A significant advantage of further postponing the 2020 General Conference to 2024 is that the Commission has already secured a venue for what would have been the regularly scheduled quadrennial event. The coming General Conference was to have 862 voting delegates 55.9% from the U.S., 32% from Africa, 6% from the Philippines, 4.6% from Europe and the remainder from concordat churches that have close ties to The United Methodist Church. WebUnited Methodists to Meet in Charlotte for Worldwide Conference The 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hotchkiss added, We appreciate the patience and understanding of the Local Host Committee as we have gone back to the drawing board on multiple occasions. The commission appreciates that many people are disappointed about the circumstances of the 2020 General Conference and shares in the disappointment that it has not been able to be held, she said in the press statement. Bishops do not have a vote on the commission. Meanwhile, leaders of a planned new theologically conservative denomination announced that they are moving up the launch date without waiting for General Conference to act. The further postponement of General Conference has implications for Wespath, the United Methodist pension agency that the Global Methodist Church also plans to use. After decades of intensifying debate and defiance the coming General Conference faces multiple proposals for denominational separation. Media contact: The most endorsed of these is theProtocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation, which if adopted, would allow churches and conferences to leave with church property and $25 million in United Methodist funds to form a new traditionalist denomination. Technically, delegates elected to the 2020 General Conference are still eligible to serve at the 2024 session. The Wesleyan Covenant Association has been shepherding the formation of the Global Methodist Church, and DiPaolo serves on the associations leadership council. I fear we will shortly see renewed and intensified internal conflict across our connection, he wrote. It is such an honor to be able to host the 2024 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, said Mike Butts, Executive Director of Visit Charlotte. Most of the departing congregations identify as traditionalist. Mulenga, Director of Communications The Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. At a typical General Conference, those in attendance include bishops, interpreters, staff, volunteers and guests from around the globe. To read more United Methodist news,subscribe to the free Daily or Friday Digests. The United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies typically have held a General Conference at least every four years since 1792. The Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, atCharlotte Convention Centerin Charlotte, North Carolina. However, some annual conferences church regional bodies have since reaffirmed those elections since General Conferences postponement. The requested decision pertains to how Council of Bishops holds its individual members accountable for their work, both as general superintendents and as presidents and residents in episcopal areas. Our request for clarification is to simply ask for specific clarification so that our work, both in the Annual Conferences and the General Church, can function with uniformity and alignment. After the commission's announcement, Council of Bishops President Cynthia Fierro Harvey saidin a statementthat she and her fellow bishops would begin "to explore various pathways for sustaining the worldwide mission and witness of The United Methodist Church, given the announcement of this further and understandable delay.". That new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, had plans to launch in conjunction with General Conference later this year. The Book of Discipline says that in the spirit of openness and accountability, almost all church meetings should be open. However, there is one church, First United Methodist Church in Columbia, that has elected to stay the course and stay a part of the UMC, at least until the annual conference of 2024 is completed. However, the teams report identified several obstacles to such a conference, including a 16-hour time difference among delegates in the Philippines and the West Coast, unequal internet availability and the difficulty in safeguarding voting. What is the Church's position on homosexuality? May you experience the beautiful natural setting of North Carolina, and the amazing hospitality of its people as you do the work of the Kingdom always remembering you are Beloved of God.. Amid rising church disaffiliations, Council of Bishops President Thomas Bickerton called people who are staying United Methodist to change the conversation and reclaim Gods calling on the church. The Global Methodist Church has launched, and traditionalist United Methodist churches and clergy are publicly announcing their intention to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church to join the new traditionalist Methodist denomination. Support the ministry of UM News! Technically, delegates elected to the 2020 General Conference are still eligible to serve at the 2024 session. They have been more than gracious., According to Graves, It is always a monumental task to host the General Conference, but to prepare several times and