Texas Conference Delegation at General Conference

Our delegates have been spending time in worship, conversation, holy conferencing, and more hard work with our sister and brother delegates across the United Methodist Connection.

Thousands of petitions have been submitted to General Conference, and each of those petitions has been assigned to one of fourteen General Conference committees. Because our delegation is so large, we have at least one Texas Conference delegate on each of those fourteen committees.

The delegates assigned to those committees have researched their committee’s legislative petitions and presented highlights and potential significant legislative outcomes to the delegation as a whole. Those committees have worked until late on Saturday to complete this work and our delegation members serving on those committees have been keeping the entire delegation apprised of what has been going on in each committee. Please keep our delegation in your prayers as they continue their work next week.

The major updates so far include:

GC 2024: Passion and Hope for the Future

The room was full of positive energy as General Conference 2024 kicked off with its opening worship session. Bishop Thomas Bickerton, President of the Council of Bishops, offered a passionate message during the service as he challenged delegates to commit to revitalizing the church. Bishop Bickerton offered a call to move forward with a renewed focus on the church’s mission and ministry.

Financial Picture

Before engaging in legislative work, delegates received a somber picture of United Methodist finances, with a proposed budget representing the lowest in 40 years.

The UMC denomination faces the need to reduce the number of bishops in the U.S. and allocate fewer bishops to Africa due to financial constraints. The proposed 2025-2028 denominational budget coming before delegates is $353.1 million. That represents a 42% reduction from the budget delegates approved at the 2016 General Conference, the assembly’s last regular session. Under that budget proposal, about $347 million would come from the U.S. and $6.1 million from the central conferences.

Young People’s Address

Alejandra Salemi of the Florida Conference expressed concerns about the impact of church splits, likening it to a divorce with devastating effects. Despite this, she emphasized hope for a brighter future and urged the church to focus on God’s love and compassion. Senesie T.A. Rogers from Sierra Leone acknowledged the Methodist Church’s history of splits but emphasized the tradition of reconciliation and unity. He encouraged a focus on coming together over continued division. Chris Wilterdink, director of Young People’s Ministries, recognized the difficulties young people face and noted the importance of their voices in the church’s future.

Episcopal Address

Bishop L. Jonathan Holston delivered the Episcopal Address, urging delegates to focus on God’s work amidst challenges and changes in the church and the world. He emphasized the importance of staying true to the church’s purpose and embracing a spirit of hope and revitalization. Bishop Holston said delegates should be who God needs them to be and to focus on the future.

Bishop Easterling Calls for and End to Violence Against Women

In her address during morning worship, Bishop LaTrelle Easterling said the church can’t just bandage the wounds of the abused. “We need to speak to the abuse itself… God has called us, anointed us, empowered us, prepared us, and provided enough Holy Ghost power for us to right these wrongs. And when we are finally free from this physical, verbal, spiritual, psychological, patriarchal and theological abuse, we will be able to join hands and declare together, ‘the Spirit of the Lord is upon us,’ and we will be silent no more!”

Book of Discipline

The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters gave an update on work toward a General Book of Discipline. This involves the permanent Standing Committee proposing what parts of the Book of Discipline’s Part VI apply to all regions and what they can adapt. This work is an attempt at offering a shorter, more globally relevant Book of Discipline.

Regionalization

Delegates voted in favor of five of nine petitions regarding regionalization, intending to address how decisions are made across geographic regions.

Among them, delegates voted 586 to 164 for an amendment to the denomination’s constitution that will now go before annual conference voters for ratification. A constitutional amendment requires at least a two-thirds vote at General Conference; the regionalization amendment received 78% of the vote. To be ratified it will need two-thirds of the total vote of annual conference lay and clergy voters.

Bishop Nhiwatiwa: Count Your Blessings

In his address on Saturday, Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa of Zimbabwe said we have argued enough. Instead, Nhiwatiwa said we need to stop fighting and come together and reach out to people who still need to hear the good news. “Stop arguing and start praising the Lord.”

Social Principles

Delegates voted to approve the consent calendar which included the first set of Revised Social Principles and nine other pieces of legislation. It passed with 92% of the vote: 671 to 57.

More Revised Social Principles will be included in the items to be voted on next week.

Delegates continued working until later in the evening late to complete their legislative committee work, which they must finish today to begin voting next week.

See the draft that is being voted on at: https://www.umcjustice.org/documents/124   

Changes to the Connectional Table

Delegates approved the restructuring of the Connectional Table from a 64-member board with 49 voting members to a 60-member board with 44 voting members.