groups working to overturn the church’s traditional stand on marriage (one man and one woman) and on the practice of homosexuality (“not compatible with Christian teaching), the conference upheld the traditional position of the church.  The vote on the issue of homosexual practice was 572 to 368, or 60% to 39%.

     4) While the conference approved most of the resolutions prepared by the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), theGBCSpetition to divest from companies like Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola, failed.  Many persons, including many of the African delegates, saw this as a one-sided resolution condemningIsrael(and companies that do business withIsrael) while, by its silence, condoning the violence and anti-Israel forces, primarily Muslim, that want to destroy Israel. 

    5) Bishops who presided did a good job.  They were competent and recognized varieties of persons wanting to speak.  They were fair.  Except for those who joined in the GLBT demonstrations and those who railed against the actions of the General Conference later, there was not any sense of complicity in the demonstrations that followed the vote on the practice of homosexuality as in past conferences.

     6) The Church exhibited a step toward the goal of recognizing its world-wide nature by hearing and responding to overseas delegates, especially the Africans.  The Africans spoke frequently and elegantly.  Many believe The United Methodist Church is one of the few denominations that can move toward being a world-wide church (the Roman Catholic and the Anglican Church are two others) with the opportunity of integrating different languages and cultures into a unified whole.  While some restructuring will be necessary to bring about this goal, one important step to being a world-wide church is by moving beyond being a US-centric church with a US-centric Book of Resolutions and operating with a US-centric church culture.  The church has a long way to go in this regard but this conference represented a positive first small step. 

    7) Legislation passed to structurally separate the Women’s Division, or United Methodist Women (UMW), from the Board of Global Ministries.  This will be good for UMW, for the Board of Global Ministries, for local churches, and for just about everybody.

 Less Than Positive

      1) The conference failed to pass a restructuring plan.  For the past several years a lot of effort, money and planning has been invested in a proposal to carry out the Call to Action recommendations.  The recommendations grew out of two independent studies that indicated the church needed major reform.  The study showed lack of trust and lack of accountability throughout the church.  According to the studies there is mistrust between agencies and local churches; the governing boards of the agencies do not function effectively; and worst of all, the boards act independently and without accountability.  Without a lengthy explanation of what went wrong, the short explanation is that the final plan passed by the conference was ruled unconstitutional by the Judicial Council.  It needs to be understood that the Call to Action recommendations and principles were not ruled unconstitutional, only the legislation that sought to apply the principles.  Some persons have used the word “debacle” to describe the turf battles and power struggles that prevented the conference from accepting good legislation. 

     The losers as a result: local churches and all persons hoping for reform.  Overseas churches lose also because they would have had greater representation under any of the new plans.  The winners: general boards and ethnic caucuses which fought change and can now continue as they have been, although the size of boards and agencies were reduced.

       2) There seemed almost no effort to link the theme of the conference “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ to Transform the World” with what was actually happening in the conference, whether worship or times of holy conferencing or legislation being discussed.  There was little talk of evangelism or reaching the lost or goals for making Christ known in the world.  The unspoken but underlying theme of the conference seemed to be all about diversity, inclusiveness, who has been victimized, who has been hurt, and what groups were or were not duly represented on committees.

     3) The seminaries, the area of greatest concern for evangelicals as well as others, continue unreformed, unchecked, and basically unchallenged.  And this was at a conference that was billed as seeking reform in the church so that the church could be about its mission.  No one seems to hold the seminaries accountable for the fact that the church in America has lost 3.5 million members in forty years under pastors basically trained by our United Methodist seminaries.  While there are one or two seminaries seeking reform most of the seminaries continue to major on values of inclusivity, supposed relevance, and their standing in the academic community.  The conference did not remove Claremont from its list of United Methodist seminaries, even though Claremont spends its nearly $800,000 of church apportionment money per year in part to educate Muslim imams and Jewish rabbis.  Claremont receives $143,840 for each ordained United Methodist it graduates.  While the General Conference authorized 5 million dollars for seminary education overseas it seems a pittance compared with the nearly 15 million dollars annually that the US seminaries receive. 

      4) Despite calls for unity, despite efforts of “Holy Conferencing,” despite authorized “monitoring” groups that urged respect for other persons, appeals for unity broke down after the announcement of the vote on homosexual practice.  Demonstrators seized the floor of the conference on May 3.  Some delegates and some bishops joined the protest.  The presiding bishop dismissed the conference until after lunch.  As a result the conference lost altogether about two hours of plenary time.  At a gathering after the session one bishop urged ecclesiastical disobedience.  At $1,500 a minute (the cost of the conference) about $180,000 of valuable General Conference time was lost because of the GLBT demonstrations. This meant that at the end of the conference a significant amount of legislation could not be considered because of lack of time.  As a result there were feelings of disappointment, anger, and hurt.  The conference did not end on a high note.

 Positive or Not so Positive—Too Early to Tell

     1) The conference voted to do away with guaranteed appointments for ministers.  This issue attracted much discussion and debate.  Before this action every pastor in good standing was guaranteed an appointment, whether the pastor was effective or not.  Now it will be easier to terminate ineffective pastors.  The concern is whether bishops and conferences can be trusted to deal with pastors fairly.

    2) What is the overall future of The United Methodist Church because of General Conference 2012?  Good things happened but it is also true that the conference revealed some serious problems in the denomination.  Because of issues regarding human sexuality, the mission of the church, the accountability of boards and agencies, the seminaries, the actions of some bishops who are not personally supportive of the Discipline, and the loss of membership, there is a sense of a growing divide. 

    The church has its work cut out for it.

Friday, May 4 – Day 11 of General Conference

Update 9:58 pm:

General Conference works well past the time for adjournment to pass alternate proposals to reduce the size of boards and agencies to replace the restructuring plan determined to be unconstitutional  Changes to the budget are also being realigned.  Worship will begin at 11:15 pm so delegates can vacate the building before midnight.

BREAKING NEWS:  The Judicial Council has just ruled that the restructuring Plan UMC is unconstitutional.   The General Conference is now in recess to see what action can be taken. 

Update 12:30 pm:

Prior to the lunch break delegates had approved a budget and addressed finance issues. The goal is to conclude all business by 5:00 pm today. There is still much to be done.

This has been a positive and fruitful General Conference for orthodox/evangelical United Methodists. Priorities had been as follows:  Elect evangelical United Methodists to the Judicial Council and University Senate.  Six of the eight individuals elected are people who were recruited and supported by The Confessing Movement.  Maintaining the language in the Discipline regarding the practice of homosexuality is retained. Restructuring the church to reduce the bureaucracy and cost has been achieved.  More summaries will be posted at a later date.   A summary of  restructuring called Plan UMC will be on this site soon.

8:00 am:

The General Conference has convened for the last session day of this conference. The rule governing action provides that any petition not considered at the time to adjourn dies on the calendar.

This morning the budget and financial issues are being addressed. A budget must pass before adjournment.

Last night Pat Miller, Executive Director of The Confessing Movement, and Rob Renfroe and Tom Lambrecht with Good News were called to a meeting with 3 bishops, 6 GLBT and a number of members of the Calendar Committee.  The GLBT people asked that there be no further action on the sexuality petition.  They said they wanted to stop the pain.  It was clear the orthodox/evangelical delegates were in the majority and there would be no change to the UMC position on the practice of homosexuality.  The GLBT persons anticipated losing additional votes and simply wanted to avoid those losses.  No votes mean the current language in the Discipline stands.

Financial and budget issues will be concluded prior to moving on to other items.

Thursday, May 3 – Day 10 of General Conference

Update: 12:00 pm:  Plenary session was cut short because of interruption by demonstrators.  Bishop Coyner asked the individuals to leave the floor and they did not.  As a result, the bishop dismissed delegates for lunch early and announced that no visitors would be allowed on the floor when the session reconvenes.

Update, 10: 45 am:  The full petition regarding human sexuality has been defeated with 368 votes in favor and 572 votes against.  This was a key vote on the issue of the practice of homosexuality.    The General Conference affirmed the present statement found in Paragraph 161F that all persons are of sacred worth but the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian  While a number of petitions deal in one form or another with the practice of homosexuality, the key petition addressed Para 161F.   The petition that came to the floor of the conference was titled “Human Sexuality” and was presented by a gathering of young adults called the Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Committee.  The petition called for deleting all of para. 161F and substituting a statement that stated that the church stands divided on the issue of homosexual expression.  The petition asked the Church, United Methodist and others, to refrain from judgment regarding homosexual persons and practices “until the Spirit leads us to new insight.”

The afternoon session will be filled with debate and discussion regarding clergy pensions and benefits.

Update, 9:56 am:  Adam Hamilton’s amendment was defeated with 439 votes in favor and 531 votes against.

UPDATE, 9:20 am:  At 9:20 am the debate on homosexuality began.  A number of people wearing rainbow stoles representing gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual individuals are standing around the area just outside the area restricted for delegates and officials.  Adam Hamilton has presented his motion to add language to the Discipline to indicate United Methodists agree to disagree on issues related to homosexuality.  Dr. Maxie Dunnam, Confessing Movement board member, has spoken against the motion  The debate continues.

6:45 am.  - Today is a very important day at General Conference.  All of the sexuality issues are on the agenda.  The first petition to be considered deals with homosexuality.  Adam Hamilton, pastor at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, asked yesterday to have his amendment printed for today’s agenda.  His petition would add language to the Discipline that would say we agree to disagree on homosexuality.  That language makes other church language essentially void.  Maxie Dunnam, Eddie Fox, and others will oppose the Hamilton amendment. However, the presiding bishop must recognize an individual before they can speak.  Please pray for General Conference on this National Day of Prayer.

Wednesday, May 2 – Day 9 of General Conference

Update (9:30 pm):

The gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual groups and their supporters have been here from the beginning of General Conference. They have  engaged in numerous actions such as walking around the area designated for delegates and conference officials only  holding signs, handing out pro gay materials and lining up so delegates must walk through their silence demonstrations but they had not violated the General Conference rules. At about 5:30 today as the delegates were going to break for dinner, the demonstrators entered the restricted area violating General Conference rules.  The conference agenda for tomorrow morning is scheduled to deal with sexuality issues including the practice of homosexuality.

In other news:

1) Another lengthy discussion and debate complete with minority reports, amendments, and lengthy arguments dealt with a petition called “Alligning UMC Investments with Resolutions on Isreal/Palestine.”   In essence the petition, presented by the General Board of Church and Society and five annualconferences, called specifically for divestment immediately from Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions. amd Hewlett-Packard.  The petition was amended to take out the name of the three companies but call on church officials to engage any companies whose products are causing harm to Palestinians.  The petition is strongly critical of Israeli settlements in Palestinians lands but stops short of calling for divestment.

2) Delegates voted to add another episcopal area in the Congo meaning that four episcopal areas will now serve United Methodists in that country.   Even with the additional bishop the episcopal areas are among the largest in the denomination.

JUST IN (12:35 pm) After 3 hours of debate, restructuring for The United Methodist Church has passed with a vote of 567 in favor (59.6%) to 384 against.

The pace of General Conference thus far has been very slow. The agenda includes many items and activities that keep petitions from getting considered. At previous General Conferences this has also occurred, forcing many important issues to the end when there is little time for discussion and debate. 
The proposal to require restructuring of the general church is scheduled to occur today. After hours of committee discussion and work outside of the committee a compromise has been reached with one proposal being presented rather than a major and minor report.

The debate on restructuring began about 9:30 this morning.  A motion to refer this report for action in 2016 was defeated with 555 delegates voting against this proposal to kill restructuring this year.

Other important developments include:

1) The United Methodist Women (UMW) petition to become an autonomous organization passed by an overwhelming vote, 889 to 20.  This means the UMW will no longer be a division within the General Board of Global Ministries but will be a stand-alone autonomous agency.  There appear to be a number of reasons for the desire to be autonomous.  The UMW has been subsidizing the World Division and the National Division for a number of years and this has become more difficult since giving is down for UMW.  Furthermore, it was uncertain what restructuring would do with UMW.  At the moment UMW selects one third of the board and this would change in restructuring.  For its part, many in Board of Global Ministries think the UMW has had too much dominance (since it selects so much of the board) and that the board might be more effective if UMW were independent.  As part of the change the Deaconess and Home Missions Program, which were part of the board, will be moved to the jurisdiction of UMW.

2) The final budget has not yet been set for the General Church (it is usually the last agenda item) but the General Council of Finance and Administration (GCFA) is recommending a 6.04% reduction.  This is the first General Conference in recent times that has recommended a reduction.  The question still to be answered: how will the monies in the budget be divided up?  Boards and agencies have already needed to cut back on staff.  In 1971 there was a total of 3,139 staff serving general agencies.  By 2010 this number had been reduced to 1,384.

3) The General Conference referred to the Commission on the Status and Role of Women a petition that would amend Article IV of the Constitution on “Inclusiveness.”   The petition, submitted by the Status and Role of Women would have added “gender” and “age” to the categories that are welcomed into United Methodist Churches.  The additional words were unnecessary in the minds of many of the delegates.  Referral basically kills the petition.  Another petition on the paragraph wanted to add sexual orientation, gender choice, and gender identity to the category of persons needed to be included.  This petition failed.

4) By a vote of 879 to 25 the General Conference voted to enter into full communion with five predominately black Methodist denominations: Africans Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, African Union Methodist Protestant, Christian Methodist Episcopal, and Union African Episcopal Church.  Each of the denominations will recognize each other as part of the one true apostolic faith, recognize the authenticity of each other’s sacraments, recognize the ordination of each denomination, and enter into cooperative ministry where possible.  A service of celebration and recognition was held in the afternoon of May 1.  At one time there was some talk of merger but the other denominations would not favor that.

5) Five more resolutions have been passed to bulk up the Book of Resolutions, which is already 1048 pages long.  A number of others are recommended for passage but have not yet made it to the floor.  One of these is on “Just War” which, if passed, would move the United Methodist from a pacifist position (presently no support for any war).  The Publishing House has indicated the Book of Resolutions is so big that it would cost $70,000 to translate it per language and that would not include printing costs.  Only 21,000 copies of the book sold after the 2008 General Conference and this is supposed to be a an important book on United Methodist positions.  Only 32% of UM pastors feel they understand it.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012 – Day 8 of General Conference

There is much work to be done yet.   At the close of session yesterday the General Conference has finished 14 percent of the work required to be completed by Friday.   Any petitions not voted on by that time die for lack of action.

Up for discussion today are some issues that will bring long and major debate including those related to homosexuality and the restructuring of the church.  As of yet, it is not clear when these items will come before the entire General Conference.

Yesterday the conference voted to eliminate guaranteed appointment for clergy.  Today a motion to reconsider this issue was defeated. So clergy will no longer be guaranteed appointment to a church or a church position within the denomination.

Monday, April 30, 2012 – Day 7 of General Conference

ELECTION DAY!

(Click Here for short bios of newly elected Judicial Council and University Senate Members endorsed by The Confessing Movement)

This is a most important day because it is Election Day.  The most important election is that of the Judicial Council.   These are the results:

Clergy:
1. Dennis Blackwell of Greater New Jersey
2. J. Kabamba Kiboko of Texas

Lay:

1. N. Oswald Tweh Sr. of Liberia
2. Beth Capen of New York

The Confessing Movement and renewal groups are pleased to have endorsed and supported three of the four individuals elected: Dennis Blackwell, Kabamba Kiboko, and Oswald Tweh.

Why is this so important?   The Judicial Council in The United Methodist Church functions in a way very similar to the Supreme Court of the United States.  The council is given the responsibility to rule on actions of the church that violate the constitution or church law.  The Judicial Council is made of up nine members, five of which are lay and four of which are clergy.   The election of members to the council is staggered from one conference to the next.  4 were elected this year for 8 year terms and 5 will be elected at General Conference 2016 for their 8 year terms.

UNIVERSITY SENATE

The following persons were elected to University Senate:

In the category of university CEOs:
1. Dr. Thimbang Kasap Owan of North-West Katanga; President of Katanga United Methodist University in North Katanga, Congo
2.  Jan Love; President of Emory School of Theology

In the category of Other Relevant Positions:

1.  William (Billy) Abraham; Albert Outler Profesor of Wesley Studies at Perkins School of Theology
2.  Bill T. Arnold; Professor at Asbury Seminary and a former provost of the seminary

(Owan, Abraham, and Arnold were supported by the Reform & Renewal Coalition.

What is the University Senate and why is this important? The University Senate is made up of 25 members who determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.  The senate also determines which schools can be approved to train students for United Methodist ordination that are not officially United Methodist.

It is the feeling of many people that the University Senate is a roadblock to renewal in the church.  Only four of the twenty-five members are elected by the General Conference.  The other twenty-one are selected by the senate itself (4), the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the UM Church (9), the General Board of higher Education (4), and the Council of Bishops (4).

It is of great concern that the University Senate has funded schools like Claremont, a school devoted to training Muslim Imams, Jewish rabbis, and Hindu and Buddhist clergy.  This is contradictory to the mission of The United Methodist Church, which is to win disciples to Jesus Christ.

MONDAY EVENING UPDATE:

The Council of Bishops proposed electing a president above and beyond those who serve Episcopal areas. The petition for this “Set-Aside bishop” was defeated by 54 percent of the delegates.

The vote on Episcopal Term limits also failed.  Although the vote was 463 to 462, a 2/3 vote was required to change the United Methodist constitution

Sunday, April 29 – Day 6 of General Conference

Sunday is the Lord’s Day at General Conference so no business will be conducted.  Legislative groups finished their work late last night (Saturday).  Here are a few of the items to report:

1) A resolution that would have the church withdraw from the Relgious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) has passed the legislative group and will be send to the floor of the conference where it will receive opposition.

