The General Conference of the United Methodist Church is the denomination's top legislative body for all matters affecting the United Methodist connection.
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a mainline Protestant denomination and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelicalism. The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas, Texas, by union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England, as well as the Great Awakening in the United States. As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan. It embraces both liturgical and evangelical elements.
The Book of Discipline and constitution of The United Methodist Church define the composition of the General Conference as no less than 600 and no more 1,000 delegates, half laity and half clergy. These delegates are elected by the Annual Conferences and several other specialized bodies within the structure of The United Methodist Church.
The Book of Discipline constitutes the law and doctrine of the United Methodist Church. It follows similar works for its predecessor denominations. It was originally published in 1784, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has been published every four years thereafter following the meeting of the General Conference, which passes legislation that is included in the Book of Discipline. The most recent edition is that of 2016.
A constitution is an aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity, and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
In religious organizations, the laity consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious institutes, e.g. a nun or lay brother.
The General Conference meets on a quadrennial basis, that is, once every four years. Special sessions may be called by the Council of Bishops.[1]
The United Methodist Council of Bishops is the organization of which all active and retired Bishops in the United Methodist Connection are members. In the United Methodist system of polity, the Council of Bishops is the Executive Branch of United Methodist Church government.
Legislative committees
Opening Worship at 2008 General Conference
Petitions are assigned to legislative committees based on their content. Legislative committees elect committee leadership and then break into subcommittees to review and refine legislation. Subcommittees bring petitions before the entire committee with the recommendation to reject, adopt, or adopt as amended. During consideration by the entire committee, additional amendments may be made. Then, the entire committee votes to recommend to the General Conference (the almost 1000 delegates) what action should be taken on the legislation. No action is final until taken by the General Conference in plenary session.[2]
Church and Society 1: This committee will receive all petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the Board of Church and Society and the Social Principles, with the exception of paragraphs in The Book of Discipline dealing with the nurturing community and the social community.
Church and Society 2: All petitions and resolutions relating to the nurturing community and the social community sections of the Social Principles will be referred to this committee.
Conferences: This committee shall receive all petitions and resolutions relating to the composition and activities of the General, jurisdictional, annual, provisional, missionary and district conferences.
Ministry & Higher Ed. Committee at 2008 General Conference
Discipleship: All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the Board of Discipleship shall be referred to this committee. (This committee is typically one of the committees with the highest number of members. Both the Discipleship and Ministry and Higher Education Committees usually approach 100 members. 2008 Discipleship Committee members were approximately 65% laity.)[3]
Faith and Order: All petitions relating to "Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task," "The Ministry of All Christians" and the meaning of ordination and conference membership will be referred to this committee.
Financial Administration: This committee shall receive all petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the Council on Finance and Administration, the Board of Pension and Health Benefits, and the United Methodist Publishing House. The budget and recommendations prepared by the General Council on Finance and Administration shall be submitted to this committee for study and review. Thereafter, when the General Council on Finance and Administration presents its report to the General Conference for action, the committee shall present its recommendations and may propose amendments.
General Administration: Petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the Connectional Table shall be referred to this committee. The report of the Connectional Table shall be submitted to this committee for study and review. After the Connectional Table presents its report to the General Conference for action, the committee shall present its recommendations and may propose amendments.
Global Ministries: All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the Board of Global Ministries shall be referred to this committee.
Independent Commissions: This committee shall receive all petitions and resolutions relating to commissions and ecumenical concerns. The commissions include Archives and History, Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, Communications, Religion and Race, the Status and Role of Women, and United Methodist Men. Ecumenical concerns relate to the denomination’s membership in or relationship with the World Methodist Council, the National Council of Churches, other councils and consultations of churches, and the American Bible Society.
Judicial Administration: All petitions and resolutions relating to judiciary concerns and investigations, trials and appeals are handled by this committee.
Local Church: This committee will receive all petitions and resolutions relating to the organization of the local church and its membership, programs, boards, councils, commissions and committees. The committee will also consider petitions relating to local church property.
Ministry and Higher Education: All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of ordained ministries, higher education, seminaries, and the Division of Chaplaincy and Related Ministries of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry shall be referred to this committee. (This committee is typically the most coveted committee for clergy delegates and is one of the committees with the highest number of members. Committee members were approximately 65% clergy in 2008.)[4]
Superintendency: Petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of superintendents shall be referred to this committee. In addition, a Commission on Central Conference Affairs will handle legislative proposals affecting central conferences.
