The Connectional Table
The United Methodist Church
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2019
Chicago: The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church approved a motion to work with the Connectional Table (CT) on proposed legislation for General Conference 2020 to create a regional structure similar to that of a central conference for churches in the United States.
The proposed legislation, developed this quadrennium by the CT's U.S. Contextual Ministries Advisory Group, puts forth a two-stage process for creating the regional conference:
- Stage I creates a Committee on U.S. Matters, an interim legislative committee that will handle U.S.-specific issues until the final regional conference is established; and
- Stage II establishes the U.S. regional conference, which will adopt a structure and function similar to a central conference.
"We are pleased that we have received the official support of the Council of Bishops, as well as others, as we continue to work on what we see as a critical need for the church," says Judi Kenaston, convener of the CT's U.S. Contextual Ministries group. "As the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters completes their work on a General Book of Discipline, we see this proposal giving the churches in the United States a way to do the adaptable work that will be required and which is already being done in the Central Conferences."
The advisory group's work aims to reduce the time and effort spent at General Conference on legal, contextual and financial matters that are of little or no significance to the Church outside the U.S.
The proposed regional conference would work on adaptable portions of the proposed General Book of Discipline, and it is not intended to address legislation concerning human sexuality.
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About the Connectional Table
The Connectional Table works to steward the mission, vision and ministries of The United Methodist Church. For more information, please visit connectionaltable.umc.org.
Media Contact: Emily Clemons
Director of Communications
773-714-1517 x6464
[email protected]