2) A related petition which prohibits agencies from joining external coalitions or organizations without approval of the full agency or the General Conference passed 53-22.  This was directed to RCRC.

3) Legislation passed which would limit the Council of Bishops membership only to active bishops (retired bishops have been disruptive and have advanced causes like homosexuality).

4) The restructuring plan which many felt was the major issue at the conference, did not pass the legislative group. Three different plans were proposed.  All three were voted down primarily due to confusion of rules, inability to agree on needed compromises, and an inordinate amount of time spent on arguing who should serve on the oversight board.

5) The attempt to remove language in the Social Principles which states that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching (the basis for all other petitions on homosexual practice) failed 34-43.  It had earlier passed the sublegislative group 14-12.  There will be a floor fight and probably some demonstrations following the plenary vote.

6) A somewhat similar petition which would have stated that we agree to disagree on matters of homosexuality failed 33-43.

7) Definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman has been reaffirmed.

8) The petitions brought forth by the Ministry Study mostly failed.  However, the petition that would removed guaranteed appointments for ministers in full connection has passed.

9) A statement strengthening our theological statement by emphasizing the primacy of Scripture passed.

10)  A petition allowing other ministries with women besides the official UMW passed in legislative group. This same petition presented by Renew had failed at a number of other General Conferences.

11) A footnote in Par. 311 which deals with the meaning of homosexuality in clergy matters passed 38-36.  This will be debated on the floor of the conference.
All of these actions need discussion and approval by the plenary session before they become official.  These debates will begin Monday and will last through Friday.

Saturday, April 28, 2012 - Day 5 at General Conference

Reports are coming in from legislative groups and their subcommittees.  Each of these reports will be forwarded to the plenary sessions that will start dealing with petitions on Monday, April 30.  Here are a few that will be of interest to Confessing Movement supporters.

1) A strong statement against pornography, submitted by the General Board of Church and Society, was approved by the subcommittee.

2) Petitions to change the definition of marriage to something other than a covenant between one man and one woman have not been approved by subcommittee.

3) After a time of holy conferencing and a long debate, a motion to delete the words “we believe the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching” passed by a vote of 14-12.  However, as they often report on TV on the night of elections, “all the precincts are not yet counted.”   About 100 supporters of Common Witness, the group lobbying to change the church’s position, crowded into the room.  One African delegate indicated he felt he was uncomfortable.  The petition will be forwarded to the whole legislative group and then to the plenary.  Defenders of the Biblical stance on sexuality feel this vote will be overturned in the larger committee.

4) A petition to study transgenderism failed 8-45.

5) A vote to remove the prohibition against using church money to advance homosexual causes failed 1-21.

6) The vote is not yet finalized on a resolution for the church to withdraw from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), but a preliminary vote in subcommittee passed.

7) A motion for the funding of seminary education in the Central Conferences to the tune of 5 million dollars for the quadrennium passed the legislative group.  This was instead of petitions that would cut the percentage of Ministerial Education Funds (MEF) going to U.S. seminaries in order to fund overseas seminaries.

8) Petitions which affirmed the pastor’s role in determining readiness for church membership have passed subcommittee.  This topic became a major issue when a pastor in Virginia delayed membership to a practicing homosexual.  He was removed from his pulpit by a bishop who said he did not have the right to deny anyone membership.  The judicial council then overruled the bishop’s ruling and the pastor was restored.  These petitions clarify and strengthen the pastor’s responsibility and right.

9) Legislation overturning guaranteed appointments for pastors has passed subcommittee.  The legislation will allow easier removal of ineffective pastors.

10) The issue of term limits for bishops (appointed for eight years but need to be reelected for the next eight-year term) failed by a close margin of 25-28.  This is sure to be debated further.

11) Legislation that would require 40% of faculty at United Methodist seminaries to be United Methodist, with reduced funding if less than that, has passed subcommittee.

All of this legislation will need to be approved or disapproved by the plenary session of all delegates but these first votes are an indication of which way the conference is leaning.

Friday, April 27, 2012 – Day 4 at General Conference

As at other General Conferences, this year’s General Conference (GC2012) has been bathed in prayer.  It is an encouragement to know that groups in the Congo have committed themselves to 24-hour prayer vigils, asking that God’s will would be done at the conference.  The Women’s Division has a prayer booth.  There is a special room set aside by the General Conference for prayer.  The Confessing Movement in Indiana sponsored a service of prayer and it is believed this was also done in other conferences.  In addition there are persons associated with The Confessing Movement who have come to the conference at their own expense to pray constantly, which includes prayer walks through the halls, praying during legislative meetings, and even when approaching groups of people in conversation.  Numbers of local churches have encouraged prayers for General Conference.  Prayers are for discernment, for courage, and for the will of God to be done.

Many prayer volunteers are walking around the Convention Center and are praying for hours.  Please join us in praying for General Conference and General Conference delegates.

Thursday, April 26, 2012 - Day 3 at General Conference

Committees have begun very serious deliberations at Tthe United Methodist Church General Conference.  Starting at 8:00 am the legislative committees began their work.  988 delegates are divided into 13 legislative groups and these groups further divided into subgroups.  These groups will deal with several thousand petitions that have been submitted by annual conferences, agencies of the church, churches and individuals.  The whole process is quite open.  Any United Methodist, clergy or lay can submit a petition.

There are many “hot button” issues, homosexuality for one.  It is not just homosexuality.  It is human sexuality as practiced by the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender groups.  The supporters of this view are gathered in a group called Common Witness.  The group is backed with several hundreds of thousands of dollars from groups outside the church.  Not only did they submit several hundred petitions but they have brought dozens and perhaps hundreds of supporters to Tampa to work for changes in the church’s historic stand on marriage as between one man and one woman, and for faithfulness in marriage and celibacy in singleness in the practice of human sexuality. The Common Witness group has erected a large tent across the street from the convention center.  The group wants it to be known that the space in on private property and that they are paying rent for the space.

On this day the Common Witness group is everywhere passing out literature, stoles, badges, and newspapers (not just newsletters but newspapers).  At the Reform and Renewal Coalition (of which The Confessing Movement is a part) meeting yesterday we were reminded that we should not project the final outcome of the conference based on how much noise is being generated early in the conference by various groups.

The overseas delegates are active in the discussions, especially the African delegates, and are a blessing just to be around.  Members of the Reform and Renewal Coalition are dedicated to Jesus Christ, love the United Methodist Church, and are knowledgeable in the ways of General Conference.

By tomorrow we will have some preliminary reports on legislation.

At the evening session, nominations for Judicial Council (the United Methodist Church’s Supreme Court) were made.  The Confessing Movement has been active in recruiting excellent candidates.  Nominations for University Senate were also made.  Confessing Movement candidates were nominated there as well.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 – Day 2 at General Conference.

The Renewal and Reform Coalition (RRC), comprised of The Confessing Movement and other renewal groups, held the first breakfast meeting this morning.  Over 200 persons showed up for the 6:30 am event, most of them delegates and the rest team members, spouses, and visitors.  Delegates were seated by legislative group to discuss election of officers for the group. This first week the team is monitoring and helping to serve as a resource for legislative groups.  No major issues have been debated as yet.

The main business of the conference on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning was adopting the rules of the conference. One important rule states that no one other than delegates and General Conference personnel is to be on the floor of the conference without a vote of approval by General Conference delegates.   (This is an existing rule that has been ignored by bishops when the demonstrations related to homosexuality have taken place the last several conferences).  It is to be seen how this will play out this year.

The conference tried something called Holy Conferencing this afternoon. Delegates broke into small groups to listen to each other and confer on issues relating to sexuality.  Whether this did any good remains to be seen.  The issue of the practice of homosexuality continues to be the most divisive issue before General Conference.  Almost all the delegates who have served in the past have been through this routine many times before.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 – First day of General Conference

General Conference began at 4:00 pm today. It was a beautiful day in Tampa as United Methodists from around the world greeted one another, renewing old friendships and making new ones. It was encouraging to see about 35 people sharing their time and talents to be here as volunteers for the renewal groups.

The volunteers from local Florida United Methodist Churches are gracious and helpful. The overseas delegates seem happy to be here. Many of the women from Africa were in beautiful, colorful dress. The music and pageantry during the opening worship was inspiring. Delegates are prayerfully talking of our task as United Methodists to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

One of the first orders of business is the adoption of rules to govern the proceedings. The rules were debated and numerous amendments were offered. These amendments must receive 24-hour consideration so they will be voted on tomorrow.

During the first week of GC, delegates meet in committees to deal with issues before they are sent to the entire body for consideration the second week of conference.

By Linda Bloom*

TAMPA, Fla. (UMNS) — A compromise restructure plan for The United Methodist Church, adopted earlier this week by the 2012 General Conference, was declared “unconstitutional” May 4.

That unanimous ruling came from the nine-member United Methodist Judicial Council, which had been asked by General Conference to make a declaratory decision on the constitutionality of “Plan UMC.”

READ FULL STORY

Suggested Title: Motion to substitute Plan UMC for CT/IOT pet. 20980 ADCA pages 920-950

Discipline Paragraphs: Various paragraphs to implement connectional restructure

Financial Implications: As stated in CT/IOT petition

Global Implications: Yes

Substitute everything herein following for the existing text of Petition 20980 found in the ADCA on pages 920 to 950:

606.2 Each annual conference shall send without charge to the General Council on Finance and Administration, the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, the General Commission on  Archives and History The General Council for Strategy and Oversight, the Central or Jurisdictional Commission on Archives and History (or the equivalent structure), and the Annual Conference Commission on Archives and History (or the equivalent structure) two printed copies and one digital copy of its annual journal,  and one to the Connectional Table and to United Methodist Communications. If available, one copy of a digital version of the journal shall be sent to the General Commission on Archives and History.

¶613 Responsibilities The council shall An entity designated by the annual conference may have authority and responsibility to perform the following functions:1. To recommend to the annual conference for its action and determination budgets of anticipated income and proposed expenditures for all funds that provide for annual conference clergy support, annual conference administrative expenses, and annual conference benevolence and program causes (¶ 614).5. To receive, consider, report, and make recommendations to the annual conference regarding the following prior to final decision by the annual conference: (a) any proposal to raise capital funds for any purpose; (b) funding considerations related to any proposal that may come before the conference; (c) any requests to conduct a special conference-wide financial appeal, whether by special collections, campaigns, or otherwise in the local churches of the conference.3. To recommend to the annual conference for its action and decision the methods or formulas by which apportionments to churches, charges, or districts for duly authorized general, jurisdictional, conference, and district funds shall be determined (¶ 615.4).534. To consult and cooperate with the commission on communication in providing district superintendents, pastors, and appropriate officers of the local churches and charge conferences with interpretive aids or other materials to assist in gaining understanding and support of the conference budget and other approved conference causes. This shall include the theology and discipline of financial giving.5. To develop policies governing the investment of conference funds (except for pension funds as provided in 1508), whether in debt or equity, short-term or long-term instruments, with the aim of maximizing funds available for mission in a manner consistent with the preservation of capital, the Policies Reltiave to Socially Responsible Investments (¶ 716), and the Social Principles of the Church. A statement of such policies shall be printed in the conference journal at least once in each quadrennium.6. To recommend to the annual conference procedures for funding local churches, including the theology of financial giving. 7. To assist local churches in making their church buildings, facilities, and programs accessible.8. To recommend to the annual conference for its action procedures for dealing responsibly with situations in which budgeted funds, as approved by the annual conference, are inadequate to meet emerging missional needs or unforeseen circumstances. 9. To review at least quarterly and to account to the annual conference for the disbursement of funds in accordance with budgets approved by the conference.10. To recommend to the annual conference for its action and determination the conditions under which it may borrow funds for current expense purposes and the maximum amount of such borrowing.11. To have authority and supervision over the conference treasurer/director of administrative services subject to ¶ 619; to establish policies governing the treasurer/director’s work.12. To work in cooperation with other annual conference agencies for the design and implementation of a plan by which the annual conference may designate the conference treasury as a central treasury for funds designated for any or all conference agencies participating in conference funds.13. To establish uniform and equitable policies and practices in the employment and compensation of personnel, in consultation and cooperation with other conference agencies that employ staff, unless the annual conference has designated another agency to carry this responsibility. These policies and practices shall be in accordance with the Social Principles (¶ 162 A, E, F, and I).In addition, the council shall recommend that the annual conference provide, effective on and after January 1, 2006, 100 percent vested pension benefits of at least three percent of compensation for lay personnel of the annual conference who work at least 1040 hours per year, are at least 21 years of age, and have at least one year of permanent service. The annual conference shall have authority to provide such pension benefits through either a denominational pension program administered by the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits or another pension program administered by another pension provider.

14. To cooperate with the General Council on Finance and Administration and with the General Board of Discipleship in promoting and standardizing the in providing a financial recording and reporting system in for the local churches of the conference.15. In cooperation with the General Council on Finance and Administration, related annual conference agencies and institutions, and local churches, to  make recommendations to the annual conference regarding the development, promotion, and review of a broad general program of insurance protection, except for employee benefit programs.16. To cooperate with the General Council on Finance and Administration in order to provide leadership, training, and encouragement in the areas of church business administration for individuals and organizations of The United Methodist Church by: (1) distributing information regarding certification as a church business administrator; and (2) listing in the council’s report to the annual conference the names of persons certified as church business administrators by the General Council on Finance and Administration who are employed within the bounds of the annual conference.17. To make recommendations to the annual conference for its action and determination regarding plans to initiate or cause to be organized a foundation or similar organization for the purpose of securing, conserving, or expending funds for the direct or indirect benefit or support of the annual conference, or of any conference agency, or any of its programs or work. The Council  shall have opportunity to make its recommendations regarding such plans if the foundation or similar organization is: (1) proposed to be organized by the annual conference itself, whether acting alone or in concert with other annual conferences; (2) proposed to be organized by any conference council, board, commission, committee, or other agency; (3) to make use of the name United Methodist in its title or solicitation; or (4) proposed for the purpose of soliciting gifts primarily from the United Methodist constituency. 18. To perform such other administrative and fiscal functions and services as the annual conference may assign.19. To ensure that no apportioned conference funds are expended for the use of alcoholic beverages. 20. To ensure that no annual conference board, agency, committee, commission, or council shall give United Methodist funds to any gay caucus or group, or otherwise use such funds to promote the acceptance of homosexuality or violate the expressed commitment of the UMC “not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends” (¶ 161.F). The Council shall have the right to stop such expenditures. This restriction shall not limit the Church’s ministry in response to the HIV epidemic, nor shall it preclude funding for dialogs or educational events where the Church’s official position is fairly and equally represented.

¶629 Conference Board of Church and Society – 1. The annual conference shall  may organize a board of church and society or other structure to provide for the functions of this ministry and maintain the connectional relationship between the General Board of Church and Society The General Council for Strategy and Oversight and the conference, district…2…and members of the General Board of Church and Society from the annual conference who shall serve within limits set by ¶610.6 and 710.5…¶630 Conference Board of Discipleship. The annual conference shall may organize a board of discipleship or other equivalent structure to provide for those functions and maintain the connectional relationship between the General Board of Discipleship Center for Connectional Mission and Ministry and the conference, district and local church,. . . The person or persons serving as members(s) of the General Board of Discipleship shall be member(s) of the conference Board of discipleship and may be granted voting privileges.¶634Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Minsitry. 1. There may be in each annual conference..2. .  shall provide for the connectional relationship between the Division of Higher Education of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry The General Council for Strategy and Oversight and the conference, district and local church.  and shall provide for a ministry in higher education related to the objectives and scope of work of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Division of Higher Education. A person serving as a member of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry from that annual conference shall, by virtue of his or her office, be a member of the conference Board of higher education and campus ministry or equivalent structure.¶637.4 The annual conference council on finance and administration shall make provision in its budget for the expenses of this committee.82. See Judicial Council Decisions 711, 778. ¶641.1. In each annual conference there shall may be a conference commission on archives and history.  The number of members of the commission and their terms of office shall may be as the conference may determine and may include an ex officio representative of each United Methodist heritage landmark in its bounds. It shall may be the duty of the commission to collect, preserve, and make accessible the historically significant records of the annual conference and its agencies, including data relating to the origin and history of the conference and its antecedents; to encourage and assist the local churches in preserving their records, compiling their histories, and celebrating their heritage; to provide for the permanent safekeeping of the historical records of all abandoned or discontinued churches in the bounds of the annual conference and its antecedents (see ¶2548.4): to maintain a fire-safe historical and archival depository and to see that all items that obviously will have value for future history are properly preserved therein; to provide for the ownership of real property and to receive gifts and bequests; to nominate to the General Commission on Archives and History General Council on Finance and Administration buildings, locations, or structures within the annual conference for designation as historic sites or heritage landmarks; to maintain contact with officially designated historic sites and heritage landmarks in their bounds; to assist the bishop or the appropriate conference committee in planning for the historical hour and other appropriate historical observances at annual conference sessions; to establish retention and disposition schedules for annual conference and local church records under standards or guidelines developed by the General Commission on Archives and History General Council for Finance and Administration; to cooperate with and report, when requested, to the general and jurisdictional commissions on archives and history; and to engage with other Wesleyan, Methodist, or Evangelical United Brethren-related denominations in lifting up our joint heritage.2. The commission may organize a conference historical society and encourage membership therein for the purpose of promoting interest in the study and preservation of the history of the conference and its antecedents. The officers of the conference commission on archives and history may be the officers of the conference historical society. Membership in the historical society shall be established as the society may determine. Membership may include the payment of dues as the society may direct, and in return, members shall receive official publications and publicity materials issued by the commission and the society and other such benefits as may be deemed suitable.