still not be able to put those plans into action seems even more difficult. Find the official General Conference 2020 official page. ### Annual conferences have approved the disaffiliation of about 130 U.S. churches in the past two years. With the 2020 General Conference now delayed to when the next one was supposed to take place, it remains unclear whether new delegates will need to be elected. While the COB appreciates the clarity and guidance on that issue, the bishops feel that the decision has generated a number of other questions that arise from the language of the decision, and the COB therefore was petitioning the Judicial Council for clarification of the decision on four limited questions. Thomas Lambrecht of Good News. The Rev. Commission chairperson Kim Simpson said the decision to postpone once again was an exceedingly difficult one, with many factors to consider -- including visas and passports, the health and safety of delegates, volunteers and other attendees, vaccination rates, and the need for provisions for quarantine or medical care should any delegates contract COVID-19. WebThe Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. I hope this letter will be the beginning of renewed dialogue and prayer for Nashville, Tenn.: As the pandemic continues and the wait time for visas stretches to over two years in some countries, the Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2020 General Conference cannot be held in 2022 due to COVID-related and governmental policies/constraints. On Feb. 24, the commission met online in closed session for 3 hours to deliberate on whether the international meeting could go forward as scheduled. 615.742.5406. I believe the commissions decision to postpone General Conference until 2024 is exactly the wrong decision, said the Rev. However, there is one church, First United Methodist Church in Columbia, that has elected to stay the course and stay a part of the UMC, at least until the annual conference of 2024 is completed. In an essay for the theologically conservative advocacy group Wesleyan Covenant Association, the Rev. The United Methodist Church Chief among those is: Will delegates elected to the 2020 General Conference be able to serve in 2024, or will annual conferences need to elect new slates? What is Lent and why does it last forty days? The bishops made the decision to seek clarification during a special session of the COB meeting held via Zoom on Friday, January 6, 2023. Perhaps some members of the Judicial Council will not even be members of the UMC in 2024. ( Read more) With the 2020 General Conference now delayed to when the next one was supposed to take place, it remains unclear whether new delegates will need to be elected. We previously would have had a General Conference focused almost exclusively on separation and departure; this may just be Gods way of gifting us with a General Conference where we can instead focus on resurrection through the process of renewing and rebuilding the new UMC.. Like what you're reading? With the 2020 General Conference now delayed to when the next one was supposed to take place, it remains unclear whether new delegates will need to be elected. That means that everyone who was elected in 2020 is on the delegation for 2024. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs for the next four years. General Conference 2024 | Postponed from 2020 The Commission on the General Conference has announced that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. With no protocol, annual conferences are responsible for handling church disaffiliations. Hahn is assistant news editor for UM News. The decision by the Commission on General Conference to postpone the 2020 General Conference Question for Clarification No. - Council of Bishops, UMC General Conference postponed till 2024; bishops to explore various pathways, COB Ecumenical and Interreligious Newsletters, Ecumenical Partnerships and Organizations. The most endorsed of these is the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation, which if adopted, would allow churches and conferences that support bans on gay weddings and ordination to leave with church property and $25 million in United Methodist funds to form a new traditionalist denomination. Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, will. Hotchkiss added, We appreciate the patience and understanding of the Local Host Committee as we have gone back to the drawing board on multiple occasions. Mark Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics and Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility at Oklahoma City University. The Council of Bishops is. Nashville, Tenn.: The Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 May 3, 2024, atCharlotte Convention Centerin Charlotte, North Carolina. WebThe Commission on the General Conference announced on March 3, 2022 that the 2022 General Conference session, postponed from 2020, would be further postponed until 2024. Amid rising church disaffiliations, Council of Bishops President Thomas Bickerton called people who are staying United Methodist to change the conversation and reclaim Gods calling on the church. General Conference further postponed to 2024. Shortly after the commissions announcement, the Resist Harm movement released a statement signed by more than 1,000 United Methodists urging bishops to hold charges related to LGBTQ restrictions in abeyance.