General Conference

At General Conference, the Worldwide Regionalization Plan submitted by the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters was approved. One of the eight petitions in the package of legislation contained constitutional amendments that must now be ratified by annual conferences. The Standing Committee is also tasked with developing a truly global Book of Discipline, called the General Book of Discipline. Feedback on the draft is welcome through 2024. 

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As the international mission, humanitarian relief and development organization of The United Methodist Church, Global Ministries connects congregations, conferences, organizations and individuals to extend their mission outreach.

Global Ministries submitted the following petitions to General Conference and they all passed with overwhelming majority in committee that were then formally approved on consent calendars by full plenary action.

Many thanks to the delegates to General Conference who helped craft, review and pass this legislation.

Due to change of circumstances since 2019, Global Ministries and the Council of Bishops intend to submit a joint request to the Committee on Reference to withdraw the two petitions below that they jointly submitted in 2019. These two petitions are currently assigned to the Committee on Higher Ed and Superintendency, identified in the petition numbers as “hs.”

PETITION NUMBER 20645: Delete “Autonomous Methodist Church” Category and Replace with More Precise Terms 
ADCA pages 991-992; Online ADCA page 407

PETITION NUMBER 20651: Affiliated Methodist Churches
ADCA pages 962-964; Online ADCA, page 378

Global Ministries submitted five pending non-disciplinary petitions to continue for another quadrennium the work of the Asian American Language Plan, Korean Ministry Plan, National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministries, Pacific Islander Plan, and Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries.

PETITION NUMBER 20534: The UMC Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries 
ADCA page 705

PETITION NUMBER 20535: Pacific Islander Ministry Plan 
ADCA page 705

PETITION NUMBER 20536: National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministries 
ADCA page 705

The National Plan is requesting that agency administration of the Plan be transferred from Global Ministries to the General Commission on Religion and Race. See page 1538 of the Supplemental Report of the NPHLM Plan contained in Global Ministries’ August 1, 2023 Supplemental Report to General Conference found in Vol III of the ADCA pages 1531-1538. Global Ministries does not object to the administrative transfer.

PETITION NUMBER 29537: Korean Ministry Plan 
ADCA pages 705-706

PETITION NUMBER 20538: Asian-American Language Ministry Plan 
ADCA page 706

PETITION NUMBER 20633: Religious Freedom: Grounded in Love 
ADCA pages 721-723; Online ADCA pages 137-139

This resolution petition calls for an end to violence and persecution of others because of their religious beliefs or affiliations. Rooted in scripture and grounded in the biblical mandate of love, respect, and dignity, rather than the traditional political theory or human rights rubric of other resolutions on this subject, this petition emphasizes the value of diverse religious beliefs and affiliations and affirms the importance of religious dialogue.

PETITION NUMBER 20548: The Church and Deaf Ministries Steering Committee
ADCA page 706; Online ADCA page 124

PETITION NUMBER 20547: A Covenant to Care: Recognizing and Responding to the Many Faces of HIV and AIDS in the USA 
ADCA pages 709-713; Online ADCA page 125

PETITION NUMBER 20546: The Church and the Global HIV and AIDS Pandemic 
ADCA pages 713-717

PETITION NUMBER 20545: United States-China Political Relations 
ADCA page 717

PETITION NUMBER 20544: Seeking Peace in Afghanistan 
ADCA pages 717-721

Global Ministries submitted petitions to readopt “As Is” the 10 resolutions listed below, with a rationale indicating Global Ministries wants to preserve these resolutions (which would otherwise have automatically sunset) for consideration and potential action at a future general conference.

RESOLUTION 3063: Resourcing Black Churches in Urban Communities
Petition Number 20800
VOL. 3, ADCA page 30

RESOLUTION 3065: Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr Day
Petition Number 20801
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 30

RESOLUTION 3109: Volunteers in Mission 
Petition Number 20804
VOL. 3 ADCA page 30

RESOLUTION 3124: The Church’s Response to Ethnic and Religious Conflict
Petition Number 20805
VOL. 3 ADCA page 31

RESOLUTION 4051: The United Methodist Church, Food, Justice, and World Hunger 
Petition Number 20763
VOL. 3 ADCA page 1194; Online version page 12

RESOLUTION 6038: Global Migration and the Quest for Justice 
Petition Number 20854
VOL. 3 ADCA page 71

RESOLUTION 6031: Holy Land Tours 
Petition Number 20855
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 71

RESOLUTION 6081: Africa Growth and Redevelopment 
Petition Number 20864
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 76

Resolution 6101: Haiti Reconstruction and Development 
Petition Number 20866
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 77

RESOLUTION 6147: The Abolition of Torture
Petition Number 20871
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 78