Worldwide Regionalization Moved Forward by General Conference

Today the General Conference passed legislation that aims to give The United Methodist Church’s different geographic regions equal standing. That includes voting 586 to 164 for an amendment to the denomination’s constitution that will now go before Annual Conferences for ratification.

The constitutional amendment required at least a two-thirds vote in favor of adoption by the General Conference, which it more than achieved.

"It has been a long journey towards this day," said Rev. Dr. Byron Thomas, North Georgia Conference delegation chair. "I believe that I not only express the sentiments of our delegation but the delegates from around the world who voted in favor of Worldwide Regionalization, that it has been worth it to be part of this historic day within The United Methodist Church. I believe this represents a next faithful step within the life of our church in moving us towards a church that more reflects the body of Christ. I could not be more proud to be part of those who voted along with so many others in favor of this proposal."

While much of Thursday was scheduled for legislative committee work, the members of the General Conference suspended their rules to continue in plenary session to hear and vote on the report from the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters. Four other components of this work were also passed this morning via the consent agenda. 

The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters had unanimously approved the proposed legislation that it brought before the body of the General Conference today. 

"Worldwide Regionalization has the potential to create greater unity across the United Methodist denomination while offering flexibility that opens up space for the next generation of United Methodists to be 'the church' in exciting and new ways," said Lee Highsmith, a lay delegate who participated in several conversations about General Conference legislation in her district before coming to Charlotte. 

Under the plan, the seven current central conferences and the U.S. would become United Methodist regional conferences with the same duties and powers to pass legislation for greater missional impact in their respective regions. The regionalization proposal aims to address what many United Methodists see as a longstanding problem limiting the denomination’s missional effectiveness — namely, that the church in the U.S. and the central conferences have unequal standing in decision-making.

“The shift from central conference to regional conference is a recognition of the maturity of the current central conferences, which were once mission points of the then missionary-sending churches in the U.S.,” Bishop Mande Muyombo, Connectional Table chair, said earlier. “No region can claim to be the center and others the peripheries. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ remains the center of God’s mission.”