The long-delayed 2020 General Conference began April 23 with another slight delay, this time by the fire marshal. During an inspection before opening worship, it was determined there was a lack of sufficient fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and emergency exit signage in the plenary hall of the Charlotte Convention Center.
Once the issue was resolved, the General Conference, postponed by four years and a few minutes, finally began with United Methodist bishops marching to the altar to the strains of Charles Wesley’s “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”
Opening worship
Council of Bishops President Thomas J. Bickerton opened the legislative assembly on April 23 with a bold question: “Do you want to be in this room?”
He was speaking to delegates from Africa, Europe, Asia and the U.S. who are gathering to consider major proposals that could dramatically change the denomination.
“Are you willing to move forward in a spirit of hope and embrace a season of reformation, commit to the revitalization of The United Methodist Church and work for a culture marked by compassion, courage and companionship?” Bickerton asked.
If not, he said, “Maybe you are in the wrong place.”
He declared this General Conference a seminal moment. “It is time to move forward as a denomination with new purpose and energy,” he said.
Fewer delegates registered
In the lead-up to General Conference, there had been a struggle to secure visas for central conference delegates.
In the report of the Commission on the General Conference, commission chair Kim Simpson informed the delegates that as of noon April 23, only 751 delegates out of 862 allotted were registered and present, adding that registrations are still ongoing. That total includes 273 delegates out of 370 from central conferences — church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines. This number still exceeds the majority of allotted delegates required to have a quorum at General Conference.
By comparison, Simpson noted that during the 2016 General Conference opening session, 91% of delegates were present. There are 87% at this year’s opening session.
Simpson cited several reasons why the number of absent delegates is higher for the current General Conference, including delegates who have died or have left the denomination. Some delegates and reserves were denied visas by the consular office in each embassy.
She added that the standards for visas were more stringent and wait times for visa interviews were longer than at previous General Conferences. Other complicating factors were that some delegates did not have passports, which are required for visas. A few conferences did not elect delegates or reserves in line with General Conference rules and the denomination’s constitution.
After hearing about the smaller-than-usual General Conference delegates’ attendance, the delegates approved by 669 to 40 a resolution presented by the Rev. David Livingston of the Great Plains Conference. That resolution affirmed concerns raised by central conferences and others about the large discrepancy between the number of delegates allocated and the number in attendances. The resolution also asked the General Conference secretary to submit a report on what happened and instructed the General Conference commission to ensure proportional representation in the future.
While acknowledging this General Conference is valid and duly called, the resolution urged delegates to listen to and consider voices from underrepresented regions.
Standing committee advances regionalization petitions
Meeting April 21-22, just ahead of General Conference, the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters advanced five petitions representing the bulk of proposed worldwide regionalization. That means the petitions have cleared the first hurdle faced by all legislation at General Conference: making it out of committee. The last proposal for creating a U.S. central conference did not advance out of committee at the 2016 General Conference.
The regionalization petitions advanced by the standing committee could go before the full plenary as early as this week.
The standing committee also moved forward petitions that would add two new bishops in Africa and one new central conference there. And, as expected, committee members approved a petition that would enable four Eurasian annual conferences to leave The United Methodist Church and become an autonomous church.
Bishop Eduard Khegay, who leads the Eurasia Episcopal Area and has signaled his own intention to leave The United Methodist Church, spoke to the committee after its vote to approve the enabling petition.
“This is for us like leaving home,” Khegay said. “My hope is we can keep the friendships and relationships whenever it’s possible. … We want to remain your sisters and brothers.”
Judicial Council decisions regarding church leader elections
The United Methodist Church’s top court said it’s up to General Conference to determine how to handle the elections of the court’s membership.
In a separate decision, the Judicial Council also ruled that agency board members elected at the 2016 General Conference can be elected to serve another four-year term beginning at the close of this General Conference.
At issue in both rulings is what the postponement of the 2020 General Conference means for the elections of various church leaders at the just-started assembly. Because of complications from COVID, the last regular session of General Conference took place eight years ago.
In Memorandum 1495, the church court declined jurisdiction to rule on questions from the Council of Bishops on Judicial Council members’ elections. Instead, the church court pointed to the denomination’s constitution, which states that General Conference “shall determine the number and qualifications of its members, their terms of office, and the method of election and the filling of vacancies.”
In Decision 1496, the Judicial Council majority emphasized that the church law says agency board members’ terms only begin after a regular session of General Conference. Since General Conference hasn’t met since 2016, the church court’s majority said, that means board members first elected that year could serve another term. In a dissent, Judicial Council member Beth Capen said the church court should have left the question of agency board members’ terms up to General Conference.
AIDS conference aims to break down barriers
United Methodists and friends gathered at First United Methodist Church on April 22 to get updates on an ongoing and important church issue: AIDS ministry.
Through worship, speakers, panels and workshops, the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee facilitated the daylong Breaking Barriers AIDS Conference as part of the run-up to the start of The United Methodist Church’s long-delayed General Conference.
More people are living longer with HIV — in many cases much longer — thanks to combinations of prescription drugs. Still, 39 million people were living with HIV worldwide in 2022, according to UNAIDS, and 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses that year.
“It’s still an issue, and I’m glad to see there is still an interest in it,” said host pastor the Rev. Val Rosenquist of First United Methodist Church.
Earth Day vigil calls denomination to creation care
More than 200 people, including delegates and observers in town for General Conference, gathered April 22 at First United Methodist Church in Charlotte for a candlelight Vigil for Creation to mark Earth Day and to call the denomination to greater stewardship of creation.
“It’s about making The United Methodist Church commit to being stewards of creation,” said Ilka Vega, United Women in Faith’s executive for economic and environmental justice. “It’s about putting our hearts together in making sure we’re doing our part in taking care of creation, in reconciling ourselves with one another and all of God’s beautiful creation.”
The event, sponsored by several United Methodist general agencies and climate justice ministries, also included a vegetarian and vegan meal, worship and Native American sacred storytelling.
In other news
- A petition submitted by the California-Pacific Conference to create a United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of LGBTQIA+ People is set to be assigned April 24 to a committee for consideration. The Committee on Reference moved it forward despite it being filed after the official deadline.
- By unanimous vote, the Committee on Reference declared as disqualified on April 22 all petitions from individuals, churches and conferences no longer associated with The United Methodist Church.
- Susan Brumbaugh of the New Mexico Conference was elected coordinator of the calendar.
Butler is a multimedia producer/editor for UM News. Contact him at newsdesk@umcom.org or 615-742-5470. Staff from UM News and United Women in Faith contributed to this report. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
