Wednesday, May 1, 2024
General Conference Update: South Georgia Edition
Yesterday was another full day in plenary session for delegates at General Conference. They began their day at the convention center at 8 am and worked until after 7 pm. The morning began celebrating General Conference’s “ecumenical day,” featuring a morning worship service with a sermon by the Rev. Jerry Pillay, a South African pastor in the Uniting Presbyterian Church, and news of an agreement to full communion with the Moravian Church that passed April 29. Later in the morning, delegates approved full communion with the Episcopal Church.
After worship, delegates moved into business, which can seem slow moving at times, but our delegation is working hard, studying what is before them, and having meaningful and grace-filled conversations with other delegates around key issues.
The day ended in a historic passing of the gavel. A meaningful moment that typically happens in a Council of Bishops meeting was able to occur during General Conference because of timing. Bishop Thomas Bickerton, outgoing president of the council, passed the president's gavel to Bishop Tracy S. Malone. Bishop Malone is the first Black woman in the history of our denomination to be elected president of the Council of Bishops.
Highlights of the day are below.
A Word from delegate Scott Hagan
In this 3-minute video, Dr. Scott Hagan, clergy delegate and Superintendent of the Coastal and Northeast Districts, shares some thoughts about what took place on Tuesday, April 30 that will be of interest to South Georgia churches.
Malone is new Council of Bishops president
New York Conference Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, outgoing president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, passes the gavel to the council’s next president, East Ohio Conference Bishop Tracy S. Malone, Photo by Larry McCormack, UM News.
Bishop Tracy S. Malone, resident bishop of the East Ohio Conference, is the new president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops. Bishop Thomas Bickerton, outgoing president of the council, passed the mantle of leadership to Malone on the stage of General Conference at the end of the April 30 evening session. Her two-year term as president begins immediately and will conclude in May 2026. Read more
General Conference reduces requested giving
Delegates voted to reduce a key component of calculating apportionments — the portion of church giving requested to fund the general-church budget. During an afternoon session on April 30, delegates passed the new base rate for The United Methodist Church’s apportionment formula in the most contested plenary vote so far at this year’s General Conference. As a result, conferences will shift from their current base rate of 3.29% to a base rate of 2.6% for 2025 and 2026. Then, if the apportionment collection rate is 90% or higher in those years, the base rate will jump to 2.9% for 2027 and 2028.
Bottom line: U.S. annual conferences will be asked to pay lower apportionments compared to what delegates passed at the 2016 General Conference. Also, denomination-wide ministries that rely on those apportionments — including general agencies and episcopal leadership — will need to be budgeted with those cuts in mind. General Conference will vote on the full denomination-wide budget on its final day, May 3. Read more
Delegates celebrate success, growth of Africa University
Betty Kazadi, North Kazadi, speaks during the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Monday April 29, 2024. Photo by Larry McCormack, UM News.
General Conference delegates, church leaders and alumni celebrated the impact of Africa University and the support from United Methodists across the connection who have helped provide quality education to thousands of students. Also referred to as “the school of dreams in the valley of hope,” the institution opened its doors in 1992. Since then, it has afforded 12,000 graduates — many of whom are first-generation college students, mainly women — the opportunity to study and become leaders in Africa and beyond.
Read more | See Connectional Video from Allison Lindsey & Jimmy Asbell
Votes of Note
- (UM News) Delegates adopted three consent calendars including petitions that revise the complaint process for bishops and create a jurisdictional committee on investigation for complaints against bishops, modify pastoral authority to remove members and expand authority for closing or discontinuing local churches. Other petitions will reduce the size of several general agency boards; declare a commemoration of Juneteenth as a day of reflection, celebration and advocacy; and direct general agencies to develop resources that undergird the creation and strengthening of multicultural ministries.
- (UM News) Delegates to the United Methodist General Conference approved full communion with the Episcopal Church. The agreement needs the approval of the Episcopalians before going into effect, which might not happen until their meetings scheduled for 2027. (Read more)
- (UM News) After vigorous debate, delegates voted on a petition that will result in lower U.S. annual conference apportionments. Also, denomination-wide ministries that rely on those apportionments — including general agencies and episcopal leadership — will need to be budgeted with those cuts in mind. General Conference will vote on the full denomination-wide budget on its final day, May 3. (Read more)
- (UM News) Some of the items passed during the April 30 morning plenary eliminate parts of the "Traditional Plan" passed by the 2019 General Conference, reverting back to the language in the 2016 Book of Discipline.
Schedule for Wednesday, May 1
Today's agenda includes:
*8:00 - 9:00 A.M. - Worship
*9:00 - 10:00 A.M. - Plenary Session
- Monitoring Report
- Methodist Family Day
- Administrative Committee Reports
- Consent Calendars
*10:20 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. - Plenary Session
- Calendar Items & Conference Business
*1:30 - 3:40 P.M. - Plenary Session
- 100th Anniversary of the United Methodist Building
- Calendar Items & Conference Business
*4:00 - 6:30 P.M. - Plenary Session
- Calendar Items & Conference Business
- Evening Devotion
What's happening at General Conference
Wrap-ups from United Methodist News
Conference Updates
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Spotted in Charlotte
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