¶643.1 There shall may be in each annual conference a conference commission on religion and race or other structure to provide for those functions and maintain the connectional relationships. It shall follow the general guidelines and structure of the General Commission on Religion and Race as outlined in ¶¶2002 and 2008, where applicable established by The General Council for Strategy and Oversight.

¶644. There shall may be in each annual conference, including the central conferences a conference commission on the status and role of women or other structure to provide for these functions and maintain the connectional relationships.1. The responsibility of this commission shall be in harmony with the responsibility of the general commission (see ¶2103), the following objectives established as guidelines for adaption to the needs of the respective annual conferences or guidelines provided by the General Council for Strategy and Oversight.

Add a new subparagraph ¶705.3.g) as follows:

Central Conference Membership—The total central conference membership, including central conference bishops, in general Church bodies shall be allocated as follows: four (4) members on each of the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) and the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), eight (8) members on the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), six (6) members on the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), seven (7) members on the General Council for Strategy and Oversight (GCSO), three (3) members on the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA), one (1) member on the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBOPHB), and three (3) members on each of the United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) and the  United Methodist Men (UMM).

For each of the following agencies, one of the central conference members shall be a bishop:  GBCS, GBOD, GBGM, GBHEM, GBOPHB, UMPH, UMM.

The central conference membership shall be allocated to the central conferences by the Council of Bishops. Europe and the Philippines shall each be allocated five (5) of the thirty-nine (39) members with the remaining twenty-nine (29) members to be distributed among the African central conferences as determined by the Council of Bishops. The thirty-two (32) central conference members who are not bishops shall be assigned to the general agencies as determined by the Council of Bishops.

As allocated to them by the Council of Bishops, Central Conferences shall elect members to general agencies from a pool of candidates supplied by their annual conferences by a method to be determined by each central conference as appropriate to its culture and circumstances.

Amend additional portions of ¶705 as indicated herein following:

¶705 …Such persons come to this ministry as servants of the whole Church., entrusted with caring for the missions and legal and fiduciary responsibilities of the agencies.

The basic responsibilities of the boards of the general agencies include, but are not limited to, the following:

a) Determine mission and purpose.

b) Select the general secretary.

c) Support and evaluate the general secretary.

d) Ensure effective planning.

e) Monitor and strengthen programs and services.

f) Ensure adequate financial resources.

g) Protect assets and provide proper financial oversight.

h) Ensure legal and ethical integrity.

i) Enhance the agency’s public standing.

The following provisions shall govern the nomination…

1. Nominations by Conferences—a) Each annual and missionary conference in the United States, upon recommendation from a committee composed of the bishop and the general and jurisdictional conference delegation, and having allowed opportunity for nominations from the floor, shall elect persons to be submitted to a jurisdictional pool. The jurisdictional nominating committee shall select persons for election to the following general Church bodies: Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight; General Board of Church and Society; General Board of Discipleship; General Board of Global Ministries; General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; General Board of Pension and Health Benefits; and The United Methodist Publishing House; General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns; General Commission on Communication; General Commission on Religion and Race; and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women. Jurisdictional conferences may decide that persons elected by the annual and missionary conferences in the United States for inclusion in the jurisdictional pool shall not serve as members of the jurisdictional nominating committee. Before election, nominated members will be informed of the fiduciary, strategic, and generative responsibilities they will be assuming upon election so that they may clearly understand the time and resource commitment they are making.

4. General Program Board Membership—a) Each general program board shall have the number of members herein specified in ¶¶ 1006, 1105, 1311, and 1407.

b) Jurisdictional Membership—Each jurisdiction shall elect the number of persons herein specified listed in the specific legislation for membership on each of the four general program boards. In the jurisdictional nominating process for membership on those boards, in the aggregate special attention shall be given to the inclusion of clergywomen, youth (¶ 256.3), young adults, older adults, people with disabilities, and persons from small membership churches. In order to ensure adequate representation of racial and ethnic persons (Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders), it is recommended that at least 30 percent of a jurisdiction’s membership on each these general program boards be racial and ethnic persons. It is further recommended that the jurisdiction membership on each these program boards incorporate one-third clergy, one-third laymen, and one-third laywomen (except as provided in ¶¶ 1104.1, 1311.2; see also ¶¶ 1311.6, 1407). The episcopal members shall not be counted in the computation of the clergy membership. For each program board , including the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, clergy, laywomen, and laymen shall be elected to the board by the jurisdictional conferences upon nomination from the annual conferences based on the following formula:

General Board of Church and Society: North Central—3, Northeastern—2, South Central—3, Southeastern—5, and Western—1.

General Board of Discipleship: North Central—3, Northeastern—2, South Central—3, Southeastern—5, and Western—1.

General Board of Global Ministries: North Central—2, Northeastern—1, South Central—2, Southeastern—4, and Western—1.

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry: North Central—2, Northeastern—2, South Central—3, Southeastern—4, and Western—1.

Delete 705.4.c) in its entirety.

d) Episcopal Membership—The episcopal membership of the general program boards shall be nominated by the Council of Bishops and elected by the General Conference with two (2) bishops to serve on each of the following agencies, one of whom shall be from a central conference: (see exception, ¶ 1311.6). At least one of the episcopal members of each general agency, with the exception of the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, shall be a central conference bishop and, in the case of the General Board of Global Ministries, three central conference bishops (one from each region: Africa, Europe, Philippines). the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

e) Additional Membership—1) Additional members shall be elected by each general program board in order to bring into the board persons with special knowledge or background that will aid in the work of the agency, to consider differing theological perspectives, and to perfect the representation of racial and ethnic persons, youth (¶ 710.3), young adults (¶ 710.3), older adults, women and men, people with disabilities, and persons from small-membership churches. After the election of central conference members as provided in ¶705.3.g) ¶ 705.4c, the remaining number of additional members shall be allocated by the secretary of the General Conference so as to insure to the extent possible that membership of each board reflects the proportionate membership of the jurisdictions based upon the combined clergy and lay membership, excluding episcopal members. In the determination of proportionate allocation, minor fractions shall be rounded down and major fractions rounded up to the nearest integer, and In executing this responsibility the secretary has authority to make adjustments in the allocation of members so that the total number of members of each church body as provided herein is the prevailing principle when rounding numbers is required, and there shall be no minimum number of additional members assigned to any jurisdiction. Insofar as possible, the nominating committee shall select from the jurisdictional nominating pool for the election of persons to fill the additional membership positions from their jurisdictions insuring diversity as otherwise provided in The Book of Discipline (¶ 705.4b). Each of the following general program boards shall elect six (6) additional members, and there shall be no minimum number of additional members assigned to any jurisdiction: as specified in general program board membership paragraphs. the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Insofar as possible, no more than one person shall be elected from each episcopal area. It is recommended that such additional membership shall maintain the one-third laymen, one-third laywomen, and one-third clergy balance.

Delete ¶705.4.e)2) in its entirety.

Delete the existing text of ¶705.4.f) in its entirety and replace it with the following:

¶705.4.f) Other Membership—The General Board of Global Ministries shall have five members selected by the United Methodist Women.

Add a new subparagraph to follow all that remains in ¶705.4 to read as follows:

¶705.4.g) Total Membership—Each of the following general agencies shall have a total membership, including jurisdictional members, central conference members, and episcopal members, as follows:

General Board of Church and Society: twenty-five (25)

General Board of Discipleship: twenty-five (25)

General Board of Global Ministries: thirty (30)

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry: twenty-five (25)

Delete the existing text of ¶705.5.a) and b) and replace it with the following text:

5. Other General Agencies—a) From the jurisdictional pool nominated by the annual and missionary conferences in the United States the jurisdictional conferences shall elect to each of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight, General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, and the United Methodist Publishing House clergy, laywomen, and laymen as members, based on the following formula:

General Council for Strategy and Oversight: North Central—3, Northeastern—3, South Central—3, Southeastern—6, and Western—1.

General Board of Pension and Health Benefits: North Central—3, Northeastern—3, South Central—5, Southeastern—8, and Western—1.

United Methodist Publishing House: North Central—3, Northeastern—2, South Central—3, Southeastern—6, and Western—1.

b) Additional members—The number of additional members to be elected by each other agency, with the exception of the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, shall be allocated by the secretary of the General Conference so as to insure to the extent possible that membership of each agency reflects the proportionate membership of the jurisdictions based upon the combined clergy and lay membership, excluding episcopal members. In executing this responsibility the secretary has authority to make adjustments in the allocation of members so that the total number of members who are not bishops of each agency as specified herein is the prevailing principle when rounding numbers is required, and there shall be no minimum number of additional members assigned to any jurisdiction. Insofar as possible the nominating committee shall select from the jurisdictional nominating pool for the election of persons to fill the additional membership positions from their jurisdictions insuring diversity as otherwise provided in The Book of Discipline (¶ 705.4b). The agencies shall consider names forwarded to them by the General Council for Strategy and Oversight as having been nominated by the annual and missionary conferences in the United States or in the central conferences, but not elected by these conferences to general agency membership. Additional names may be considered in order to perfect the representation as provided in ¶ 705.4e. Each of the following general agencies shall have the following number of additional members:  General Council for Strategy and Oversight: five (5).  One of these additional members shall be named by each of the recognized racial and ethnic caucus groups of The United Methodist Church, which are Black Methodists for Church Renewal, Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans, Native American International Caucus, National Federation of Asian American United Methodists, and Pacific Islanders National Caucus United Methodist

General Board of Pension and Health Benefits: eight (8)

United Methodist Publishing House: six (6)

Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding, membership on the United Methodist Publishing House shall be by classes based on term of office for one, two, or three quadrennia, attention being given to the principle of rotation so that, as far as practicable, one third of the membership shall be elected each quadrennium. The principle of rotation is also applicable to the executive committee of that agency.

Add a new ¶705.5.c) as follows:

¶705.5.c) Episcopal members—The following general agencies shall have the number of episcopal member as follows:

General Board of Pension and Health Benefits: two (2)

United Methodist Publishing House: two (2)

General Council for Strategy and Oversight: one (1)

Add a new ¶705.5.d) as follows:

¶705.5.d) Other Members—1) The General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall have as members the Presidents of the following agencies:

General Board of Church and Society

General Board of Discipleship

General Board of Global Ministries

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

General Council on Finance and Administration

2) The Council of Bishops shall elect one bishop to serve as a member of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight.

3) The General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall have as nonvoting advisors the general secretary or other employed chief executive officer of each of the following agencies:

General Council for Strategy and Oversight

General Board of Church and Society

General Board of Discipleship

General Board of Global Ministries

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

General Council on Finance and Administration

United Methodist Communications

United Methodist Men

United Methodist Women

General Board of Pension and Health Benefits

United Methodist Publishing House

Add a new ¶705.5.e) as follows:

¶705.5.e) Total Members— Each of the following general agencies shall have a total membership, including jurisdictional members, central conference members, episcopal members, and nonvoting advisors as follows:

General Council for Strategy and Oversight: forty-five (45)

General Board of Pension and Health Benefits: thirty (30)

United Methodist Publishing House: twenty-five (25)

¶ 713. Election of General Secretaries of Program Agencies—The general secretary of each of the four general program boards agency that is accountable to the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall be elected quadrennially by ballot of the board of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight following nomination by the board of directors of the program board, and she or he shall be accountable programmatically to the board of the agency which establishes priorities, goals, and objectives for the agency.  He or she will report administratively to the Executive General Secretary of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight who, after evaluation and review, which shall be conducted annually, shall make recommendations to the board of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight on the employment and dismissal of each program board’s general secretary based in large part on the degree of cooperation and collaboration with other agencies toward the goal of making disciples of Jesus Christ. Since the General Council for Strategy and Oversight is responsible to redirect the flow of attention and energy to an intense concentration on fostering and sustaining an increase in the number of vital congregations effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world and for providing strategic guidance to increase understanding and implementation of the vision, mission, and ministries of the global Church, consideration shall be strongly given in this process of evaluation and review as to how successful each agency has been toward this goal.

. agency involved. Each general program agency board shall elect quadrennially by ballot its deputy and associate general secretary(ies) and may elect or appoint such other staff as may be necessary.  Other general agencies shall elect general secretaries quadrennially by ballot and may appoint such other staff as deemed necessary to the work of the agency.

¶ 805. Organization—1. Membership—a) The voting members of the council shall be elected quadrennially by the General Conference and shall consist of forty twenty-one (21) persons nominated as follows:

(1) four two bishops from the jurisdictions including one from a central conference, nominated by the Council of Bishops;

(2) thirty eleven persons from the jurisdictions, nominated by the College of Bishops in each jurisdiction based upon an allocation by the secretary of the General Conference so as to insure that membership of the council reflects the proportionate membership of the jurisdictions based upon the combined clergy and lay membership, according to the following formula:

North Central 2; Northeastern 2; South Central 2; Southeastern 4; Western 1.at At least one of whom the members in the aggregate should be a youth between the ages of twelve and seventeen, and at least one of whom should be a young adult not over twenty-eight years of age at the time of election; (3) six five members at large, one member from Africa, one from Europe, one from the Philippines, and most of whom who shall be elected for special skills. After the above-mentioned election of central conference members, the remaining members at large These at large members shall be nominated by the Council of Bishops based upon an allocation by the secretary of the General Conference so as to insure, to the extent possible, that the jurisdictional membership of the Council, exclusive of the episcopal membership, reflects the proportionate membership of the jurisdictions based upon the combined clergy and lay membership insuring diversity as otherwise provided in The Book of Discipline ( ¶ 705.4b). This petition shall become effective upon passage by the General Conference members. (4) Three (3) Central Conference members as specified in ¶705.3.g).

Amend ¶805.4.b) as follows:

¶805.4.b) Committee on Audit and Review—The executive committee of the council shall appoint a Committee on Audit and Review, no members of which shall be officers or members of the executive committee of the council., and at least half of whom shall not be members of the council Three (3) of the members shall be members of GCFA, three (3) members shall be members of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight, and three (3) members shall be professionals in auditing and finance who are members of neither GCFA nor the GCSO.  whose The duty it of the Committee shall be…

Amend ¶905.7 by adding a new subparagraph d) as follows:

¶905.7.d) To provide, review and evaluate program internal audits of all agencies of the Church that receive world service or general administration funds in relationship to goals, objectives, and measurable outcomes established by the General Conference, the governing board, and donor designations.  The General Council for Strategy and Oversight may withhold approval of any programs or activities that represent unnecessary duplication within an agency or between two or more agencies, or that otherwise fail to achieve the established outcomes.  It may direct the General Council on Finance and Administration to withhold funding for such programs and activities until the General Council for Strategy and Oversight determines that the general agency has achieved, or identified means satisfactorily to  achieve, the established outcomes. The General Council for Strategy and Oversight is responsible to redirect the flow of attention and energy to an intense concentration on fostering and sustaining an increase in the number of vital congregations effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  It shall provide strategic guidance to increase understanding and implementation of the vision, mission, and ministries of the global Church.

Amend ¶901 as follows:

¶ 901.1. Name—There shall be a Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight in The United Methodist Church where ministry and money are brought to the same table to coordinate the mission, ministries, and resources of The United Methodist Church. Effective January 1, 2005, the The Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall be assigned the primary responsibilities, general policies and practices found in the relevant 700 paragraphs.

2. The General Council for Strategy and Oversight (GCSO) shall have oversight responsibility for all program agencies of The United Methodist Church.  The GCSO shall work in partnership with other agencies and the Council of Bishops to conduct necessary research efforts as needed to support strategic thinking and planning and the implementation of mission critical ministries.

3. In the exercise of its responsibility prescribed in §2 hereof, the General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall have authority during the 2013 to 2016 quadrennium to guide and work with all the agencies and connectional bodies, to include the general secretaries, of The United Methodist Church, program and administrative, to plan for and implement the overall restructure and reorganization approved by the 2012 General Conference for those agencies and bodies. One of the goals is the consolidation of program and administrative leadership to eliminate unnecessary duplication of effort while ensuring that critical and important connectional ministries are functional and adequately carried forward.

4.  The General Council for Strategy and Oversight oversight responsibility shall include authority for the consolidation of administrative services to the extent practicable for all general church activities into the appropriate agency on a fee for service basis.

Amend ¶905 as indicated:

7. In order to be accountable, along with the General Council on Finance and Administration, to The United Methodist Church through the General Conference, the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall have the authority and responsibility in the following matters:

a) To collaborate with the General Council on Finance and Administration in the preparation of budgets for the apportioned funds as provided for in ¶¶ 806.1 and 810.1. Primary responsibility for providing the assessment of the resource potential of the Church rests with the General Council on Finance and Administration, and primary responsibility for determining the optimum distribution of those resources among the various needs and opportunities rests with the General Council for Strategy and Oversight.

8. The General Council for Strategy and Oversight and its Executive General Secretary shall annually evaluate the strategic planning, goals, objectives and quantitative commitments made by organizations and staff receiving church funds.  This review shall take into account the utilization of general church funds in achieving the stated mission of the entity as defined by the General Conference, the governing board, and donor designations. After reviewing the performance of an agency and evaluating its progress toward established goals, the GCSO may direct the General Council on Finance and Administration to withhold funding for any programs and activities until the  GCSO determines that the responsible general agency has achieved, or identified means satisfactorily to  achieve, the established outcomes. This process should be an ongoing, continuing function of the GCSO.

