Photo by Maidstone Mulenga
Small Groups Way Forward
Members of the Commission on a Way Forward hold discussions in small groups during their meeting in Washington, D.C., April 6-8, where they began to consider possible outcomes of the task entrusted to them by General Conference. (Photo by Maidstone Mulenga)
WASHINGTON – The Commission on a Way Forward will convene in Chicago July 19-21 to continue its work concerning human sexuality and exploring options for the future of The United Methodist Church on the issue.
This will be the fourth meeting of the 32-member Commission, which was appointed by the Council of Bishops to assist the bishops in discerning a way forward.
After the last meeting in April in Washington, D.C., members indicated that were leaning toward a simpler structure with clearer processes for decision-making and accountability for the UMC in its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Conversations at that meeting showed a commitment to finding a way forward that honors the complexity of the global denomination and the unity of a shared faith in Christ. Since that time, the Commission members have received input from several advocacy and renewal groups who have a strong interest in the outcome and from general boards and agencies of the church. Members of the commission have also received survey results from constituents such as large-church pastors and seminary students.
During annual conference sessions, members of the commission made presentations and hosted discussions on the work of the commission, and a video capturing the commission at work was shown.
In preparation for the July meeting, the team has started to prepare an initial draft plan for review at the July meeting. The commission’s ultimate assignment is to present its report to the Council of Bishops for action at the Special Session of General Conference set for Feb. 23-26, 2019, in St. Louis, Mo., USA.
As part of sharing information, the moderators; Bishops Ken Carter, Sandra Steiner Ball and David Yemba, will be issuing a moderators’ statement just before the start of the meeting.
The 32-member Commission on a Way Forward was appointed by the Council of Bishops to assist the bishops in their charge from the 2016 General Conference to lead the church forward amid the present impasse related to human sexuality and resulting questions about the unity of the church. For more information on the Commission on a Way Forward, visit umc.org/wayforward (http://umc.org/wayforward).
Follow the Commission’s work via social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/umcforward/ (http://www.facebook.com/umcforward/)
Twitter: @UMCForward (http://twitter.com/UMCforward)
Instagram: www.instagram.com/umcforward/
(http://www.instagram.com/umcforward/)
The Rev. Maidstone Mulenga, Director of Communications for the Council of Bishops, and Diane Degnan, Director of Public Relations for United Methodist Communications contributed to this report.