Decision Number 928

Decision

The decisions of law of Bishop Hae-Jong Kim concerning the structure of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference are affirmed in part and reversed in part. The rules of the Conference, both prior to amendment in 2001 and as amended in 2001, created a conference structure which fails to meet the requirements of the Discipline and the decisions of the Judicial Council. The Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference must revert to the last annual conference structure which complied with the terms of the Discipline. Because such a reversion may cause substantial disruption in the operation of the Annual Conference, the Conference will be permitted to operate under the 2001 Rules through its 2002 annual conference session at which time it shall revert to the last annual conference structure which fully complied with the Discipline, unless it has adopted amendments to its rules to ensure compliance with the Discipline. The Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference is required to review the structure, and adopt the required conference rule amendments bringing them into compliance with the Discipline. The complete conference structure and rules are to be submitted to the Judicial Council for review and approval. We retain jurisdiction over this matter for this purpose and direct that this matter be continued on our Fall 2002 Docket to receive a report of the action taken by the 2002 annual conference session.

District superintendents and members of the Conference Staff are barred from membership on the conference committee on episcopacy.

The Conference Rules permitting the Conference Council to meet in executive session to discuss and decide matters that, in its discretion, are of a sensitive nature, violate 604.14 of the Discipline.

The Supportive Ministry Team, the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference's equivalent structure for the conference council on finance and administration, cannot have members who have a right to vote who are also members or employees of a conference agency or members of an agency or institution participating in the funds of any conference budget.

C. Rex Bevins was absent.

This copy subject to final editing and correcting