9. During the quadrennium the General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall allocate funds which have been made available by General Conference as a General Council for Strategy and Oversight Adaptive Challenge Fund within the World Service budget.  The funds shall be distributed to the various agencies receiving funds from the World Service Fund based on need, evaluation and review of measurable outcomes, and facilitation of initiatives for the adaptive challenge of increasing vital congregations.

10. Executive General Secretary—a. The General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall elect an Executive General Secretary, who shall not be a bishop.

b. The Executive General Secretary shall be limited to a total of 12 years in the same office.

c. The Executive General Secretary shall be an ex officio member of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight with voice but without vote.

d. The Executive General Secretary shall be reviewed and evaluated by the General Council for Strategy and Oversight based on measured effectiveness on redirecting the focus toward vital congregations.

Amend ¶906 as indicated:

1.Membership – Members of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight should be effective, informed leaders who take responsibility for the good of the whole by advocating for the various parts of the Church as it seeks to respond to the demands of the gospel. The voting and nonvoting members of the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall consist of 47 persons as follows: be selected as provided in ¶705.3.g) and ¶705.5. Consideration should be given to ethnic, gender, and age inclusivity.

a) Twenty-eight persons elected through jurisdictional and central conferences, one from each of the central conferences by their own nomination processes and 21 from the jurisdictional conferences elected by the jurisdictional nomination process.  Jurisdictional membership shall include one person from each jurisdiction and the balance of the jurisdictional members shall be allocated by the Secretary of the General Conference so as to insure to the extent possible that the members represent the proportionate membership of the jurisdictions based upon the combined clergy and lay membership. Advisory members shall serve without vote. The participation on the General Council for Strategy and Oversight of nonvoting advisory members shall be at the expense of the agencies they represent.

b) An effective bishop, selected by the Council of Bishops, shall represent the Council, serve as a member with right of voice and vote, and shall convene an organizational meeting of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight within two months of the last jurisdictional conference serves as the chair of the Connectional Table.

c) The following officers of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall be elected from the jurisdictional and central conference members:  chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer.

c) The presidents of the following agencies: General Board of Church and Society, General Board of Discipleship, General Board of Global Ministries, and General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, General Commission of Religion and Race, General Commission on Status and Role of Women, General Commission on United Methodist Men, General Commission on Communications, and General Commission on Archives and History, program-related agencies that are accountable to the Connectional Table (as expressed in ¶ 702.2), and the president of the General Council on Finance and Administration shall also sit with voice and vote on the Connectional Table.

Delete ¶906.1.d), ¶906.1.e), and ¶906.1.f) in their entirety.

…

i) Members shall meet all the membership qualifications as expressed in ¶ 710 and shall possess knowledge of the operations of the general church.

…

5. Staff – The Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall elect an Executive General Secretary with knowledge of The United Methodist Church operations and with executive management experience in church and/or not-for-profit organization who shall provide leadership to the table in performing the duties assigned to the General Council for Strategy and Oversight in accordance with directives of the General Conference and policies set by the General Council for Strategy and Oversight. The General Council for Strategy and Oversight shall determine the support staff that it deems appropriate to facilitate its work. The Executive General Secretary shall be responsible for the staff and the operations of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight.

Delete the existing text of ¶907 and replace it with the following text:

¶907 There shall be a committee of the general secretaries of agencies specified herein following which shall be called the General Secretaries Committee.  It shall report to the General Council for Strategy and Oversight for purposes of agency collaboration and alignment. It shall not be considered to be a general agency of the Church.

1. The members of the General Secretaries Committee (GSC) shall be the general secretary or other employed chief executive officer of each of the following agencies:

General Council for Strategy and Oversight

General Board of Church and Society

General Board of Discipleship

General Board of Global Ministries

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

General Council on Finance and Administration

United Methodist Communications

United Methodist Men

United Methodist Women

2. The GSC shall have other duties as approved by the General Council for Strategy and Oversight.

3. If at any time there should be a conflict between guidance to a general secretary or other chief executive officer provided by the GSC and direction provided by the board of directors of the agency she or he represents, then the affected officer should follow the direction provided by her or his board and advise the GSC of the conflict.

4. The GSC shall be chaired by the Executive General Secretary of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight.

Delete ¶¶1006 and 1007 in their entirety.

Delete ¶1105.1 in its entirety.

Delete ¶1302.5 to transfer the ecumenical functions of the General Board of Global Ministries to another body of the Church as authorized by General Conference.

Amend ¶1311 as follows:

¶ 1311. Membership—The policies, plans of work, management, business, and all affairs of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church shall be governed and administered by the board. , which shall be composed according to the following conditions:

Delete ¶¶1311.1 through 1311.8 in their entirety.

Delete ¶1407 in its entirety.

Amend ¶1502.1 as follows:

1502.1. Membership – a) The membership of the general board shall be composed of two bishops, elected by the Council of Bishops; sixteen members elected by the jurisdictional conferences from the annual conference nominations on a ratio providing for an equitable distribution among the various jurisdictions, based on the combined clergy and laity membership thereof, as determined by the secretary of the General Conference; six members, with not more than two from the same jurisdiction, elected by the General Conference on nomination of the Council of Bishops; and eight additional members of the general board as provided in ¶705.5 for the purpose of bringing to the general board special knowledge or background, not more than two from the same jurisdiction, shall be nominated and elected by the general board in such manner as it shall provide in its bylaws, other provisions of the Book of Discipline notwithstanding.

b) The aforementioned electing bodies shall give consideration during the nominating process to equitable representation on the basis of race, color, age, gender and people with disabilities.

cb) The general secretary of the general board shall be an ex officio member of the general board, without vote.

d c) The terms of all members so elected shall be four years, to take effect at the first meeting of the general board following the General Conference, hereinafter referred to as the organizational meeting.

(1) Members shall serve during the terms for which they are elected and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified.

(2) Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding, members of the general board may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms.

(3) In case a vacancy occurs between regular sessions of the jurisdictional conferences for any cause, the general board shall fill the vacancy for the unexpired term from that jurisdiction in the representation of which the vacancy occurs, except in the case of members elected by the General Conference or the general board where such vacancies would be filled by the general board in the manner prescribed by its bylaws without regard to geographic or jurisdictional representation.

Delete all the existing text of ¶1602 except subparagraph ¶1602.1.i, so that ¶1602 shall read as follows:

¶1602 The publisher of The United Methodist Church (¶ 1614) shall be an ex officio member of the board without vote.

Delete ¶¶1701-1712 in their entirety.

Amend ¶264 as follows:

¶264.1. Heritage Sunday—Heritage Sunday shall be observed on Aldersgate Day (May 24), or the Sunday preceding that date (see Historical Statement, page 10). The day provides an opportunity for reflection on heritage, celebration of where the Church has been, how it understands itself as it shapes us today, and the meaning of Christian conferencing. Heritage Sunday calls the Church to remember the past by committing itself to the continuing call of God. The observance of Heritage Sunday shall be under the general supervision of the General Council on Finance and Administration Commission on Archives and History. Any general agency of the Church which desires to recommend a theme for a given year for this Sunday may do so one year prior to the observance for which the recommendation is made. This recommendation is to be made to the General Council on Finance and Administration Commission on Archives and History, and the decision of the annual theme of this Sunday shall be made by the voting members of the General Council on Finance and Administration Commission on Archives and History.

Amend ¶510 as follows:

¶510.1. Corrections to the Daily Christian Advocate. The editor will then file with the General Council on Finance and Administration Commission on Archives and History two bound copies of the Daily Christian Advocate and corrections as the official record of General Conference. Bound copies shall also be made available at cost by The United Methodist Publishing House.

¶510.4. All original documents of a General Conference shall be filed with the General Council on Finance and Administration Commission on Archives and History.

Amend ¶532 as follows:

¶532. Archives and History—1. There shall be a jurisdictional commission on archives and history, auxiliary to the general commission,

Amend ¶545 as follows:

¶ 545. Records and Archives—1. The journal of the proceedings of a central conference, duly signed by the president and secretary, shall be sent for examination to the General Conference through its secretary. Two paper copies in every translation shall be sent without charge to the General Commission on Archives and History and the General Council on Finance and Administration,…

3. The secretary of each central conference shall submit a hardcopy of every translation and adaptation of the general Discipline or portion thereof in use in that central conference to the General Commission on Archives and History and the General Council on Finance and Administration.

Amend ¶606 as follows:

¶606.2. Each annual conference shall send without charge to the General Council on Finance and Administration, the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, the General Commission on Archives and History, the Central or Jurisdictional Commission on Archives and History, and the Annual Conference Commission on Archives and History two printed copies of its annual journal and one printed copy to the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight and to United Methodist Communications. If available, one copy of a digital version of the journal shall be sent to the General Council on Finance and Administration General Commission on Archives and History.

3..h) Memoirs as ordered by the annual conference following the guidelines of the General Council on Finance and Administration Commission on Archives and History,

Amend ¶641 as follows:

¶ 641. 1. In each annual conference there shall be a conference commission on archives and history. The number of members of the commission and their terms of office shall be as the conference may determine and may include an ex officio representative of each United Methodist heritage landmark in its bounds. It shall be the duty of the commission to collect, preserve, and make accessible the historically significant records of the annual conference and its agencies, including data relating to the origin and history of the conference and its antecedents; to encourage and assist the local churches in preserving their records, compiling their histories, and celebrating their heritage; to provide for the permanent safekeeping of the historical records of all abandoned or discontinued churches in the bounds of the annual conference and its antecedents (see ¶ 2548.3); to maintain a fire-safe historical and archival depository and to see that all items that obviously will have value for future history are properly preserved therein; to provide for the ownership of real property and to receive gifts and bequests; to nominate to the General Council on Finance and Administration Commission on Archives and History buildings, locations, or structures within the annual conference for designation as historic sites or heritage landmarks; to maintain contact with officially designated historic sites and heritage landmarks in their bounds; to assist the bishop or the appropriate conference committee in planning for the historical hour and other appropriate historical observances at annual conference sessions; to establish retention and disposition schedules for annual conference and local church records under standards or guidelines developed by the General Council on Finance and Administration Commission on Archives and History; to cooperate with and report, when requested, to the general and jurisdictional commissions on archives and history; and to engage with other Wesleyan, Methodist, or Evangelical United Brethren-related denominations in lifting up our joint heritage.

Amend ¶702 as follows:

¶702.2. Between sessions of the General Conference, the following general agencies are accountable to the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight for those functions that are outlined in the 900 ¶¶s: the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the General Commission on Religion and Race, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the General Commission on Archives and History, the General Commission on United Methodist Men, and the General Commission on Communication in matters pertaining to their program responsibilities.

Amend ¶703 as follows:

¶703.6. Administrative General Agencies—The general boards and commissions that have primarily administrative and service functions shall be designated as administrative general agencies. These agencies are the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, and The United Methodist Publishing House, and the General Commission on Archives and History and General Commission on Communication, the last two of which also carry program-related responsibilities for which they are accountable to the Connectional Table.

Amend ¶805 as follows:

¶805.4.d) Committee on Personnel Policies and Practices—The council shall organize a committee consisting of three representatives from the General Council on Finance and Administration, one of whom shall serve as chairperson, and one representative of each of the following agencies: the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Commission on Archives and History, , the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the General Commission on Communication, the General Commission on Religion and Race, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and the General Commission on United Methodist Men. Each of the aforementioned representatives shall be selected by the council, or board, or commission represented from its membership. The committee shall have duties and responsibilities as defined in ¶ 807.13b.

Amend ¶1122 as follows:

¶1122.4.b) Opportunity for timely review shall be offered to teachers, leaders, and pastors in local churches of various sizes, locations, and racial, ethnic, and cultural constituencies; general secretaries of the General Boards of Discipleship, Global Ministries, Church and Society, and Higher Education and Ministry, and the General Commissions on History and Archives, Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the Status and Role of Women, United Methodist Men, and Religion and Race; professors of educational ministries in United Methodist colleges and seminaries; professional Christian educators; and others who may have interest, experience, and skills to aid the perfection of the plans.

Create a new ¶805.4.f) as follows, renumbering succeeding paragraphs:

¶805.4.f) Committee on Archives and History—There shall be a Committee on Archives and History that shall serve as the official historical agency of The United Methodist Church.  It may be separately incorporated, as determined by the Council, and it shall be the successor in effect and in law of the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church.  In so far as practical changes required by the discontinuation of the General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) and the creation of the Committee on Archives and History  in this section shall be accomplished no later than June 30, 2013 under the guidance of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight and the General Council on Finance and Administration.  Funds budgeted in the 2013 to 2016 quadrennium to carry out the operations and programs of GCAH shall follow the function.

(1) Purpose—(a). The purpose of the Committee shall be to promote and care for the historical interests of The United Methodist Church at every level. It shall gather, preserve, and hold title to library and archival materials, and it shall disseminate interpretive materials on the history of The United Methodist Church and its antecedents. It shall cooperate with other bodies, especially the Historical Society of The United Methodist Church, the World Methodist Historical Society, and the World Methodist Council in areas of mutual concern. It shall maintain archives and libraries in which shall be preserved historical records and materials of every kind relating to The United Methodist Church and shall see that such holdings are available for responsible public and scholarly use. It shall provide guidance for the proper creation, maintenance, and disposition of documentary record material at all levels of The United Methodist Church (see §(8)(a)ii)). It shall provide support, direction, and encouragement for the work of annual conference and jurisdictional historical agencies and organizations by developing and making available historical, interpretive, and training media. It shall develop policies and resources for the designated United Methodist Historic Sites and United Methodist Heritage Landmarks. It shall provide general supervision for the observance of Heritage Sunday (see ¶ 264.1). It shall engage with other Wesleyan, Methodist, or Evangelical United Brethren-related denominations in lifting up our joint heritage.

(b). The Committee shall have responsibility for and supervision of its archives and historical libraries and other depositories of similar character, if any, established by The United Methodist Church.

(c). The Committee shall promote collection and dissemination of information and materials concerning the historic witness made individually and collectively by women, racial and ethnic peoples, and other constituencies not covered extensively in traditional historical documentation in the worldwide life of The United Methodist Church and its antecedents.

(d). The Committee shall develop and make available interpretive materials such as handbooks, services of worship and celebrations of historical events, training films, and other media helpful to annual conferences and local churches.

(e). Once each quadrennium, the Committee may hold a historical convocation, to which may be invited members of jurisdictional and annual conference historical agencies and organizations; appropriate faculty and students in institutions of higher education related to The United Methodist Church; members of the Historical Society of The United Methodist Church; members of other Wesleyan, Methodist, and Evangelical United Brethren-related historical organizations; and such other persons, groups, or organizations as may be interested.

(2)  Membership—(a). The Committee shall be constituted quadrennially, and its members and all officers elected by it shall hold office until their successors have been chosen. Interim vacancies during a quadrennium where not otherwise provided by the Discipline may be filled by the Council as it may determine.

(b). The Committee shall be composed of ten members chosen by the Council, five of whom shall be members of the Council. It is recommended that careful consideration be given to selecting the other five members to be persons with special interests and skills in the history of United Methodism.

(3). Meetings—The Committee shall meet annually at such time and place as it may determine, subject to the provisions of the act of incorporation, if the committee chooses to be incorporated.

(4). Officers—The Committee shall elect from its membership a chairperson and such other officers as may be needed.

(5). Staff—The Council shall choose a general director of the Committee, who shall be an associate general secretary of the General Council on Finance and Administration, and such other staff personnel as may be needed. The general director shall be the executive and administrative officer and shall carry on the work of the Committee, keep the records and minutes, serve as editor of official publications of the Committee, supervise the depositories, make an annual report to the Council, and furnish such reports as are required. The general director shall attend meetings of the Committee and shall have the privilege of the floor without vote. Archivists, curators, and librarians employed by the Committee shall be responsible to the general director. They shall attend meetings of the Committee when it is deemed necessary by the general director. When in attendance, they shall have the privilege of the floor without vote.

(6). Finances—The Committee shall be financed by appropriations of the General Conference; the sale of literature and historical materials; subscriptions to the Committee’s official publications; dues from associate members; and gifts, grants, and bequests of interested individuals and organizations.

(7). Historical Society of The United Methodist Church—(a). The Committee shall endorse and encourage the Historical Society of The United Methodist Church and encourage membership therein for the purpose of promoting interest in the study, preservation, and dissemination of the history and heritage of The United Methodist Church and its antecedents. The Historical Society shall be encouraged to enlist the support and cooperation of Committee on archives and history (or equivalent) at the annual conference, jurisdictional conference, and general Church levels as well as other interested agencies and organizations in the promotion of the historical interests of the Church. The society shall be financially self-supporting through dues and other sources, except for such services as may be provided by the General Conference Committee on Archives and History.

(b). Membership in the Historical Society shall be established as the society may determine. Membership shall entail the payment of such dues as the society may direct, in return for which members shall receive publications and other benefits as are deemed suitable.

(8). (a). Archival Definitions—i) Archives, as distinguished from libraries, house not primarily books, but documentary record material.

ii) Documentary record material shall mean all documents, minutes, journals, diaries, reports, pamphlets, letters, papers, manuscripts, maps, photographs, books, audiovisuals, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data processing records, artifacts, or any other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to any provisions of The Discipline in connection with the transaction of Church business by any general agency of The United Methodist Church or of any of its constituent predecessors.

iii) General agency of The United Methodist Church or of its constituent predecessors shall, in turn, mean and include every Church office, Church officer, or official (elected or appointed)—including bishop, institution, board, Committee, bureau, council, or conference—at the national level.

(b). Custodianship of Records—The church official in charge of an office having documentary record material shall be the custodian thereof, unless otherwise provided.

