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CT backs U.S. Regional Conference

Posted on by DeMoss
Ray McGee speaks to a Central Conference, regional approach at the 2019 Annual Conference.
At the 2019 Michigan Annual Conference, members amended and affirmed a petition to General Conference drafted by the Rev. Ray McGee. The petition encouraged restructure of how the U.S. relates to other regions of The UMC. ~ mic photo/Jonathan Trites

The denomination’s Connectional Table proposes major legislation with the goals of easing the burden of U.S. business on General Conference, and giving U.S. churches parity with those in central conferences.


EMILY CLEMONS
Connectional Table

The Connectional Table (CT) is publishing in English its legislative petition to create a U.S. Regional Conference, as well as a one-page frequently asked questions sheet and a narrative booklet. The materials will soon be available in other languages. 

The CT, who collaborated closely with Wespath on this legislation, shares the legislation and educational materials in advance of the 2020 General Conference as a reflection of the value it places in transparency and open communication. The CT also hopes that it will be helpful to delegations and other groups as they prepare for GC2020. 

The legislation to create a U.S. Regional Conference (USRC) aims to ease the burden of U.S. legislation on General Conference and give U.S. churches parity with those in central conferences. This will also shorten the duration of General Conference and save the church millions of dollars. 

“We are pleased that this proposal is going forward as an important contribution to the connectional dialogue; allowing more time for General Conference to focus on matters that impact our global church,” says Barbara Boigegrain, General Secretary of Wespath. “The General Church has spent too much time on administrative, tax, legal and benefit matters that only impact the United States. This proposal creates parity with processes of the Central Conferences. For instance, U.S. clergy benefit plans are an example of something that should be handled regionally, as they are in all other regions of the church, rather than consume the resources of a global body like the General Conference.”

Read more about this legislation here. 

Click the links below to view and download the materials as PDF files. 

Last Updated on October 31, 2023

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The Michigan Conference