Recap: Changes in the UMC and Understanding 2024 General Conference
In November 2024, the Open Hearts Sunday School class and Adult Faith Formation team
co-hosted two Sunday sessions to review the changes in the United Methodist Church voted on at the 2024 General Conference.
The first session provided background on the UMC structure overall, history of exclusion of LGBTQ+ people and clergy, and reviewed the petitions passed by the General Conference. Below are the links and resources shared during the session:
· Infographic: UMC Connectional Structure
· Video: What is the General Conference?
· History of Exclusion of and Advocacy for Inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons and Clergy – resources
1. Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) - History
2. Wikipedia background – Homosexuality and Methodism
3. Report on United Methodist Disaffiliating Churches
· General Conference Petitions -- “What Just Happened?” – recap from RMN
1. ‘Incompatibility’ clause removed from Book of Discipline. This lifted ban on ordination of openly LGBTQ+ clergy candidates and allows clergy to perform and churches to host marriages of same-sex couples.
2. Revised Social Principles language – specifically sections on Human Sexuality and Marriage (page 23 here)
3. Regionalization structure passes: reorganization that defines 9 regions of equal standing that all adhere to the same doctrine but have some ability to define context-specific practices within region. As an amendment to the UMC Constitution (e.g., modifying the organizational structure), it will require votes in all Annual Conferences. (See this video about How the UMC Constitution is amended)
§ Summary handout for regionalization
During the second session, we heard from two First UMC members who also attended the Mountain Sky Annual Conference in 2024, Charissa Dull and Joan Richard. Annual Conference a business meeting, but it also has time for worship, mission, and fellowship.
Both Charissa and Joan spoke of the lightness of the 2024 gathering, particularly in comparison to the 2023 gathering, where churches leaving the UMC (the disaffiliation process) was a major component.
A highlight for both was the presentation by Dr. Ashley Boggan, UMC General Secretary of the Commission on Archives and History. Dr. Boggan introduced the concept she calls “Wesleyan vile-tality”:
Wesleyan vile-tality: A willingness to look beyond today’s acceptable practices, standards, and norms and bend the rules in order to ensure that more and more persons can be included within the Kin-dom and that all persons, no matter who they are, how they identify, whom they love, or how they live can know and experience the love of God, can know their own self-worth, and can grow to love themselves and others.