(c). Procedures—i) The Committee shall establish a central archives of The United Methodist Church and such regional archives and record centers as in its judgment may be needed.

ii) The bishops, General Conference officers, the Judicial Council, general boards, committees, and agencies of The United Methodist Church shall deposit official minutes or journals, or copies of the same, in the archives quadrennially and shall transfer correspondence, records, papers, and other archival materials described above from their offices when they no longer have operational usefulness. No records shall be destroyed until a disposal schedule has been agreed upon by the Committee and the agency. When the custodian of any official documentary record material of a general agency certifies to the Committee that such records have no further use or value for official and administrative purposes and when the Committee certifies that such records appear to have no further use or value for research or reference, then such records may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by the agency or official having custody of them. A record of such certification and authorization shall be entered in the minutes or records of both the Committee and the agency. The Committee is hereby authorized and empowered to make such provisions as may be necessary and proper to carry this paragraph into effect.

iii) The Committee shall have the right to examine the condition of documentary record material and shall, subject to the availability of staff and funds, give advice and assistance to Church officials and agencies in regard to preserving and disposing of documentary record material in their custody. Officials of general agencies shall assist the Committee in the preparation of an inventory of records in their custody. To this inventory shall be attached a schedule, approved by the head of the agency having custody of the records and the Committee, establishing a time period for the retention and disposal of each series of records. So long as such approved schedule remains in effect, destruction or disposal of documentary record material in accordance with its provisions shall be deemed to have met the requirements of ¶ 1711.3b.

iv) The Committee is authorized and directed to conduct a program of inventorying, repairing, and microfilming among all general agencies of The United Methodist Church for security purposes that documentary record material which the Committee determines has permanent value and to provide safe storage for microfilm copies of such material. Subject to the availability of funds, such program may be extended to material of permanent value of all agencies of The United Methodist Church.

v) The general boards, committees, and agencies of The United Methodist Church shall place two copies, as they are issued, of all their publications, of whatever kind, in the archives or in lieu thereof shall file a statement with the archivist affirming that they are preserving copies of all such items in their own libraries or depositories.

vi) Official documents, or copies thereof, such as articles of incorporation, constitutions, bylaws, and other official papers of the boards and agencies of The United Methodist Church shall be deposited in the archives.

vii) Whoever has the custody of any general agency records shall, at the expiration of the term of office, deliver to the successor, custodian, or, if there be none, to the Committee all records, books, writings, letters, and documents kept or received in the transaction of official general agency business. This will also apply to the papers of temporary and special general Church committees.

viii) The bishops, General Conference officers, and the general boards, committees, and agencies of The United Methodist Church are urged to counsel with the central archivist concerning the preservation of all materials.

ix) Jurisdictional, central, and annual conference secretaries shall deposit, without charge, two paper copies of their respective conference journals quadrennially or annually, as the case may be, with the Committee and in the archives of the central, jurisdictional, and annual conference as appropriate. One copy of a digital version of the journal will be sent to the Committee.

x) Secretaries of jurisdictional and annual conference boards, committees, and agencies shall deposit annually, or as often as they meet, copies of their minutes (as distinguished from reports that are printed separately or in the jurisdictional and annual conference journals) in the central archives or in the appropriate regional archives.

xi) Bishops, General Conference officers, general agency staff personnel, missionaries, and those ordained ministers and laypersons in positions of leadership and influence at any level of the Church are urged to deposit or bequeath their personal papers to the archives of the Committee.

xii) Organizations and individuals may negotiate appropriate restrictions on the use of materials that they deposit in the archives.

xiii) The Committee may authorize the transfer of materials to an organization, agency, or family.

xiv) All materials in the archives shall be available for research and exhibition, subject to such restrictions as may be placed on them.

(9). Historic Sites and Heritage Landmarks—(a). i) Historic Sites—Historic sites are buildings, locations, or structures that are specifically related to a significant event, development, or personality in the history of an annual, central, or jurisdictional conference (or its antecedents). Historic sites are designated by formal action of the annual, central, or jurisdictional conference within whose regions the site is located. Such designation shall first be considered and reviewed by the respective committee on archives and history (or equivalent). After action by the annual, central, or jurisdictional conference to designate a building, structure, or location as a historic site, the president or chairperson of the committee on archives and history (or equivalent) shall advise the Committee of the action taken and provide such documentation as may be required. The Committee in turn shall provide an official historic site marker, keep a register of all historic sites, and maintain an ongoing file of pertinent information concerning them.

ii) Heritage Landmarks—Heritage landmarks of The United Methodist Church are buildings, locations, or structures that are specifically related to significant events, developments, or personalities in the overall history of The United Methodist Church or its antecedents. They must have distinctive historic interest and value for the denomination as a whole, as contrasted with local or regional historic significance. Ordinarily, buildings, locations, or structures that have achieved historic significance within the preceding fifty years shall not be considered for designation as a heritage landmark.

iii) Designation of Heritage Landmarks—All nominations for the designation of buildings, locations, and structures as United Methodist heritage landmarks shall be made by the annual, central, or jurisdictional conference committee on archives and history (or equivalent) within whose regions they are located. Such nominations shall be referred for consideration to the Committee, in accord with guidelines established by the Committee. Through its Committee on Heritage Landmarks, the Committee shall consider the merits of each nomination and shall make such recommendation as it deems appropriate to the ensuing General Conference for its action and determination.

The Committee shall recommend only a building, location, or structure for designation as a heritage landmark that has been registered as a historic site by an annual, central, or jurisdictional conference and has met the requirements established by the Committee. The Committee shall keep a register of all duly designated heritage landmarks and maintain an ongoing file of pertinent information concerning them.

iv) Quadrennial Review—The Committee shall be responsible for making a quadrennial review of the existing duly designated heritage landmarks, according to the criteria that it shall prepare and which shall be compatible with The Book of Discipline. The Committee shall further be responsible for recommending to the General Conference the redesignation or reclassification of the designated heritage landmarks as such action may be appropriate in keeping with such criteria.

(b). Present Heritage Landmarks—The present heritage landmarks of The United Methodist Church (and the year of their designation by General Conference) are: Acuff’s Chapel, between Blountville and Kingsport, TN (1968); Albright Memorial Chapel, Kleinfeltersville, PA (1968); Asbury Manual Labor School and Mission, Ft. Mitchell, AL (1984); Barratt’s Chapel, near Frederica, DE (1968); Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, FL (1984); Bishop John Seybert/Flat Rock Cluster, Flat Rock and Bellevue, OH (1992); Boehm’s Chapel, Willow Street, PA (1984); Cokesbury College, Abingdon, MD (1984); Cox Memorial United Methodist Church, Hallowell, ME (1992); Deadwood Cluster, Deadwood, SD (1984); Edward Cox House, near Bluff City, TN (1968); First Evangelical Association Church Building and Publishing House, New Berlin, PA (1988); First United Methodist Church, Johnstown, PA (1996); Green Hill House, Louisburg, NC (1968); Hanby House, Westerville, OH (1988); John Street Church, New York City (1968); John Wesley’s American Parish, Savannah, GA (1976); Keywood Marker, Glade Spring, VA (1988); Isaac Long’s Barn, Landis Valley, Lititz, PA (2008); Lovely Lane Chapel, Baltimore, MD (1972); McMahan’s Chapel, Bronson, TX (1972); Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY (1972); Old McKendree Chapel, Jackson, MO (1968); Old Otterbein Church, Baltimore, MD (1968); Old Stone Church Cemetery and Site, Leesburg, VA (1968); Organization of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Louisville, KY (1984); Peter Cartwright United Methodist Church, Pleasant Plains, IL (1976); Rehobeth Church, near Union, WV (1968); Robert Strawbridge’s Log House, near New Windsor, MD (1968); Rutersville Cluster, Rutersville, TX (1988); St. George’s Church, Philadelphia, PA (1968); St. Simon’s Island, Brunswick, GA (1968); Wesley Foundation, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (1996); Town of Oxford, GA (1972); United Brethren Founding Sites Cluster, Frederick, Keedysville, and Beaver Creek, MD (2000); Wesleyan College Cluster, Macon, GA (1992); Whitaker’s Chapel, near Enfield, Halifax County, NC (1972); Willamette Mission, near Salem, OR (1992); Women’s Foreign Missionary Society founding site, Boston, MA (2004) Wyandot Indian Mission, Upper Sandusky, OH (1968); and Zoar United Methodist Church, Philadelphia, PA (1984).

Delete ¶¶1801-1808 in their entirety.

Amend ¶263 as follows:

¶ 263. Six churchwide special Sundays with offerings shall be celebrated in each United Methodist Church.

Purpose—General Conference shall determine the purpose of the churchwide offerings upon recommendation of the General Council on Finance and Administration, after consultation with the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight. The purpose of these offerings shall remain constant for the quadrennium, and the net receipts shall be distributed on ratio to the administering agencies by the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration (see ¶ 823.7 and ¶ 805.6). The General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall promote these offerings in cooperation with the agencies responsible for the administration of these funds. (See ¶ 1806.12.) Each offering shall be promptly remitted in full by the local church treasurer to the annual conference treasurer, who shall transmit the funds in full, except where noted differently below, to the General Council on Finance and Administration within thirty days of receipt in the office of the annual conference treasurer.

¶263.1… In connection with Human Relations Day the General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall conduct a churchwide appeal. Net receipts, after payment of promotional expenses, shall be allocated on ratio by the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration, to the administering agencies:

¶263.2. One Great Hour of Sharing—Historically, One Great Hour of Sharing has been celebrated with an offering on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Congregations are to observe One Great Hour of Sharing on this date or on another date appropriate to the local church. Lent is the season of repentance, self-examination, and awareness of the hurts of the peoples of the world. One Great Hour of Sharing calls the Church to share the goodness of life with those who hurt. In connection with One Great Hour of Sharing, the General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall conduct a churchwide appeal….

¶263.3. World Communion Sunday—Historically, World Communion Sunday has been celebrated with an offering on the first Sunday of October. Congregations are to observe World Communion Sunday on this date or on another date appropriate to the local church. World Communion Sunday calls the church to be the catholic inclusive church. In connection with World Communion Sunday the General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

¶263.4. United Methodist Student Day—Historically, United Methodist Student Day has been celebrated with an offering on the last Sunday in November. Congregations are to observe United Methodist Student Day on this date or on another date appropriate to the local church. United Methodist Student Day calls the Church to support students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge. The offering supports United Methodist scholarships and the United Methodist Student Loan Fund. In connection with United Methodist Student Day, the General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

¶263.5. Peace with Justice Sunday—Historically, Peace with Justice Sunday has been celebrated with an offering on the First Sunday After Pentecost. Congregations are to observe Peace with Justice Sunday on this date or on another date appropriate to the local church. Pentecost celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit calling for God’s shalom. Peace with Justice witnesses to God’s demand for a faithful, just, disarmed, and secure world. In connection with Peace with Justice Sunday, the General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

¶263. 6. Native American Ministries Sunday—Historically, Native American Ministries Sunday has been celebrated with an offering on the Third Sunday of Easter. United States congregations are to observe Native American Ministries Sunday on this date or on another date appropriate to the local church. This Sunday serves to remind the Church of the gifts and contributions made by Native Americans to our society. In connection with Native American Ministries Sunday, the General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

Amend ¶633 as follows:

¶633.4.b)(22) To appoint annual conference disaster response coordinators to assist the United Methodist Committee on Relief by encouraging the formation of an annual conference disaster response committee that relates to the annual conference board of global ministries and includes, when possible, members of the General Board of Global Ministries from the annual conference. The membership of the Disaster Response Committee may include district disaster response coordinators and the conference director of communications or member of United Methodist Communications the commission on communications.

Amend ¶807 as follows:

¶807.10. To supervise the use of the official United Methodist insignia and preserve the integrity of its design, in cooperation with United Methodist Communications  the General Commission on Communication.

Add a new §810.3 as follows:

¶810.3 United Methodist Communications shall promote all general Church funds in cooperation with other Church bodies affected by each fund.

Amend ¶812.4 as follows:

¶812.4. The General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall promote the World Service Fund.

Amend ¶813.5 as follows:

¶813.5 The General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall promote the General Administration Fund.

Amend ¶814.7 as follows:

¶814.7 The General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall promote the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund.

Amend ¶815 as follows:

¶815.3. Promotion of the Black College Fund shall be by the Division of Higher Education and in consultation with the Council of Presidents of the Black Colleges, in cooperation with and with the assistance of United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication,

Delete §816.4 in its entirety.

Amend ¶817 as follows:

¶ 817. Purpose—1. The Episcopal Fund, raised in accordance with ¶ 817.3, shall provide for the salary and expenses of effective bishops24 from the date of their consecration and for the support of retired bishops and surviving spouses and minor children of deceased bishops. Subject to the approval of the General Council on Finance and Administration, the treasurer shall have authority to borrow for the benefit of the Episcopal Fund such amounts as may be necessary for the proper execution of the orders of the General Conference. The General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall promote the Episcopal Fund.

Amend ¶819.7 as follows:

¶819.7. General promotion of this program, for purposes of name identification and visibility, shall be the responsibility of United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication.

Amend ¶820 as follows:

¶820.3. Promotional expenses for World Service Specials shall be borne by the respective participating agencies in proportion to the amount received by each in World Service Specials. The causes of World Service Specials shall be coordinated with other financial appeals and shall be promoted by United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication.

¶820.4. The appeals for World Service Specials shall be channeled through bishops, district superintendents, and pastors. Details of the procedure shall be determined by the General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications in consultation with representatives of the recipient agencies or entities.

¶820.5. In each annual conference, World Service Specials and One Great Hour of Sharing shall be promoted by the appropriate conference agency with the appropriate general agency and United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication.

Amend ¶822 as follows:

¶822.3. Promotional expenses for Advance Specials shall be borne by the respective participating units in proportion to the amount received by each in Advance Specials. The causes of the Advance shall be coordinated with other financial appeals and shall be promoted by United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication.

¶822.4. The appeal for Advance Specials shall be channeled through bishops, district superintendents, and pastors. Details of the procedure shall be determined by United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication in consultation with the designated unit of the General Board of Global Ministries and the Advance Committee.

Amend ¶823 as follows:

¶823.1…In connection with Human Relations Day, United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

¶823.2.b)… In connection with One Great Hour of Sharing, United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

¶823.3…In connection with United Methodist Student Day, United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

¶823.4…In connection with World Communion Sunday, United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal…

¶823.5…In connection with Peace with Justice Sunday, United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

¶823.6…In connection with Native American Ministries Sunday, United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

¶823.7. The General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications shall promote all authorized churchwide special Sundays with offerings in consultation with participating agencies. Promotional expenses for each offering shall be a prior claim against the receipts of the offering promoted. In each case, such expenses shall be within a budget approved by the General Council on Finance and Administration upon recommendation of United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication after consultation with participating agencies. In the promotion of these offerings, the spiritual implications of Christian stewardship shall be emphasized.

Amend ¶1121 as follows:

¶1121.4. Membership—The committee shall be composed of one board member and one staff member from each of the following agencies: the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries, the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits; one member (board or staff) from each of the following: the Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the Commission on Religion and Race, the General Commission on United Methodist Men, the  United Methodist Men; The United Methodist Publishing House, the General Commission on Communication, the Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries  United Methodist Women; one active or retired bishop representing the Council of Bishops, and one central conference representative; five older adults, one to be selected by each jurisdictional College of Bishops; and no more than three members to be selected by the committee for expertise and/or professional qualifications, and no more than three additional members to be selected by the committee for inclusiveness (racial/ethnic, disability, age, gender, laity, clergy, or geographic distribution). Staff and/or board members will provide appropriate liaison and reports to their respective agencies. Board members and central conference and jurisdiction representatives shall serve no more than two consecutive terms (one term equals four years). Each board and agency will be responsible for travel, lodging, and other expenses incurred by representatives attending meetings of the Committee on Older Adult Ministries.

Delete §1207.2.k) in its entirety.

Amend ¶1327 as follows:

¶1327.2.a)(5) To work cooperatively with United Methodist Communications The General Commission on Communication in promotion of the One Great Hour of Sharing offering.

Amend ¶1405 as follows:

¶1405.21. To promote, in cooperation with United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication, churchwide special Sundays and funds:…

Amend ¶1637 as follows:

¶ 1637. Service of the Entire United Methodist Church—There shall be one complete, coordinated system of literature published by the board for the entire United Methodist Church. This literature is to be of such type and variety as to meet the needs of all groups of our people. The board president and publisher shall consult with the general program agencies, United Methodist Communications the General Commission on Communication, and the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight with regard to their publishing needs in order to avoid unnecessary overlapping and duplication.

Amend the existing text of ¶¶1801-1808 as follows:

¶ 1801. As United Methodists, our theological understanding obligates us, as members of the body of Christ, to communicate our faith by speaking and listening to persons both within and outside the Church throughout the world, and to utilize all appropriate means of communication.

The responsibility to communicate is laid upon every church member, every pastor, every congregation, every annual conference, every institution, and every agency of the Church. Within this total responsibility, there are certain functions that the General Conference has assigned to the General Commission on Communication United Methodist Communications, to be performed in behalf of all through the talents and resources at its command.

¶ 1802. Name—There shall be a General Commission on Communication an organization  of The United Methodist Church, which for communication and public relations purposes may be designated as to be designated as United Methodist Communications (UMCom) which shall be a general agency of the Church.

