Commission on the General Conference
The United Methodist Church
For Immediate Release
October 31, 2024
Commission on the General Conference prepares for leadership change
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – As the calendar prepares to turn to November, the Commission on the General Conference is transitioning leadership as they forge ahead in preparation for the next session in 2028. The Rev. Gary Graves will conclude his service as the secretary of the General Conference this week and pass on the responsibilities to The Rev. Dr. Aleze Fulbright, the incumbent secretary elected during the 2020/2024 General Conference meeting.
Graves has served as the secretary since his election in 2016. However, his overall service to General Conference spans 30 years. An elder in the Kentucky Annual Conference, Graves began his service to the General Conference as a volunteer for the 1992 General Conference in Louisville. He later went onto serve as the interim petition secretary for the 1996 and 2000 meetings and then full petition secretary at the 2004 session.
As Secretary of the General Conference, Graves helped guide the Commission through 2019’s special session in St. Louis, multiple pandemic-driven postponements, host city change and other obstacles that ultimately culminated in the 2020/2024 General Conference meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was instrumental in navigating the complex legalities surrounding the shift from Minneapolis.
“I am happy to have been able to serve God and The United Methodist Church in this unique ministry role, especially through this particular moment in our shared history. I value the friends and colleagues with whom I have worked and thank them for their support and collaboration. These relationships have helped shape me and will continue to be important to me in the years of ministry and life yet to come,” shared Graves. “I especially want to thank Carolyn Marshall and Gere Reist who served as Secretary of the General Conference in the years before me. Their examples and friendship are gifts beyond measure. And it goes without saying that our families are there, right beside us, throughout everything we experience, so thank you to them, especially my wife, Jennifer.”
Fulbright who is officially assuming the role of the secretary of the General Conference noted that “The Rev. Gary Graves has been a faithful servant to The UMC and we invite members to join with the Commission in praying for him as he enters this new season of life and ministry. Building upon this legacy, I’m honored for the opportunity to be part of this life of our Church, as we seek to live into the possibilities and plan our future General Conference meetings that connects the mission, ministry, and business of The UMC.”
The first meeting of the new Commission on the General Conference members will take place November 19-21 in Charlotte, North Carolina as they begin the planning process for the next quadrennial event.
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About General Conference
General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church, which meets once every four years. The conference can revise church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs.
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