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Looking Ahead to General Conference 2024
Dear Centenary Family,
The General Conference of the United Methodist Church is set to meet in Charlotte, NC, April 23-May 3.
As some of you may know, the General Conference is the only entity that can speak on behalf of the whole United Methodist church. It does this through legislation that is passed at General Conference every four years and then codified in our Book of Discipline. Covid has disrupted the regular schedule of General Conference so this particular meeting is especially significant.
Like any legislative body, the issues dealt with and the process through which those issues are considered can be complex, mundane, and often arcane. I’d like to call your attention to three issues that are of significance at this General Conference, particularly for a Reconciling Congregation like ours that longs for our church to become fully inclusive.
Those issues are: 1) Removal of the harmful language in the Book of Discipline that restricts the full participation of LGBTQ+ persons in the life of the church. 2) Worldwide Regionalization which would allow United Methodists in different parts of the world to adapt the Book of Discipline to their unique contexts. 3) Revising our Social Principles so that harmful, exclusionary language regarding LGBTQ+ persons is removed.
A group within our Annual Conference called Virginia Methodists for a New Thing does a wonderful job curating news and resources for congregations and individuals interested in an inclusive United Methodist Church. I commend their most recent publication to you as a very good place to start gathering information about the 2024 General Conference:
Three Key Priorities for General Conference
The Virginia Annual Conference has put together some excellent resources for a more comprehensive view of how General Conference operates and what will take place at this year’s General Conference. I invite you to browse through these resources and look at the videos that interest you and learn more about the important issues facing General Conference as well as information about the way General Conference relates to the larger structure of the United Methodist Church.
General Conference 2024 | VAUMC
Conversation about General Conference April 14, 11:30 a.m. (following worship)
I want to invite you to join us in the social hall for a conversation Sunday, April 14, at 11:30am, following worship. Rev. Dr. Pat Shipley will lead us in a conversation helping us understand some of the key issues facing General Conference 2024.
In the midst of the challenges we face in our world and as a church I take great comfort in knowing that the Centenary family is very clear about who we are and aspire to be in days to come as expressed in our Reconciling Statement:
Centenary United Methodist Church is a Reconciling Congregation, extending hospitality and encouraging full participation of all, regardless of age, race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, educational or economic background, and physical or mental ability.
I’m so grateful to be on this journey with all of you!
Peace,
Matt
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