¶ 1803. Incorporation—UMCom is successor to The General Commission on Communication, is successor to the Joint Committee on Communications, incorporated in the State of Ohio, and shall be authorized to do business as United Methodist Communications (UMCom). It is authorized to create such other corporate substructures as the commission UMCom deems appropriate to carry out its functions.

¶ 1804. Amenability and Accountability—The General Commission on Communication UMCom shall be amenable to the General Conference. As an administrative general agency that carries significant program functions in addition to its many service and support responsibilities, the commission UMCom shall be accountable to, report to, and be evaluated by the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight in program matters and shall be accountable to and report to the General Council on Finance and Administration in financial matters.

¶ 1805. Purpose— The General Commission on Communication UMCom shall lead the Church in communication. It shall meet the communication, public relations, and marketing needs of the entire Church, reflecting the cultural and racial diversity within The United Methodist Church. It shall provide communication resources and services to local churches and annual conferences. It shall have a consultative relationship with all general agencies of the Church and with any structures for communication and public relations at the jurisdictional, episcopal area, annual conference, district, or local church level.

¶ 1806. Responsibilities—Specific responsibilities and functions of the General Commission on Communication UMCom and its staff are as follows:

…

3. It shall give special attention to television, including broadcast television, cable, videotape, videodisc, and satellite. It shall provide counsel and resources to annual conferences—and through conferences, to districts and local churches—to develop and strengthen their television ministries. Responsibilities of the commission UMCom shall include program production and placement, and relationships to commercial broadcasters at the national level in the United States.

…

12. It shall be the central agency marketing throughout the Church the following general Church funds: World Service Fund (¶812.1), Africa University Fund (¶ 806.2), Black College Fund (¶ 815), Episcopal Fund (¶ 817.1), General Administration Fund (¶ 813), Interdenominational Cooperation Fund (¶ 818), Ministerial Education Fund (¶ 816), Human Relations Day (¶¶ 823.1 and 263.1), One Great Hour of Sharing (¶¶ 820, 823.2 and 263.2), Native American Ministries Sunday (¶¶ 823.6 and 263.6), Peace with Justice Sunday (¶¶823.5 and 263.5), World Communion Sunday (¶¶ 823.4 and 263.3), United Methodist Student Day (¶¶ 823.3 and 263.4), the Advance for Christ and His Church (¶¶ 821 and 822), World Service Special Gifts (¶ 819), Christian Education Sunday (¶ 265.1), Golden Cross Sunday (¶ 265.2), Rural Life Sunday (¶ 265.3), Disability Awareness Sunday (¶ 265.4), Youth Service Fund (¶ 1208), and all other general Church funds approved by the General Conference, as well as any emergency appeals authorized by the Council of Bishops and the General Council on Finance and Administration (¶ 818). In the marketing of these causes, this agency shall consult with and is encouraged to use content material provided by the program agency responsible for the area and with the agency responsible for the administration of the funds. Budgets for the above funds shall be developed in cooperation with the General Council on Finance and Administration. In cases where the General Conference assigns a portion of the marketing responsibility to some other agency, such marketing work shall be subject to coordination by the General Commission on Communication UMCom. The cost of marketing the funds, as set in the approved marketing budget, shall be a charge against receipts, except that the cost of marketing general Advance Specials shall be billed to the recipient agencies in proportion to the amount of general Advance Special funds received by each (¶ 822.3), and the cost of marketing World Service Special Gifts shall be borne by administering agencies (¶ 819.6). The administration of the money thus set aside for marketing shall be the responsibility of the General Commission on Communication UMCom.

…

14. Appeals for giving that are made to United Methodists shall be consistent with the aims of Christian stewardship. The General Commission on Communication UMCom and the General Board of Discipleship will cooperate in order that programs and resource materials of the two agencies may be in harmony in their presentation of Christian stewardship.

…

21. The General Commission on Communication UMCom shall be charged with planning and implementation of the official United Methodist presence on and use of the Internet, the World Wide Web, or other computer services that can connect United Methodist conferences, agencies, and local churches with one another and with the larger world.

¶ 1807. Organization—1. Membership—The membership of the General Commission on Communication UMCom shall be composed of twenty-eight members as follows:

a) Three bishops, including at least one from the central conferences, named by the Council of Bishops.

b) Sixteen members elected by the jurisdictional conferences based on the following formula: North Central—3, Northeastern—3, South Central—4, Southeastern—4, and Western—2. It is recommended that at least one of the persons elected by the jurisdictional conferences be a racial or ethnic person.

c) Two members of the central conferences named by the Council of Bishops.

d) Seven additional members elected by the commission UMCom to ensure membership of persons with expertise in communication.

e) The additional members shall be nominated by a committee composed of one commission UMCom member designated from each jurisdiction and one of the member bishops.

f) In order to ensure inclusiveness, the composition of the commission UMCom shall reflect the major recognized categories of Church members (see ¶ 705.3h).

2. Meetings—The commission UMCom shall hold at least one meeting in each calendar year. Fifteen members shall constitute a quorum.

3. Officers— The commission UMCom shall elect a president, at least one vice president, a recording secretary, and such other officers as it determines.

There may be an executive committee comprised of not more than one-third of the total membership of the commission UMCom and elected by the commission UMCom. The membership of the executive committee shall be representative of the composition of the commission UMCom.

4. Internal Organization— The General Commission on Communication UMCom is empowered to create internal structures as it deems appropriate for effective operation.

5. Staff— The commission UMCom shall elect annually a general secretary upon nomination by the executive committee or a nominating committee and shall elect such deputy general secretaries as needed, and it shall provide for election or appointment of other staff. The general secretary shall cooperate with the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight for program services and with the general secretary of the General Council on Finance and Administration for financial services.

¶ 1808. Finance—The General Conference shall provide for the financial needs of the General Commission on Communication UMCom upon recommendation by the General Council on Finance and Administration. The commission UMCom shall consult with the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight in the area of program matters in development of an annual budget, which shall be reported to the General Council on Finance and Administration for approval.

Delete ¶¶1901-1912, the entirety of Section XIII of Chapter Five of Part V of the Book of Discipline.

Modify all paragraphs of the Book of Discipline in which there are references to the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns as follows:

¶347.2.a)…The General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns Council of Bishops shall provide the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry with a list of denominations that meet this definition.

¶504.3…After consultation with the Council of Bishops and the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the secretary shall issue invitations to ecumenical representatives.

¶573.1.c) For The United Methodist Church, oversight of the covenantal relationships is the responsibility of the Council of Bishops, with the assistance of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, while participation in specific projects is the responsibility of the appropriate general agency or agencies.

¶ 642. 1. Each annual conference shall create appropriate structures related to a conference commission or committee on Christian unity and Interreligious relationships concerns or other structure to provide for these functions and maintain the connectional relationships with the Council of Bishops General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

¶642.2…Ex officio members of the annual conference structures for Christian unity and interreligious relationships concerns shall include the conference ecumenical officer(s), if elected, and any United Methodists residing within the conference bounds who are members of the following: the Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships of the Council of Bishops General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns,

¶642.4. The duties of the annual conference structure commission or committee shall be to act in cooperation with the annual conference council on ministries, in coordination with the duties of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, as outlined in ¶¶ 1902-1903,

¶643.3.k) Coordinating, in consultation with the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the conference programs of cooperation with African American and other racial and ethnic denominations, especially those of the Methodist family.

¶703.5 …These agencies are amenable to the General Conference, and between sessions of the General Conference are accountable to the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight for those functions outlined in the 900 ¶¶s: the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the General Commission on Religion and Race, the General Commission on United Methodist Men, and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women. In all matters of accountability, episcopal oversight as provided in ¶ 427 is assumed.

¶705.3.b) …The Council of Bishops General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns shall assist general agencies in their compliance with this provision.

¶ 814. Interdenominational Cooperation Fund—1. This fund shall provide United Methodist support of the basic budgets of those organizations that relate to the ecumenical responsibilities of the Council of Bishops and of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

¶814.2 The General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, in consultation with the Council of Bishops, shall recommend to the General Council on Finance and Administration the amounts of the several annual allocations from the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund budget.

¶814.3. The Council of Bishops General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns shall determine annually, in consultation with the Council of Bishops, the designations of all funds for ecumenical agencies to be paid from the following year’s Interdenominational Cooperation Fund budget that have not been specifically designated by the prior General Conference. The Council of Bishops General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns shall communicate such designations to the General Council on Finance and Administration prior to the beginning of the fiscal year made the subject of such designations.

¶814.4. The fund shall also provide for the expenses of representatives chosen by the Council of Bishops or by the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns to attend meetings and committees of such ecumenical agencies. The General Council on Finance and Administration shall reimburse such expenses from vouchers approved by persons designated by the Ecumenical Officer of the Council of Bishops general secretary of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns or by the general secretary of the General Council on Finance and Administration.

5. Disbursement of Funds to Ecumenical Organizations—a) The General Council on Finance and Administration shall remit monthly to each organization included in the approved Interdenominational Cooperation Fund budget an on-ratio share of the fund’s net receipts, after the payment of any fixed charges.

b) In the interim between sessions of the General Conference, exceptions to this directive may occur under one of the following circumstances:

(1) If the organization is unable to fulfill, or ceases to fulfill, the purpose or purposes which were the basis for the Council of Bishops’s General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns’ original recommendation for funding.

(2) If the organization ceases to exist.

c) If the Commission, in consultation with the Council of Bishops, determines that such circumstances warrant, it may recommend to the General Council on Finance and Administration that funding for the organization be suspended or reduced, either indefinitely or for a specified period of time. The Council shall then reduce or suspend remittance of fund receipts to the organization until such time as the Commission, in consultation with the Council of Bishops, determines that the circumstances which led to reduction or suspension of payments no longer exist. The Commission Council of Bishops shall then recommend to the General Council on Finance and Administration whether remittances to the organization are to be resumed in amounts based on current Interdenominational Cooperation Fund receipts only, or whether amounts previously withheld should be disbursed along with the amounts payable from current receipts.

d) If funding to an organization is reduced or suspended, the funds which otherwise would have been disbursed shall be held by the General Council on Finance and Administration until the Commission, in consultation with the Council of Bishops, recommends that they be restored to the organization or used to support a similar ecumenical organization. If the funds are not expended prior to the next session of the General Conference, the General Council on Finance and Administration, after consultation with the Council of Bishops Commission, shall report to the General Conference the amount of funds being held and may recommend, for General Conference action, the disposition of the funds.

6. Before the beginning of each calendar year, the General Council on Finance and Administration shall determine and communicate to the Council of Bishops General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns the sum available from the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund Contingency Reserve to be allocated by the commission to meet emerging needs of ecumenical agencies.

1207.2  Resource People—The division shall be responsible for connecting and highlighting the work of general agencies and other United Methodist entities in youth and young-adult ministry. In order to effectively carry out that charge, one staff person (or board member when staff are not available) from the following entities shall be present (with voice but not vote) at meetings of the division. These representatives shall attend at the expense of the sending agency and shall relate the priorities of the division to their agency and serve as resource people to the division:

a) General Board of Church and Society

b) General Board of Discipleship

c) General Board of Global Ministries

d) General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

e) General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns

f) General Commission on Religion and Race

g) General Commission on the Status and Role of Women

h) General Commission on United Methodist Men  United Methodist Men

i) General Council on Finance and Administration

j) Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight

k) United Methodist Communications

l) United Methodist Publishing House

m) Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries  United Methodist Women

¶ 2401. Liaison Role of the Council of Bishops—1. In formal relations with other churches and/or ecclesial bodies, the Council of Bishops shall be the primary liaison for The United Methodist Church. The ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops shall be responsible for these relationships and shall work in cooperation with the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns in the fulfillment of these functions.

¶2401.2. a) The Council of Bishops shall have the authority to enter into interim and provisional ecumenical agreements with other Christian bodies, following consultation with and the concurrence of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious concerns. However, all agreements of full communion and permanent membership in ecumenical organizations shall be ratified by General Conference, before they become effective.

¶2401.3. The General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns shall consult with the Council of Bishops in establishing the guide-lines for the administration of the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund (see ¶¶ 814 and 1903.17).

4 The United Methodist representatives to ecumenical organizations in the following paragraphs shall be selected by the Council of Bishops from nominations reviewed by the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. Such representatives shall be inclusive in terms of gender, race and ethnicity, age, persons with disabilities, and region. Representatives shall reflect consideration of balances required both by The United Methodist Church and the respective ecumenical organization. Consideration shall be given to persons named to jurisdictional and central conference pools (see ¶ 705.1.b, c).

When proxies are needed to substitute for United Methodist representatives to a specific ecumenical organization, the general secretary of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, in consultation with the ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops, is authorized to name such proxies. Consideration shall be given to United Methodists residing in the area of the ecumenical organization’s meeting, and to the inclusivity of the delegation. The names of proxies shall be reported at the next meeting of the Council of Bishops.

Representatives and proxies from The United Methodist Church to various working groups of any of the ecumenical organizations in the following paragraphs shall be named by the general secretary of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, in consultation with the ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops.

5. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, should structural changes be voted between sessions of the General Conference by any of the ecumenical organizations in the following paragraphs, necessitating election of a new group of United Methodist delegates, the Council of Bishops is authorized to elect, based on recommendations from the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, such delegates as may be required.

¶ 2402. Financial Support—United Methodist financial support of the ecumenical organizations in the following paragraphs shall be remitted from the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund through the General Council on Finance and Administration in accordance with ¶ 814. The general agencies of the Church may make such payments to these ecumenical organizations as they deem to be their responsibility and proportionate share in the cooperative programs. Such payments shall be reported to the General Council on Finance and Administration, and that Council shall include a summary report of United Methodist financial support in its annual financial report to the Church. United Methodist financial support of ecumenical dialogues and multilateral conversations, approved by the Council of Bishops General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, shall also be remitted from the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund in the same manner.

2404.2.b) Other National or Regional Ecumenical Organizations—The General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, in consultation with the Council of Bishops, shall be in dialogue with United Methodists in whatever countries they may reside, and shall coordinate, explore, and advocate United Methodist participation in regional ecumenical and interfaith organizations and shall address the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund funding of committee of the GCCUIC on financial needs and the advisability of support of these organizations.

c) The United Methodist Church shall seek observer status in the National Association of Evangelicals. United Methodist observers to these bodies shall be appointed by the Council of Bishops.

3. The World Council of Churches and Other International Ecumenical Organizations—a) World Council of Churches-The United Methodist Church is a member of the World Council of Churches, its predecessor Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches having been charter members of such body.

b) Other International Ecumenical Organizations—The General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, in consultation with the Council of Bishops, shall be in dialogue with United Methodists in whatever countries they may reside, and shall coordinate, explore, and advocate United Methodist participation in international ecumenical and interfaith organizations and shall address the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund funding of committee of the GCCUIC on financial needs and the advisability of support of these organizations.

Add a new Section IX to Chapter Three of Part V of the Book of Discipline, ¶¶441-447 as follows:

Section IX. Ecumenical and Interreligious Ministries

¶441. As provided in ¶2401, “In formal relations with other churches and/or ecclesial bodies, the Council of Bishops shall be the primary liaison for The United Methodist Church.”  Further, as provided in ¶403.1.e), “The role of the bishop is to be the shepherd of the whole flock.”  Therefore, the bishops of The United Methodist Church are called to lead the Church in its ecumenical and interreligious ministries.

¶442. In pursuit of its ecumenical and interreligious responsibilities the Council of Bishops shall create an Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships (OCUIR) effective upon adjournment of General Conference 2012. In so far as practical changes required by the discontinuation of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC) and the creation of the Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships (OCUIR) in this section shall be accomplished no later than June 30, 2013 as directed by the Council of Bishops.  Funds budgeted in the 2013 to 2016 quadrennium to carry out the operations and programs of GCCUIC shall follow the function.

¶443. Membership—Members of the OCUIR shall be elected by the Council of Bishops as follows:

1. The OCUIR shall be composed of episcopal members as determined by the Council of Bishops, and it shall be chaired by the Ecumenical Officer of the Council of Bishops.

2. In addition the following twenty-one (21) persons shall be members of the OCUIR:

a) Members from each jurisdiction, based on the following formula: North Central—2, Northeastern—2, South Central—3, Southeastern—5, and Western—1. Each jurisdictional conference will nominate three times the number candidates as it has members allocated, and the Council of Bishops will elect these members from this pool of candidates.

b) Seven (7) members who are not bishops from the central conferences. Europe and the Philippines shall together be allocated one (1) member which shall alternate between the two areas from quadrennium to quadrennium with the remainder of six (6) members to be allocated among the three (3) African central conferences on a rotating basis as determined by the Council of Bishops.

c) One (1) member from one of the other churches in Churches Uniting in Christ.

d) At least 50% of the members of OCUIR who are not bishops shall be lay, and other recommendations for inclusivity as provided in ¶705.3.d) shall apply to the selection of members.

¶444. Staff—1. There shall be an Ecumenical Staff Officer of The United Methodist Church to be selected by the Council of Bishops. The work of the OCUIR shall be facilitated by the Ecumenical Staff Officer who shall be in charge of the day to day work of the OCUIR. The Ecumenical Staff Officer shall be the OCUIR’s principal administrative and executive officer.

2. Additional staff shall be selected in number and responsibility as determined by the Council of Bishops.

3. The Ecumenical Staff Officer shall report to the Ecumenical Officer of the Council of Bishops.  All other staff members shall report to and serve at the pleasure of the Ecumenical Staff Officer.

4. The staff of the OCUIR shall be positioned in locations to be determined by the Council of Bishops.

¶445. Funding—Funding for the ecumenical and interreligious ministry of the Church shall be provided by the Council of Bishops in one or more line items of the Episcopal Fund to be clearly identified in its budget request to General Conference.

