General Conference approved significant legislative changes during its recent gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, but not everything goes into effect at the same time. While most items will become effective on January 1, 2025 in the U.S. and a little later in the Central Conferences, other items went into effect immediately upon adoption, some need constitutional ratification, and still others are dependent upon other meetings.
Below is an outline of the effective dates for some of the newly adopted legislation.
Typical Effective Date
In the United States, legislation adopted by the General Conference goes into effect January 1 of the year following the General Conference, January 1, 2025.
Central Conferences adopt legislation a little later. According to the Book of Discipline, in any central conference "using a language other than English, legislation passed by a General Conference shall not take effect until 18 months after the close of that General Conference." In English-speaking central conferences, legislation does not take effect until the central conference convenes and publishes their decisions on rejecting, adopting, or amending any General Conference actions they are allowed to adapt.
- Revised Social Principles
- Budget
- Deacons and sacraments
- Young People’s Ministries becoming Young People’s Connectional Network
- New Retirement plan for US clergy serving local churches – Legislation effective January 1, 2025. New plan goes into effect January 1, 2026
Constitutional Amendments in Need of Ratification
Amendments to the Constitution of The United Methodist Church must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the General Conference, and then must be ratified by a “two-thirds affirmative vote of the aggregate number of members of the several annual conferences present and voting.” The following were approved by General Conference and are awaiting ratification which is expected in the spring of 2026.
- Worldwide Regionalization – Includes amendments to 28 paragraphs of the constitution
- Racial Justice (¶5) Article V - “The United Methodist Church commits to confronting and eliminating all forms of racism, racial inequity, colonialism, white privilege, and white supremacy, in every facet of its life and in society at large.”
- Include 'gender' and 'ability' (¶4) - “All persons without regard to race, gender, ability, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection.”
- Edit of the educational requirements for voting privileges to elect clergy delegates to General Conference (¶35)
Effective now
Some approved legislation contains language that made it effective at the close of General Conference, or in one case immediately upon adoption.
Preparations for Worldwide Regionalization
- Creation of a US Regional Committee
- Enabling an interim US Legislative Committee
Human sexuality
- Removal of ban of same-sex weddings
- Changes to chargeable offenses: returning the wording of the first chargeable offense to its pre-2004 version
- Removal of ordination ban (came into effect immediately upon adoption)
- Removal of funding restrictions concerning LGBTQ+ ministries and advocacy
Other effective dates
Some legislation is not able to go into effect until other meetings occur.
- The departure of 4 Eurasian conferences into an autonomous Methodist church is expected to occur in 2025, per a statement from Bishop Eduard Khegay.
- Full Communion with The Episcopal Church upon approval by The Episcopal Church which is not expected until 2027.
- Two additional bishops in Africa – One additional bishop will be elected at each of the upcoming sessions of the Africa and Congo Central Conferences.
- US Bishops to 32 – General Conference recommended that no new elections occur at 2024 Jurisdictional Conferences. Instead, current bishops would be assigned to cover two vacancies in the Western Jurisdiction and one vacancy in the Northeastern Jurisdiction. These would take effect September 1, 2024.