General Conference begins on the 23rd
I have been in prayer for this gathering for weeks. Several of my friends, including our previous pastor Rev. Charla Gwartney will be gathering in North Carolina for the 2020 General Conference on the 23rd. This conference was postponed due to the CoVid pandemic. According to the book of discipline, we are required to have one every four years. The delegates elected expected to be done with this years ago but instead they are gathering next week. I don’t want to alarm you or cause undo stress because Faith is blessed to know very clearly who they are and what they are about. But there are several important votes that will happen.
The first vote will be a new budget based on the size of the denomination now that we are reduced in number. This change must be reflected in the way we manage our resources. You can expect to see many programs and departments that have been significantly cut at the General level to offset lost revenue. This is simply good stewardship.
Another piece of legislation is Regionalization. This is a very divisive issue for those who want to continue offering disaffiliations and ways to help churches leave the denomination. This is not a new way of governing though. The General Conference already allows the UMC in Africa and other areas an alternative regionally appropriate Book of Discipline. The difference is that we have never allowed the USA to be part of this regional decision making. There are those who have left the denomination that were elected previous to disaffiliation who have refused to give up their voting privileges who are very against this type of governing. There are no rules to allow removing them from the voting so they will be there to continue dividing and accusing those who remain with false accusations. It makes my heart ache that these folks can’t just leave and move on but must continue to breed discontent and work against our ability to heal and move on.
Other significant legislative votes will be the proposed new Social Principles, removing the harmful language that has been in the Book of Discipline, and the repeal of the Traditional Plan that includes mandatory punishment for clergy. These changes are hoped for in many churches who have decided to stay UMC. It has been my experience that what happens at General Conference is not always what we expect. You can find all the information about these legislative agendas here.
If you are interested in watching the livestream of General Conference, then you can go here. I do hope that you will pray for our delegation to General Conference and to all those who gather together to do God’s work on behalf of the UMC.
I give thanks that we have done the hard work to know who we are and what we are about. It is such a rare thing to have such clarity about our mission and ministry. It will take months, if not longer, before any of the legislation proposed will trickle down to the local church. So we will continue “Inviting People to Christ-centered service.” We will continue to build the Kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven. We will continue being Faith. That you can be sure of!
Pray with me for our brothers and sisters in Christ serving in this necessary but difficult way.