¶446. Responsibilities and powers—Responsibilities and powers of the OCUIR shall be as assigned by the Council of Bishops.

¶447. To fulfill the vision of full communion between The United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, there shall be a Joint Commission on ELCA/UMC Full Communion.  The commission shall serve the following functions:

a) Coordinate the implementation of action taken by the two churches to achieve full communion.

b) Assist joint planning for mission.

c) Facilitate consultation and common decision making through appropriate channels in fundamental matters that the churches may face together in the future.

d) Report regularly and appropriately to each church.

The United Methodist membership of this commission shall be the Ecumenical Officer of the Council of Bishops and one lay and one clergy member of OCUIR elected by OCUIR.

For purposes of locating the Committee on Faith and Order in the life of the Church, the following action shall be taken:

¶ 1907. 436. There shall be a Committee on Faith and Order that, while functioning with the authority of an independent committee (¶ 701.2, 2004 Book of Discipline), shall, for purposes of staffing, budgeting, and financial affairs, reside under the auspices of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns be amenable to the Council of Bishops.

¶ 1908. 437. Purpose—The Committee on Faith and Order shall give leadership to The United Methodist Church in reflecting upon, discerning and living out matters of faith, doctrinal teaching, order, and discipline in the midst of mission and ministry in the church and the world. The committee shall be a visible expression of the commitment of The United Methodist Church to carry on informed theological reflection for the current time in dynamic continuity with the historic Christian faith, our common heritage as Christians grounded in the apostolic witness, and our distinctive Wesleyan heritage. The committee shall be charged with three broad responsibilities:

1. To lead and coordinate studies commissioned by the General Conference in matters related to the faith, doctrine, order and discipline of the church.

2. To Upon request of the Council of Bishops, to support and provide resources upon request to the Council of Bishops in its their responsibility to “guard, transmit, teach, and proclaim, corporately and individually the apostolic faith as it is expressed in Scripture and tradition, and as they are led and endowed by the Spirit, to interpret that faith evangelically and prophetically.” (¶414.3)

3. To prepare and provide resources and study materials to the General Church as deemed appropriate upon request from the General Conference, or the Council of Bishops, or Connectional Table.

¶ 1909. 438. Responsibilities—The responsibilities of the Committee on Faith and Order shall be:

1. To provide a venue and context for ongoing conversation on matters of faith, doctrine, order and discipline.

2. To draw upon scholars and scholarship in biblical studies, biblical theology, systematic theology, historical theology, Christian ethics, Wesleyan studies, practical theology, missiology, and other areas thereby providing expertise and knowledge to lead and assist the church in addressing matters of faith and order critical to the life, ministry and mission of the church.

3. To receive and administer mandates from General Conference for studies on matters that require significant inquiry into and application of the faith and order of the church.

a) The committee shall nominate from its own membership and from others those who are to serve on various study committees and teams, and present these nominations to the Council of Bishops for approval.

b) The committee may, with approval of the Council of Bishops, carry out the any mandated study internally or may create such committees and teams using members from within the committee and others from beyond the committee as may be required by the volume and complexity of work.

c) The committee itself and all committees and teams empowered by the committee shall include racial/ethnic and gender diversity, and regional representation, and it shall model effective representation of the theological diversity of The United Methodist Church.

4. To coordinate and provide for effective interaction and communication among various study committees, commissions and teams when multiple studies have been mandated.

5. Upon request to provide research and resourcing for the Council in Bishops in matters related to faith, doctrine, order and discipline.

6. To make provision for the preparation and dissemination of study documents and materials for the church upon request of the General Conference, or the Council of Bishops or Connectional Table.

7. To bring all studies, materials or publications as appropriate to the Council of Bishops or the General Conference as directed by the Council of Bishops for approval and action.

¶ 1910. 439. Authorities and Powers—The Committee on Faith and Order shall have the authority and power to fulfill all the responsibilities noted in ¶¶ 437 and 438 1908 and 1909. The Committee on Faith and Order shall be amenable to the Council of Bishops General Conference of tThe United Methodist Church. Between sessions of the General Conference, the Committee shall be accountable to the Connectional Table by reporting and interpreting activities designed to fulfill the purpose of the Committee and by cooperating with the Connectional Table in fulfillment of its legislated responsibilities.

¶ 1911. 440. Membership—The Committee on Faith and Order shall be organized each quadrennium and shall be composed of twenty-four persons chosen as follows:

1. Six bishops shall serve as members including the ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church and five other bishops assigned by the Council of Bishops. At least one of the bishops shall be from a central conference.

2. Six members shall be nominated by the Association of United Methodist Theological Schools chosen from the faculties of seminaries affiliated with The United Methodist Church. The Association of United Methodist Theological Schools shall rotate nominations from among the seminaries on a basis established by itself.

3. Twelve members who are not bishops shall be chosen by the Council of Bishops upon nomination by the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Six of the twelve chosen by the Council of Bishops shall come from the nominations of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, and six shall be chosen from those nominated by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Three of the members nominated by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry shall be nominated from the faculties of seminaries affiliated with The United Methodist Church in the Central Conferences. Funding for this will be provided within the regular budgets for the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The budget for the Committee on Faith and Order shall be proposed by the Council of Bishops, and it shall be part of the General Administration Fund.

4. All twenty-four members of the committee shall be approved and elected by the Council of Bishops at its fall meeting following the General Conference each quadrennium. Election shall be for a term of eight (8) years, and no person shall serve as a member of the Committee on Faith and Order for more than sixteen (16) years in succession. The classes of membership established upon the initial organizational meeting of the Committee shall be maintained so that the terms of service of 50% of the membership expire when their successors are seated at the organizational meeting of the Committee following each General Conference.

5. At least three (3) of the members of the committee shall be clergy actively serving full-time in the local church and at least three (3) shall be laity.  One It is recommended that one third of the membership shall be persons of minority racial/ethnic identity.

6. In its capacity of providing spiritual and doctrinal leadership, the Council of Bishops shall exercise oversight in the nomination and election of members with regard to Central Conference inclusion, geographic diversity, and age representation; it shall also ensure that the committee models effective representation of the theological diversity of The United Methodist Church complies with the inclusivity guidelines of ¶438.3.c).

7. Membership on the board of directors of any other general agency does not make one ineligible to serve as a member of this committee, ¶¶ 710.5 and 714.6 to the contrary notwithstanding, and the limitations specified in ¶710.4 for membership on general agencies shall not apply to anyone as a result of membership on this committee.

¶ 1912. 441. Organization—The Committee on Faith and Order shall be organized as follows:

1. The committee shall elect from its episcopal membership a chairperson and from its total membership other officers as it may determine.

2. There shall be an executive committee of the committee with powers as determined by the committee.

3. The initial election of members for the Committee on Faith and Order shall include twelve persons elected for four years and twelve persons elected for eight years. Thereafter, all persons elected to the Committee on Faith and Order shall be elected to eight year terms.

4. 3. The committee shall meet for organizational purposes each quadrennium prior to the end of the first quarter of the year following the year in which the General Conference is held.

5  4. The committee shall meet at least annually and at such other times as it shall deem necessary. A majority of members of the committee shall constitute a quorum. The committee may conduct meetings by telephone conference or video conference, or make decisions by mail ballot or other method, provided that notification of all members is ensured and the provision of quorum is met.

¶442 Staffing—Staff for the work of the Committee on Faith and Order shall be provided as determined by the Council of Bishops in consultation with the Executive Committee of the Committee on Faith and Order.  The Council of Bishops shall have authority to request staff assistance and consultation from agencies and other bodies of the Church, such as, but not limited to, the Office for Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

¶443 . The Committee on Faith and Order shall not be considered to be a general agency of The United Methodist Church.

For the purpose of merging the General Commission on Religion and Race and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and moving those monitoring functions into becoming a committee of the Connectional Table General Council for Strategy and Oversight, the following action is taken:

Delete ¶¶2001-2008 and 2101-2109 in their entirety.

Amend ¶643 as follows:

¶ 643. 1. There shall be in each annual conference a conference commission on religion and race or other structure to provide for these functions and maintain the connectional relationships. It shall follow the general guidelines and structure of the General Commission on Religion and Race as outlined in ¶¶ 2002 and 2008, where applicable. of the United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness.

¶643.2… Members of the General Commission on Religion and Race  of the United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness residing in the annual conference shall be ex officio members of the annual conference commission on religion and race with vote.

¶643.3.p) Maintaining a close relationship with the General United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness.Commission on Religion and Race, seeking its guidance, utilizing its training and resources, and interpreting to the annual conference the programs, plans, and policies of the General United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness. Commission on Religion and Race.

Amend ¶644 as follows:

¶644.2…In an annual conference where there is not a sufficient number of clergywomen to meet the recommended balance, additional laywomen shall be elected beyond the one-third proportion to bring the total membership to a majority of women. A person or persons serving as member(s) of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women  the United Methodist Committee on Inclusivenes from that annual conference shall, by virtue of their office, be member(s) of the conference commission on the status and role of women (see ¶¶ 609.6 and 710.5).

Amend ¶807 as follows:

¶807.13.b) The Committee on Personnel Policies and Practices (¶ 805.4d) shall: (1) prepare quadrennially, review annually, and recommend to the council an appropriate salary schedule, based upon responsibilities, for personnel of the councils, boards, and commissions represented on the committee; (2) develop and recommend to the council a schedule of benefits for an employee benefit program for personnel of agencies represented on the committee and any changes required thereto from time to time; (3) receive from agencies and institutions receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) statements regarding their compliance with the policy stated in ¶ 811.1; and (4) receive from all general agencies information necessary to evaluate pay equity. Based on these statements, and in consultation with and upon the advice of the General Commission on Religion and Race and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness, the committee shall prepare for the General Council on Finance and Administration reports and recommendations deemed appropriate by the committee.

Amend ¶811 as follows:

¶ 811. General Policies—1. The General Council on Finance and Administration is authorized to withhold approval of a portion or all of the budget of any agency or any Church-related institution receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) until such agency or Church-related institution certifies to the council in writing that it has established and complied with a policy of: (a) recruiting, employing, utilizing, recompensing, and promoting professional staff and other personnel without regard to race, color, age, or sex; (b) fulfilling its duties and responsibilities in a manner that does not involve segregation or discrimination on the basis of race, age, or sex; and (c) insofar as possible, purchasing goods and services from vendors who are in compliance with such policies as are described in sections (a) and (b) of this paragraph. In the fulfillment of this directive, the council shall take the following steps to ensure that inclusiveness concerns of the General Commission on Religion and Race and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness are represented: (1) consult with the committee two commissions in the development of a certification form to be submitted to the council by agencies and institutions receiving general Church funds; (2) share copies of such certifications with the committee two commissions; (3) receive and consider recommendations from the committee either of the two commissions regarding possible noncompliance with these policies by agencies and institutions receiving general Church funds; and (4) when recommendations for withholding funds are received from the committee one or the two commissions, consult further with it them in order to jointly determine final resolution.

Amend ¶1004 as follows:

¶1004. The board shall maintain close relationships with the General Commission on Religion and Race, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and  the United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness, the Appalachian Development Committee as it seeks they seek to coordinate denominational support and cooperation with various movements for racial, sexual, and social justice, according to guidelines stated in the Book of Discipline. In cooperation with ecumenical agencies and other appropriate boards and agencies, the board shall encourage and promote ministries and models of mediation and conflict resolution, both ecumenically and within the agencies and institutions of The United Methodist Church.

Add a new ¶908 as follows:

¶908. In order to fulfill the monitoring roles previously performed by the General Commission on Religion and Race and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, there shall be a United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness, reporting to the General Council for Strategy and Oversight. The GCSO shall establish effective structures and processes with sufficient independence to ensure accurate monitoring across the church. In performing such monitoring functions, these structures shall have a direct reporting relationship to the General Council for Strategy and Oversight and General Conference. The monitoring structures and processes shall be designed to monitor the entire church, with specific attention given to the General Conference, the Council of Bishops, all general church agencies (including the General Council for Strategy and Oversight), annual conferences, and other connectional structures.

¶909.1. It shall be the responsibility of the Committee to challenge and equip the general agencies, institutions, and connectional structures of The United Methodist Church to a full and equal participation of its racial and ethnic constituency in the total life and mission of the Church through teaching, advocacy and by reviewing and monitoring the practices of the entire church so as to further ensure racial inclusiveness as we make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

2. Further it shall be the responsibility of the Committee to challenge The United Methodist Church, including its general agencies, institutions, and connectional structures, to a continuing commitment to the full and equal responsibility and participation of women in the total life and mission of the Church, sharing fully in the power and in the policy-making at all levels of the Church’s life.  Such commitment will confirm anew recognition of the fact that The United Methodist Church is part of the universal church, rooted in the liberating message of Jesus Christ, that recognizes every person, woman or man, as a full and equal part of God’s human family.  The Committee shall function as an advocate with and on behalf of women individually and collectively within The United Methodist Church; as a catalyst for the initiation of creative methods to redress inequities of the past and to prevent further inequities against women within The United Methodist Church; and as a monitor to ensure inclusiveness in the programmatic and administrative functioning of The United Methodist Church.

3. In so far as practical changes required by the discontinuation of the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) and of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCOSROW) and the accompanying relocation of the monitoring function of those agencies to the Committee on Inclusiveness in this section shall be accomplished no later than June 30, 2013 under the guidance of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight and the General Council on Finance and Administration.  Funds budgeted in the 2013 to 2016 quadrennium to carry out the operations and programs of GCORR and GCOSROW shall follow the functions.

¶910. The United Methodist Committee on Inclusiveness shall have staff as determined by the General Council for Strategy and Oversight and shall be located in offices as directed by the General Council for Strategy and Oversight.

For the purpose of establishing United Methodist Men as an independent agency of the Church which is not a general commission, the following action is taken:

Amend ¶256.6 as follows:

¶256.6. United Methodist Men—Each church or charge shall have an organized unit of United Methodist Men chartered and annually renewed through the General Commission on United Methodist Men. Other organized men’s ministry groups in a local United Methodist Church shall annually report to the charge conference and be resourced through the General Commission on United Methodist Men.

…

a) Local church resource material for supporting effective men’s ministries shall be provided by the district, conference, and jurisdictional organizations of United Methodist Men and the General Commission on United Methodist Men (¶ 2302).

Amend ¶537 as follows:

¶537. Committee on United Methodist Men—In each jurisdiction there shall be a Jurisdictional Committee on United Methodist Men, auxiliary to the General Commission on United Methodist Men (¶ 2301).

The membership of the Jurisdictional Committee on United Methodist Men shall be composed of the elected officers, committee chairpersons, and ministry coordinators as defined by the organizations’ bylaws as well as the conference president of United Methodist Men of each annual conference organization within the boundary of the jurisdiction.

Each Jurisdictional Committee on United Methodist Men shall have authority to promote its work in accordance with the policies and programs of the General Commission on United Methodist Men.  The Jurisdictional Committee on United Methodist Men shall elect the jurisdictional president during the last year of the quadrennium. The jurisdictional president shall serve on the General Commission on United Methodist Men (¶2303.1.b).

Amend ¶648 as follows:

¶ 648. United Methodist Men—Constitution of United Methodist Men in the Conference—Article 1. Name—In each annual conference there shall be a conference organization named United Methodist Men, auxiliary to the jurisdictional committee on United Methodist Men and to the General Commission on United Methodist Men (¶2301).

Article 2. Function—The function of the conference organization of United Methodist Men shall be to build and support the district organizations of United Methodist Men in developing resources to meet the needs and interests of men and the responsibilities of discipleship; to empower personal witness and evangelism; to enable outreach in individual and group mission and ministry; to encourage and support spiritual growth and faith development; and to promote the objectives and responsibilities of the General Commission on United Methodist Men. In the absence of a district organization, the conference organization, in consultation with the district superintendent, shall fulfill the district responsibilities (¶ 671).

Article 3. Authority—Each conference organization of United Methodist Men shall have the authority to promote its work in accordance with the plans, responsibilities, and policies of the General Commission on United Methodist Men.

…

Article 5….

d) Additional officers (including civic youth-serving agencies/scouting coordinator) and committees shall be elected or appointed in accordance with the guidelines of the General Commission on United Methodist Men and/or the bylaws of the conference organization of United Methodist Men.

Article 6. Meetings and Elections—a) There shall be an annual meeting of the conference organization of United Methodist Men, at which time there shall be presented an annual report and a program plan designed to meet the needs of the men of the conference. Officers and committees shall be elected in accordance with the requirements of the organization’s bylaws.

b) The voting body of the annual meeting of the conference shall be determined by the organization’s bylaws but shall include conference and district officers and committee chairpersons as determined, members of the General Commission on United Methodist Men, and members of the jurisdictional committee on United Methodist Men residing within the bounds of the conference.

…

Article 9. Amendments—Proposed amendments to this constitution may be sent to the recording secretary of the General Commission on United Methodist Men prior to the last annual meeting of the commission in the third year of the quadrennium.

Article 10. Connectional Reporting and Accountability—a) Each annual conference United Methodist Men shall have on file a current copy of their constitution and bylaws with the General Commission on United Methodist Men.

b) Each annual conference shall submit an annual report to the General Commission on United Methodist Men. This report will be presented by the conference president at the spring meeting of the National Association of Conference Presidents and shall include but not be restricted to:

1.   Annual goals and progress towards those goals in the last 12 months.

2.   A review of the work in evangelism, mission and spiritual growth within the annual conference or beyond.

3.   A listing of training events conducted at a conference, district and local church level to expand men’s ministry in the all levels of the church.

