Church constitutional amendments head to vote

Key points:

• This year, United Methodist annual conference members will vote on amendments up for inclusion in the denomination’s constitution.
• The amendments deal with regionalization, church membership, racism and clergy-delegate elections.
• To be ratified, these amendments need the support of at least two-thirds of all annual conference voters around the globe.

General Conference delegates had their say last year. Now, annual conference voters must decide whether amendments approved by the 2024 lawmaking assembly will become part of The United Methodist Church’s constitution.

The United Methodist Church is organized into more than 120 annual conferences — geographic bodies consisting of multiple churches and other ministries that typically meet once a year.

In the coming months, lay and clergy voters at each of these conferences will consider changes that:

• Carry out the restructuring plan called “regionalization.”
• Stand against racism and colonialism.
• Expand inclusiveness in church membership.
• Clarify who can vote for clergy delegates.

To be ratified, a constitutional amendment first requires at least a two-thirds majority at General Conference, which happened in April and May 2024. The amendment next must win at least two-thirds of the aggregate vote at annual conferences.

Put another way, the threshold for passage is not a two-thirds vote at each annual conference — but two-thirds of all annual conference votes. That means the results won’t be known until after all 127 United Methodist annual conferences in Africa, Europe, the Philippines and the United States have held a vote. 

The ballot language is available in English, French, Portuguese and Swahili — the official languages of General Conference.

Annual conference voters may debate each ballot but may not alter any of the language. Each conference can choose whether voting takes place by paper ballots, electronic voting devices or a show of hands.

The Rev. Aleze M. Fulbright, the secretary of General Conference, urges conferences to give “strong consideration for equity, accessibility, and count accuracy” in choosing the manner of voting.

“The number of persons voting ‘yes’ and the number of persons voting ‘no’ will be recorded and submitted on an official certification of action,” she said in a public letter to annual conference secretaries.

Conference votes are scheduled to take place between February and October this year.

The Council of Bishops expects to tally all votes and certify any amendment ratifications at its fall meeting in early November.

Here is an overview of the four ballots containing the amendments, in the order submitted to annual conference voters.

Regionalization

The most discussed and far-reaching of the measures coming before annual conference voters is worldwide regionalization — a package of legislation that gives The United Methodist Church’s different geographic regions equal decision-making authority.

Under regionalization, the U.S. and each central conference — church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines — would become regional conferences with the same authority to adapt parts of the Book of Discipline, the denomination’s policy book, for more missional effectiveness. Just as is now the case in the U.S. and each central conference, each regional conference would consist of multiple annual conferences.

At present, only central conferences have authority under the denomination’s constitution to adapt the Discipline as missional needs and different legal contexts require. The constitutional amendments not only extend that same authority to the U.S. but also spell out what can be adapted.

Among other things, each regional conference would be able to:

• Publish its own hymnal, book of worship and regional Book of Discipline.
• Set requirements for ordination and licensed ministry of pastors.
• Set standards for lay membership.
• Develop practices around marriage ceremonies, funerals and other rites in line with understanding of Scripture and the laws in each country.
• Work with annual conferences to ensure policies and practices align with the laws in each country.

Regionalization would require changes to more than 20 paragraphs in the denomination’s constitution. But just as at General Conference, annual conferences will vote on all of the amendments on a single ballot.

General Conference supported the ballot containing the regionalization amendments by a vote of 586 to 164.

The regionalization plan came about through cooperation among United Methodists around the world. Those who worked on the legislation include the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, a permanent General Conference committee; the Connectional Table, a council that coordinates denomination-wide ministries; and the Christmas Covenant, a grassroots group of United Methodists in the central conferences who saw regionalization as the best way to promote denominational unity.

Among those who was a facilitator of the legislation is Benedita Penicela Nhambiu, a laywoman in Mozambique. She chaired the Connectional Table’s Worldwide Nature working group that initiated the proposal.

“I believe that the worldwide regionalization in the UMC empowers both the U.S. church and central conferences by promoting contextual decision-making, equitable participation, enhanced mission focus, autonomy, strengthened connections and improved legislative efficiency,” she said.

