Plans in Place to Elect Lay Delegates to Jurisdictional Conference
Candidate Interest Form Now Open
The Conference Board of Laity and the Annual Conference Planning Committee are preparing to hold elections to fill vacancies in the North Georgia delegation to the 2024 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
Background
Due to the pandemic, the 2020 General Conference was postponed and will now meet April 23-May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Judicial Council has ruled that annual conferences may hold elections to fill vacancies in its General Conference delegation due to the lapse in time between election and service.
However, they left the decision on whether an annual conference can fill vacancies in the Jurisdictional Delegation up to the General Conference.
About the Election
"Because of the short timeframe between the General Conference and the North Georgia Annual Conference, it only makes sense to put the plans in place to hold an election in June," said Nate Abrams, Conference Lay Leader. "We hope interested, eligible laity will make themselves available to serve on the delegation, understanding that we do need approval by General Conference to go through with the election."
Information from the Board of Laity and the interest form are available at www.ngumc.org/LayCandidate2024.
Laity and clergy who were elected in 2019 and who remain part of the North Georgia Conference continue to serve on the delegation. (Find the names of those serving on our Delegation at www.ngumc.org/delegation.) While the clergy delegation has had vacancies, those have been filled by alternate clergy delegates. There is not a need for clergy elections in June.
The Board of Laity is preparing to fill 11 vacancies, as well as elect alternates.
In total, the North Georgia Conference is allowed 11 clergy and 11 lay delegates to General Conference and an additional 11 clergy and 11 lay delegates to complete the Jurisdictional Conference delegation. Alternate clergy and lay delegates to the Jurisdictional Conference also serve on the delegation.
Serving as a Jurisdictional Conference Delegate
The purpose of the Jurisdictional Conference is to coordinate the connected ministry and mission of this region and to elect and assign bishops for leadership in the church. The 2024 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference will meet July 10-13, 2024, at Lake Junaluska in North Carolina.
Eligibility to serve on the delegation is set by the Book of Discipline:
“The lay delegates to the General and Jurisdictional or central conferences shall be elected by the lay members of the annual conference or provisional annual conference without regard to age, provided such delegates shall have been professing members of The United Methodist Church for at least two years next preceding their election, and shall have been active participants in The United Methodist Church for at least four years next preceding their election, and are members thereof within the annual conference electing them at the time of holding the General and Jurisdictional or Central Conferences.”
- Paragraph 36, Article V, 2016 Book of Discipline
The interest form is available from April 15 to May 15 at www.ngumc.org/LayCandidate2024.