United Methodist Communications
Office of Public Information
presscenter@umcom.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2016
Nashville, Tennessee: Exploring General Conference, a free online course from United Methodist Communications, is designed to help participants learn more about the official decision-making body of The United Methodist Church and to explore many of the aspects of General Conference in anticipation of the 2016 session.
The course is comprised of five modules, which are designed to take about 30 minutes to complete. Throughout the course, students have the opportunity to engage in interactive activities to dig deeper into understanding aspects of General Conference.
Depending on the amount of additional exploration chosen, users may spend more time in each module, and return to any page, section or activity at any time during the course for review.
Although the course is free of cost, learners are awarded .25 ALLLM CEU upon completion.
Through the five modules, learners will develop an understanding of the following: the history of General Conference, its role and purpose; how delegates are elected to General Conference; delegates’ roles and responsibilities; how petitions, general church budget and other important matters are decided through General Conference; various social issues facing The United Methodist Church and the denomination’s stance on these issues; the highlights of the 2012 General Conference and what’s ahead for the 2016 General Conference.
Cynthia Taylor, a youth group leader from Mount Olive United Methodist Church in Randallstown, Maryland, and also a Baltimore-Washington Conference delegate to the 2016 General Conference, said she found the online course extremely helpful.
“I appreciated learning about how the General Conference operates: the committees, the consent agenda, and the voting process,” she explained. “It was also good to know that there is an orientation for new members. At our most recent Connectional Table, I recommended the course to those present and our bishop asked our director of communications to get the information on our conference website. Thanks much to United Methodist Communications for this comprehensive course.”
Throughout the course, users will have the opportunity to engage in interactive activities and dig deeper into understanding General Conference. Depending upon the amount of additional exploration chosen, more time may be spent in each module. You can return to any page, section or activity at any time during the course to review information.
The Exploring General Conference Course is free and ongoing through June 30, 2016.
For more information, or to sign up for the course, go to http://www.umcom.org/learn/exploring-general-conference.
About General Conference
The General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church, and meets once every four years to determine the denomination's future direction, consider revisions to church law, and approve plans and budgets for church-wide programs. The 2016 meeting will take place May 10-20 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon.
Media contact:
Diane Degnan ddegnan@umcom.org
615.742.5406 (o) 615.483.1765 (c)