4.   An assessment of the general commission on United Methodist Men to include the annual conference UMM’s appraisal of the commission’s goals and the commission’s progress toward those goals in the last 12 months.

5.   A report of the significant challenges to men’s ministry and the significant successes of men’s ministry to be shared with other conference organizations of UMM.

These reports will become part of the internal review process of the general commission on United Methodist Men and each conference report shall be shared with the annual conference leadership by the Conference President.

Amend ¶670 as follows:

¶ 670. United Methodist Men—Constitution of United Methodist Men in the District—Article 1. Name—In each district there shall be a district organization named United Methodist Men, auxiliary to the conference organization of United Methodist Men and the general commission on United Methodist Men (¶ 2301).

Article 2. Responsibilities—The responsibilities of the district organization of United Methodist Men shall be to work with local units of United Methodist Men in developing resources to meet the needs and interests of men and the responsibilities of discipleship; to empower personal witness and evangelism; to enable outreach in individual and group mission and ministry; to encourage and support spiritual growth and faith development; and to promote the objectives and responsibilities of the conference organization and the general commission on United Methodist Men. The district organization shall also encourage and promote the chartering and annual recertification of local units through the general commission on United Methodist Men (¶¶ 2302 and 256.6).

Article 3. Authority—Each district organization of United Methodist Men shall have the authority to promote its work in accordance with the plans, responsibilities, and policies of the conference organization and the general commission on United Methodist Men.

Article 4. Membership—All men and clergy of local churches or charges (chartered and unchartered) of the district shall be considered members of the district organization.

Article 5. Officers and Committees—a) The district organization shall elect a president, at least one vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer.

b) additional officers (including civic youth-serving agencies/scouting coordinator) and committees shall be elected or appointed in accordance with the guidelines of the general commission on United Methodist Men and/or the bylaws of the district organization of United Methodist Men.

…

Article 9. Amendments—Proposed amendments to this constitution may be sent to the recording secretary of the general commission on United Methodist Men prior to the last annual meeting of the commission in the third year of the quadrennium.

Amend ¶705 as follows:

¶705.3.e) The membership of the general commission on United Methodist Men shall be elected in accordance with ¶ 537 and ¶ 2303.3. Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding, members of the Commission United Methodist Men holding membership by virtue of office may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms.

Amend ¶1207 as follows:

¶1207.2. h)  General Commission on United Methodist Men

Amend ¶¶2301-2303 as follows:

¶ 2301. There shall be a General Commission on United Methodist Men in The United Methodist Church, and it shall be a general agency of the Church.

The general commission United Methodist Men shall be amenable to the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. Between sessions of the General Conference, the general commission shall be accountable to the Connectional Table by reporting and interpreting activities in its purpose (¶ 702.2).

¶ 2302. Purpose—The general commission on United Methodist Men shall have primary oversight for the coordination and resourcing of men’s ministry within The United Methodist Church.

…3.c) promote the annual certification of local church men’s ministry and the chartering/annual renewal of local church men’s units (¶ 256.6) with the general commission on United Methodist Men.

…5. The general commission United Methodist Men will provide resources and support for the office of Civic Youth-Serving Agencies/Scouting Ministries:

¶ 2303. Membership—1. The commission United Methodist Men shall consist of twenty-five (25) twenty-three (23) voting members as defined in ¶ 705.3 in the General Provisions and ¶ 537. Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding, members of the commission United Methodist Men holding membership by office or organization, may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms. The membership shall be composed of:

a) three bishops, including at least one from the central conferences, named by the Council of Bishops;

b) the five (5) jurisdictional presidents of United Methodist Men;

c) six members elected by the National Association of Conference Presidents of United Methodist Men, including the national president and five members at large (including at least two members of the Commission from the previous quadrennium, for continuity) chosen for expertise and jurisdictional balance if possible;

d) two central conference members, who are not bishops, named by the Council of Bishops;

e) the president of the United Methodist Men Foundation;

f) the president of the National Association of United Methodist Scouters;

g) six members at large elected by the commission United Methodist Men for inclusiveness, expertise, and balance, which should include at least one young person under the age of 30, the national president of United Methodist Men, the president of the United Methodist Men Foundation, and at least two members of the national organization from the previous quadrennium;

(h) one representative from a men’s ministry from a Pan-Methodist church.

This legislation shall take effect upon the adjournment of the 2008 General Conference. Each Jurisdictional Committee on United Methodist Men (¶537) shall elect, from among the United Methodist men of the jurisdiction, members, including the jurisdictional presidents as specified in subparagraph b) above, according to the following formula:

North Central—2; Northeastern—2; South Central—3; Southeastern—4; Western—1.

2. Vacancies—Vacancies in the general commission membership shall be filled by procedures defined in ¶ 712 of the General Provisions United Methodist Men in a manner that preserves the representational requirements of the membership provisions herein specified, by a process to be defined by United Methodist Men, other provisions of the Book of Discipline notwithstanding.

3. Officers—The general commission on United Methodist Men shall elect as its officers a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and other such officers as it shall deem necessary. In addition, the president of the National Association of Conference Presidents of United Methodist Men shall also be considered an officer.

4. Staff—The general commission on United Methodist Men shall elect annually by ballot its general secretary, who shall provide executive, administrative, and programmatic leadership (¶ 713). The commission United Methodist Men shall elect such other staff members as needs require within the General Conference mandates and the authority vested in the commission United Methodist Men to develop policies and programs directed toward the realization of its purpose.

5. Meetings—The general commission United Methodist Men shall meet annually, with such additional meetings as needs demand.

6. Funding—The General Council on Finance and Administration shall make provision for the necessary support of the work of the commission United Methodist Men by providing World Service Funds to complement the direct revenue and contributions from United Methodist men Men. This shall include meeting and related expenses for the central conference representatives.

7. Advisory Panel—United Methodist Men may create an advisory panel consisting of representatives of affiliated organizations.

For purposes of promoting cooperation in the promotion and awarding of higher education scholarship programs among the agencies of the Church, the following action is taken:

Modify existing ¶¶823.4.b), 1111.3, 1313.3.i), 1408.2, 1419, 1421.2.h) as follows:

¶823.4.b) The treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration shall allocate net receipts, after payment of promotional expenses, to be divided as follows: 50 percent Crusade World Communion Scholarships; 35 percent Ethnic Scholarship Program, and 15 percent Ethnic In- Service Training Program.

¶1111.3. The board shall have authority to cooperate with other agencies of the Church, with defined organizations, and with ecumenical agencies to promote the ministry of Christian education.  The agency shall collaborate with other United Methodist scholarship giving agencies and foundations to develop and maintain a common web portal which will include links to each agency and foundation scholarship programs, with information about general criteria and guidelines for applications..

¶1313.3.i) To resource leadership training programs and administer scholarships, including the World Communion Scholarship Program. The agency collaborates with other United Methodist scholarship giving agencies and foundations to develop and maintain a common web portal which will include links to each agency and foundation scholarship programs, with information about general criteria and guidelines for applications

¶1408.2. Offices—The board, in implementing the objectives (¶¶ 1403, 1405), shall have authority to establish and maintain the following offices: (a) Interpretation; and (b) Loans and Scholarships. The agency collaborates with other United Methodist scholarship giving agencies and foundations to develop and maintain a common web portal which will include links to each agency and foundation scholarship programs, with information about general criteria and guidelines for applications.

¶ 1419. The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation is incorporated in the State of Tennessee as a nonprofit, charitable organization with permanent ties to the Division of Higher Education, which elects its board of trustees. The general purpose of the foundation is to foster the growth and development of institutions of higher education by encouraging persons and corporations to provide financial support and by acting as a foundation for such support. The foundation is also authorized to serve as a trustee and administrator of gifts and bequests designated by donors to specific institutions. The foundation collaborates with other United Methodist scholarship giving agencies and foundations to develop and maintain a common web portal which will include links to each agency and foundation scholarship programs, with information about general criteria and guidelines for applications.

¶1421.2.h) Cooperate with the Office of Loans and Scholarships, the Higher Education Foundation, the Crusade World Communion Scholarship Program, and other funding agencies in regard to scholarship assistance for racial and ethnic students preparing for ordained ministry.

Amend ¶701 as follows:

¶701.2. We experience this connection in many ways, including our systems of episcopacy, itineracy, property, and mutual cooperation and support. Our connectional system performs at least three essential tasks: embracing God’s mission for the church as making disciples for Jesus Christ; organizing our whole Church to enable local congregations, the primary arena for mission, faithfully and fruitfully to make disciples for Jesus Christ; and ensuring that all components in the connection carry out their appropriate responsibilities in ways that enable the whole United Methodist Church to be faithful in its mission. The term agency, wherever it appears in the Book of Discipline, is a term used to describe the various councils, boards, commissions, committees, divisions, tables, or other units constituted within the various levels of Church organization (general, jurisdictional, central, annual, district, and charge conferences) under authority granted by the Book of Discipline;…

¶701.3. General agencies, in particular, are important to our common vision, mission, and ministry. They provide essential services and ministries beyond the scope of individual local congregations and annual conferences through services and ministries that are highly focused, flexible, and capable of rapid response. The general agencies of The United Methodist Church are the regularly established councils, boards, commissions, committees, tables, or other units with ongoing responsibilities that have been constituted by the General Conference and which report directly to General Conference. Not included are such commissions and committees as are created by the General Conference to fulfill a special function within the ensuing quadrennium, ecumenical groups on which The United Methodist Church is represented, or committees related to the quadrennial sessions of the General Conference….

To move the provision for liaison representatives to a more appropriate place in the Discipline without changing any of the language, which language is lifted directly from the concordat between the UMC and the MCPR, take the following action:

Add a new subparagraph ¶705.3.f) as follows:

f) Liaison Representatives—The Methodist Church of Puerto Rico (Iglesia Metodista Autonóma Affiliada de Puerto Rico) will have one liaison representative, at its own expense, to each of the general program agencies of The United Methodist Church.

This legislation or any portion of it approved by General Conference shall take effect at the close of General Conference 2012.

APPENDIX

STUDY AND REPORT ON VITAL CONGREGATIONS FOR MAKING DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORLD

WHEREAS The United Methodist Church in Africa continues to make disciples at a rate that is an inspiration to United Methodists all over the world, and

WHEREAS the expertise in the response to the call to create vital congregations as the primary place in the Church where disciples are made abides in the United Methodist Church in Africa as well as in vital congregations, wherever they are located, and

WHEREAS there are vital congregations in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, and

WHEREAS it is the responsibility of the general agencies of the Church to resource local churches and annual conferences in fulfilling their mission to make disciples, and

WHEREAS the Church needs to understand more clearly the link between the mandates that General Conference gives to each general agency and the mission of the Church to make disciples for the transformation of the world,

THEREFORE IT IS RESOLVED THAT the 2012 General Conference directs the General Council for Strategy and Oversight to undertake a study of what makes for vital congregations, to identify which congregations are vital as measured by those standards, and how vital congregations, wherever they are located, go about making disciples and how such expertise might be shared with United Methodist churches in the whole world, and

IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the study include the relationship between the General Conference agency mandates and the Church’s mission, and

IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the General Council for Strategy and Oversight is directed to provide funding from its administrative budget in an amount not to exceed $200,000 to underwrite this study and to report its findings to General Conference 2016.

Thursday, May 3, 2012 | TAMPA, Fla. (UMNS)

What the May 3 mid-morning session of General Conference 2012 lacked in productivity, it made up for in drama.

JUST IN (12:35 pm) After 3 hours of debate, restructuring for The United Methodist Church has passed with a vote of 567 in favor (59.6%) to 384 against.

A summary of the plan will be posted as soon as it is available.

The General Administration Legislative Committee, by a vote of 56 to 25, has just approved substituting Plan B for the Connectional Table’s petition on the Call to Action proposed restructure. At this point, that means Plan B is just the starting point of debate and will likely be changed by the committee. Plan B has already changed its original proposal to allow United Methodist Communications to remain separate (full disclosure: United Methodist News Service is part of United Methodist Communications. To see an overview of Plan B, visit www.umcplanb.org.

6:00 PM ET April 25, 2012

Bishop Peter Weaver of the Boston Area delivers the Episcopal Address to the
2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. Weaver delivered the
address on behalf of the Council of Bishops. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.
Click on image to enlarge. View more photos TAMPA, Fla. (UMNS) –– After a morning of major addresses and after a lengthy session establishing rules for legislative processes, delegates broke into 13 legislative committees to elect officers.

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    I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet but this is what I am anticipating will happen at the United Methodist General Conference inTampaduring the next two weeks.

    1) The city ofTampawill declare the conference a success.  United Methodists will pick up their litter.  At one time when the church believed in abstinence from alcohol the bars would have been empty.  Progressives will keep the bars in business but there will be no brawls.  The homeless will get their share of handouts. 

    2) There will be some inspiring worship services, although they will be conducted in politically correct language to the point of being, for most of us, contrived.  Male pronouns for God will have disappeared from the vocabulary as will female pronouns for the Church.  Those translating into African dialects will be confused.  Some of the best of the denomination’s preachers will preach.  Those visiting the conference for a day or two for the pageantry will be blessed. 

     3) Two-thirds of the press coverage, especially the secular press, will be about homosexuality and will be sensationalized.  There will be some coverage of the restructuring legislation and debate, but since most of the delegates are confused about restructuring themselves the press will be even more confused and people in the hinterlands will be in a fog. 

      The debate about divesture from companies like Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola, which do business with Israel, will be duly reported.  This will add to the image of United Methodism as being several steps to the left of United States’ (and the Obama administration’s) foreign policy.  This matter will further embarrass UMs because it will reveal that, despite the progressive criticisms of big corporations, the denomination, mainly the pension funds and the investment funds of the agencies, has millions stashed away in big corporations.

    United Methodist Communications (UMCom), an agency which has a dual function of doing news reporting as well as public relations (a conflict of interest) for the denomination, through its news service will give a positive spin on the conference.

    4) An inordinate amount of time will be spent on issues around church restructuring.  The restructuring proposals are supposed to make the denomination more efficient, more “nimble” (a new word in the UM vocabulary), more accountable, and will save money.  A perceptive outsider (he can be called an outsider since no Africans were involved in the proposals) Forbes Matouga, Vice-dean of African University, cuts through the chaff on restructuring with this analysis:  when people at the top talk about restructuring for the sake of reform it is really about consolidation or shifting of power. 

     So while ordinary United Methodists scratch their heads, bishops and agency heads and ethnic caucuses will have at it with references to IDOT, Plan B, Call to Action, and the Connectional Table.  The Division of Ministries with Young People, which the church established in order to have new, creative voices of change from young people, has a strong recommendation that the denomination do nothing about change and keep everything the same.  Once funded and part of the bureaucracy groups tend to be institutional and turf-defending. 

    Change, restructuring, efficiency, savings of money, competency in board membership—all of these things are needed and for evangelicals almost anything proposed would be better than what we have.  But it must be recognized that restructuring will not address United Methodism’s most serious problem, a lack of commitment to core values including historic Wesleyan doctrine, moral living, and Wesley’s admonition to save souls. 

     5) The conference will emphasize unity non-stop over the two weeks but will by its actions reveal deep disunity.  If the United States Congress is almost dysfunctional because of partisan politics, the General Conference will be even more so.  Delegates and visitors will identify and lobby their agendas with badges and symbols and articles of clothing.  One after another, bishops will preach on unity in the worship services.  In the past some of the same bishops who preached on unity, after the vote on homosexuality, stood in solidarity with demonstrators who disrupted the conference by, among other things, smashing the communion chalice, covering the altar in black, refusing to leave the conference floor, and haranguing the conference by calling its actions sinful. 

    In addition, this year the conference will be treated to the Love Your Neighbor/Common Witness Coalition “Tabernacle” (where God dwells), an Occupy-Wall-Street-style tent erected on public property and designed to serve as the nerve center for the effort to overthrow the church’s traditional understanding of marriage (as well as other matters).  The Common Witness effort, funded in large part by huge grants from corporations and foundations outside The United Methodist Church, will offer a select group of  bishops and agency heads a platform as speakers in their lobbying efforts. 

    It is no wonder that it is after General Conferences that talk about division and separation within the denomination most frequently surfaces.  Unity is based on shared beliefs and values and these, it often seems, are not always in evidence.

     6) The conference will talk about the World Wide Nature of the Church and then spend almost all of its time with US-centric petitions, US ways of thinking and doing business, and US-centric Resolutions.  During the debates on restructuring (which mostly effects US boards and agencies), and on the ministry recommendations, and on resolutions that deal mostly with US social and economic and political policy, the overseas delegates will be tempted to do sightseeing in Tampa.  To top it off the overseas delegates will be subjected to the politically correct monitoring agencies checking on US-style politically correct speech and percentage of what gender and what ethnic groups and what age groups dominated the speeches.

    7) The conference will make frequent references to the mission statement of the church: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world—but will then do business which for the most part has very little to do with the mission of the church.  The resolutions, the debate on Israel, the restructuring debate (which is mostly about power), various discussions about who is and who is not duly represented on various agencies in the church—all of this suggests concerns about public policy and institutionalism and not about saving souls.

    8)  I truly hope I will be proved incorrect on some of these expectations.  The Lord God, after all, is capable of mighty works and there might be unexpected divine intervention.  For this the Africans—and a number of other–are holding prayer vigils. 

   We will be posting day-to day reports from General Conference on our web page.  Get the latest insights from The Confessing Movement persepctive on events as they are happening.