Delegates Begin General Conference Legislative Work

4/24/2024

PHOTO GALLERY

On Wednesday, the 14 General Conference legislative committees convened. Much of this week’s work is centered around these committees as they review the more than 1,000 petitions before them.

The first order of business was for each legislative committee to elect a chair, vice-chair, and secretary. Then, if the legislative committee votes to have subcommittees, chairs would be elected for those.

UMC.org explains the legislative committees this way:

Petitions are numbered and grouped by subject matter or the Book of Discipline section they address (missions, finance, local church, etc.) then assigned to legislative committees. The number of legislative committees at the 2024 gathering was increased from 12 to 14. The goal is to more evenly distribute the workload and meet the requirement that all submitted petitions receive a vote in committee.

A legislative committee votes to accept, accept with amendments, reject, or refer the various petitions.

Every delegate serves on a legislative committee and spends much of the first week of General Conference focusing on the committee’s assignments. These committees make it possible to review and provide recommendations on hundreds of
petitions — something impossible for the full gathering of delegates.

The committee work will continue through Saturday evening when the agenda extends until 9:30 pm.

Every petition accepted (or accepted with amendment) by legislative committees will be placed on the plenary session agenda for discussion and a vote the week of Monday, April 29. 

North Georgia's delegation is serving on

Church and Society 1 
All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the General Board of Church and Society and the Social Principles, with the exception of paragraphs in the Book of Discipline dealing with “The Nurturing Community” (Par. 161), “The Social Community” (Par. 162) and “The World Community” (Par. 165) 

  • Nora Colmenares

Church and Society 2 
All petitions and resolutions relating to “The Nurturing Community” and “The Social Community” sections of the Social Principles

  • Beth LaRocca-Pitts
  • Odell Horne 

Church and Society 3
All petitions and resolutions relating to “The World Community” of the Social Principles

  • Eric Lee

Conferences 
All petitions and resolutions relating to the composition and activities of General, jurisdictional, annual, provisional, missionary and district conferences, as well as missions — including jurisdictional, annual and district connectional ministries or equivalent

  • Alice Rogers
  • Lee Highsmith

Discipleship 
All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of Discipleship Ministries.

  • Maxine Easom 

Faith & Order
All petitions relating to the work and concerns of the Committee on Faith and Order, the Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task, the Ministry of All Christians, and the Meaning of Ordination and Conference Membership

  • Jasmine Smothers
  • Jay Horton 

Financial Administration 
All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the General Council on Finance and Administration, the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (Wespath) and the United Methodist Publishing House. The budget and recommendations prepared by GCFA are submitted to this committee for study and review. When GCFA presents its report to the General Conference for action, the committee presents its recommendations and may propose amendments

  • Phil Schroeder
  • Randy Brown
  • Amy King 

General Administration 
All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the Connectional Table. The Connectional Table report is submitted to this committee for study and review

  • Byron Thomas

Global Ministries
All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the General Board of Global Ministries.

  • Rachel Fullerton 

Higher Ed/Superintendency 
All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and schools of theology. In addition, the work and concerns of superintendency, the Council of Bishops Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships, including autonomous and affiliated autonomous Methodist churches, affiliated united churches and concordat relationships, and membership or relationship to the World Methodist Council, Councils and Consultations of Churches, and the American Bible Society.

  • Joya Abrams  

Independent Commissions
All petitions and resolutions relating to commissions on Archives and History, Communication, Office of Deaconess and Home Missioner, Religion and Race, Status and Role of Women, United Methodist Men, and United Women in Faith

  • Tonya Murphy 

Judicial Administration
All petitions and resolutions relating to judiciary concerns, including the Judicial Council, investigations, church trials and appeals

  • Terry Walton
  • Beth Corrie 

Local Church
All petitions and resolutions relating to the organization of the local church and its membership, programs, boards, councils, commissions and committees. The committee also considers petitions relating to local church property

  • Dalton Rushing
  • Nate Abrams 

Ordained Ministry
All petitions and resolutions relating to the work and concerns of ordained ministry

  • Shannon Karafonda

News