Annual Conference voting members this June will consider four amendments to the United Methodist constitution. These have been approved by General Conference delegates, and now it’s the annual conferences’ turn to vote on them. Here is a brief description of their purpose and significance.  

Ballot 1: Worldwide Regionalization  

The United States-based United Methodist Church (and predecessor bodies) sent missionaries and formed UM churches around the world. This created a paternalistic relationship between the church in the U.S. and the church in other countries (Central Conferences.”) In some regions, the UMC is flourishing. However, these conferences still have an unequal “child” relationship to the “parent” church in the U.S. This is evident in how the Book of Discipline is updated: the UM delegates from around the world can vote on these changes, but not necessarily follow them, because the annual conferences outside of the U.S. can adapt the Discipline to their contexts.   

This amendment would place all conferences on an equal footing. We would share the essential parts of the Discipline and adapt other parts to respective cultural contexts. A coalition of Central Conference leaders strongly commends this restructuring.  

• "For so long we have gathered at General Conferences for matters that mostly affected the lives of our people in our pews as we worked on the Book of Discipline. This meant that our siblings from the Central Conferences voted on matters completely irrelevant to them. So, by ratifying the amendment on regionalization, we will be placing all United Methodists across our connection on equal ground. Our values and our cultural context will be reflected on our regional conferences, the U.S. being one of them. When we gather at General Conference, it will be for matters related to our connection as a worldwide church."

- Rev. Luis F. Reyes-Rosario, Northern Illinois clergy delegate to the 2020-2024 General Conference

 

Ballot 2: Inclusion in Membership   

This amendment would add “gender” and “ability” to the list of characteristics that do not bar people from membership in a UM congregation. The amended paragraph 4, article IV in the constitution would read, “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.”  

• "Twenty years ago, when I was serving a church in the Tennessee Annual Conference, I had a friend pastoring a church in a small rural community. A family came to her asking if their son would be allowed to join the church. He was quadriplegic and several of the non-denominational churches in the area would allow him to attend but would not allow him to join as he couldn’t be immersed for baptism. She allowed him to join the UMC and his family found a home in our denomination. This amendment makes sure that, throughout the world, the UMC will always be a place where people can attend our services and that someone’s gender or ability cannot be used to deny them a place at our table or in our denomination. By putting this in our church constitution, we preserve this as one of our foundational beliefs as a denomination."

- Rev. Dr. Brian Gilbert, Northern Illinois clergy delegate to the 2020-2024 General Conference

 

Ballot 3: Racial Justice  

This amendment of paragraph 5, article V, aims to strengthen the denomination’s longtime support for racial justice.  

The new paragraph would read, in part, “. . . 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. . . . 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.”  

• "The amendment to Article 5 challenges us to live out the conviction that racism is incompatible with Christian teaching. We live into a reality where privilege, especially white privilege, is leveraged on behalf of the marginalized and oppressed.
  
  Should strong terms like “white supremacy,” “colonialism,” and “white privilege” be spoken so boldly in polite UMC society? These words may seem divisive, harsh, or offensive, but Wesley might tell us that this is not about personal piety, rather social holiness. In truth, by naming these ugly systems of oppression, we can begin to address the real harm these divisive systems continue to inflict. We don’t call people out. We call the flock in to build a beloved community."

- Nadia Kanhai, Northern Illinois laity delegate to the 2020-2024 General Conference

 

Ballot 4: Educational Requirements for Clergy Voting Rights   

This amendment to paragraph 35, article IV aims to clarify the educational requirements for clergy who may vote for clergy delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences. It spells out the meaning of an M. Div. degree and its equivalents for United Methodists outside of the United States, thus bringing uniformity to the qualification requirements and ensures that all voting clergy have met the denominational standards for theological education.

• "This amendment aims to bring clarity and consistency to the eligibility of local pastors in electing clergy delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences, and outlines the qualifications in alignment with our denominational standards. It also contextualizes it for our central conference siblings because the educational requirements in Central Conferences are not the same as in the United States. The amendment allows for an equivalent educational track.
  
  Currently, the paragraph requires a local pastor to have completed “course of study or an M. Div. degree.” If ratified, it will state: “course of study or Master of Divinity from a University Senate–approved theological school or its equivalent as recognized in a Central Conference.”

- Rev. Alka Lyall, Northern Illinois clergy delegate to the 2020-2024 General Conference

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