“This strategic shift aims to create a more inclusive and effective church that can thrive in diverse cultural settings, while remaining united in purpose, having only Christ at the center.”

Inclusion in membership

If adopted, this amendment would add “gender” and “ability” to the list of characteristics that do not bar people from membership in a United Methodist church.

Specifically, the amended Paragraph 4, Article IV in the constitution would say: “All persons, without regard to race, gender, ability, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection.”

In short, this constitutional amendment means pastors may not deny a person church membership whether that person is male or female or has a disability.

General Conference supported the amendment by a vote of 607 to 67.

The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women submitted the legislation. The Rev. Stephanie York Arnold, the agency’s incoming top executive, stressed that both additions are important to United Methodist ministry.

She remembered as a seminary student learning how people with disabilities are among the people churches are most likely to discriminate against or simply overlook.

“They are simply often not seen, heard, valued and engaged enough,” York Arnold said. “Adding ‘ability’ to our language for what can NOT bar someone from membership in our worldwide United Methodist Church is a vital step towards eradicating the pain for persons Jesus readily included, from being excluded in our church.”

She added that Jesus also modeled inviting women into his ministry through the examples of Mary and Martha. The Apostle Paul also wrote of the inspiring church leadership of women such as Lydia, Euodia, Syntyche and Phoebe.

“Regardless of what our culture around us models, today the church must value women equally to men in word and action,” she said.

“No woman should be excluded from membership within The United Methodist Church because of her gender. It is time we add the word ‘gender’ to reasons someone can NOT be barred from membership in The United Methodist Church because we want our church to be a place women can find true empowerment and leadership.”

Fighting racism and colonialism

The complete revision of the constitution’s Paragraph 5, Article V aims to strengthen the denomination’s longtime stance for racial justice.

As amended, the article would read: “The United Methodist Church proclaims that from God’s goodness and love, God created all persons as God’s unique and beloved children. Racism opposes God’s law, goodness and love and diminishes the image of God in each person. Fueled by white privilege, white supremacy and colonialism, the sin of racism has been a destructive scourge on global society and throughout the history of The United Methodist Church. It continues to destroy our communities, harm persons, obstruct unity and undermine God’s work in this world. Racism must be eradicated. Therefore, The United Methodist Church commits to confronting and eliminating all forms of racism, racial inequity, colonialism, white privilege and white supremacy, in every facet of its life and in society at large.”

General Conference delegates voted for the amendment by 621 to 59.

The United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race submitted the amendment.

“These issues are not just societal challenges. They are spiritual issues that distort God’s image in humanity and contradict the core of Christian teaching,” the Rev. Giovanni Arroyo, the agency’s top executive, said in a video about the legislation.

“Article V reminds us that our faith in Jesus Christ compels us to actively work against these evils, recognizing that racism and colonialism harm individuals, communities, and the unity and mission of the church.”

Clergy-delegate elections

An amendment to Paragraph 35, Article IV aims to clarify who can elect the clergy delegates who serve at General Conference, and also at U.S. jurisdictional and central conferences, which elect bishops.

Annual conferences elect the delegates who vote at all of these gatherings. Half of those elected are lay and half clergy, with the constitution requiring lay people to elect lay delegates and clergy to elect clergy delegates.

The amendment, submitted by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, specifies the educational requirements for licensed local pastors to participate in clergy delegate elections. They must be “local pastors who have completed course of study or a Master of Divinity degree from a University Senate-approved theological school or its equivalent as recognized in a central conference and have served a minimum of two consecutive years under appointment immediately preceding the election.”

General Conference supported this amendment by a vote of 547 to 99.

“We offered this amendment to ensure those voting for clergy delegates have completed the denominational-standard expectations for theological education,” said the Rev. Trip Lowery, who oversees theological formation and clergy education for the agency.

“This revision wouldn’t increase or decrease voting access to licensed local pastors in central/regional conferences. It clarifies what an M. Div. means and clarifies qualifying theological schools and equivalents.”

If regionalization is ratified, this paragraph’s reference to central conferences would be changed to regional conferences. The regionalization legislation enables that change throughout the Discipline.

Hahn is assistant news editor for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.