See also
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, addresses the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church.
A bishop is an ordained, consecrated, or appointed member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church or AME, is a predominantly African-American Methodist denomination. It is the first independent Protestant denomination to be founded by black people. It was founded by the Rt. Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the mid-Atlantic area that wanted independence from white Methodists. It was among the first denominations in the United States to be founded on racial rather than theological distinctions and has persistently advocated for the civil and human rights of African Americans through social improvement, religious autonomy, and political engagement. Allen, a deacon in Methodist Episcopal Church, was consecrated its first bishop in 1816 by a conference of five churches from Philadelphia to Baltimore. The denomination then expanded west and south, particularly after the Civil War. By 1906, the AME had a membership of about 500,000, more than the combined total of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, making it the largest major African-American Methodist denomination. The AME currently has 20 districts, each with its own bishop: 13 are based in the United States, mostly in the South, while seven are based in Africa. The global membership of the AME is around 2.5 million and it remains one of the largest Methodist denominations in the world.
The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority in the Episcopal Church, being the bureaucratic facility through which the collegial function of the episcopate is exercised. General Convention comprises two houses: the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. It meets regularly once every three years; however, the House of Bishops meets regularly in between sessions of General Convention. The Bishops have the right to call special meetings of General Convention.
The Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) is an organization seeking the inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in both the policy and practices of United Methodist Church. It is one of many Welcoming Congregation organizations to emerge in American Christianity in the 1980s. The ministry currently has over 900 affiliated congregations and 35,000 affiliated individuals.
Kenneth Lee Carder is a retired American Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1992. Carder distinguished himself as a Pastor, a member of Annual Conference and General U.M. agencies, a Bishop and an author.
David Jerald Lawson was an American who gained notability as a pastor and university campus minister in the Methodist and United Methodist churches, as a district superintendent, annual conference official, and as a bishop of the United Methodist Church (UMC), elected in 1984. He also played a key role establishing and developing Africa University, which is the only UMC university on the continent.
Elias Gabriel Galvan is a retired Mexican-American Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1984.
Emerson Stephen Colaw was a retired American Bishop in the United Methodist Church and theologian specializing in homiletics. Colaw was first elected as bishop in 1980.
An Elder, in many Methodist Churches, is ordained minister that has the responsibilities to preach and teach, preside at the celebration of the sacraments, administer the Church through pastoral guidance, and lead the congregations under their care in service ministry to the world.
The United Church of Christ is a Christian denomination. Periodically, bodies within the United Church of Christ issue resolutions for various reasons. These statements may or may not be representative of the United Church of Christ. This article documents notable resolutions from the various formal bodies of the United Church of Christ.
Ralph Kern Eutsler is a retired American Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1984.
Mary Ann Swenson is an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1992.
The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada is the chief governing and legislative body of the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), the sole Canadian representative of the Anglican Communion. The first General Synod session was held in Toronto in 1893, with the proviso that the parameters of its authority would not undermine the local independence of dioceses.
Methodist viewpoints concerning homosexuality are diverse because there is no one denomination which represents all Methodists. The World Methodist Council, which represents most Methodist denominations, has no official statements regarding sexuality. British Methodism holds a variety of views, and permits ministers to bless same-gender marriages. American Methodism concentrates on the position that the same-sex relations are incompatible with "Christian teaching", but extends ministry to persons of a homosexual orientation, holding that all individuals are of sacred worth. The following denominations are members of the World Methodist Council.
Larry Pickens is a graduate of North Park University and holds a master of theology degree and master of divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, a doctorate in ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary, and a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law. Larry is the pastor of Southlawn United Methodist Church i Chicago. Larry is the former general secretary of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns of the United Methodist Church. During his tenure as the ecumenical staff officer these significant events took place. Pickens is currently the Ecumenical Director of The Lehigh Conference of Churches in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The Archbishops' Council is a part of the governance structures of the Church of England. Its headquarters are at Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ.
Discipleship Ministries, formerly known as the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), is one of 13 international agencies, boards and commissions of The United Methodist Church. GBOD was established by the 1972 United Methodist General Conference, and in March 2015, officially changed its name. Discipleship Ministries was given the primary responsibility for the support of receiving, nurturing and caring ministries of congregations in The United Methodist Church.
Bishop Melvin G. Talbert is a retired bishop in The United Methodist Church (UMC), the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States.
References
↑ The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, 2004
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
