U.S. Delegate Responds to Concerns About General Conference Logistics

by

Special to United Methodist Insight

The upcoming 2024 General Conference of the United Methodist Church brings our denomination to a critical juncture. The persistent challenges faced by delegates from our Central Conferences, particularly in Africa, highlight a systemic issue that requires urgent attention.

Let me be clear. It is unacceptable that a significant percentage of our delegates from our Central Conferences will be absent due to foreseen logistical challenges securing visas. What’s even more unacceptable, however, is that this issue is not a deviation from historic norms; this has been a problem that has plagued General Conference in years past. These challenges have kept these vital members of our body out time and time again, and, as Paul reminds us, when one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers.

And so, I join my siblings from United Methodist Africa Forum (UMAF) and the Africa Voice of Unity in their profound lament. The solutions they have so graciously offered to these problems for future General Conferences must be taken seriously.

The disruptions caused by COVID-19 have laid bare the inadequacies of what was once considered "normal."

"Normal" led us to a world unprepared for a deadly pandemic.

"Normal" led our church to adopt the radical, so-called Traditional Plan.

"Normal" brought us General Conference after General Conference excluding a significant percentage of delegates from our Central Conferences. All the "global" assemblies were dominated by conversations that only affected or pertained to United Methodists in the United States.

“Normal” has perpetuated exclusion at the highest levels of our church governance structure. This is not merely an administrative failure, it’s a moral one, reflecting our sinful and brutal legacy of colonialism, white supremacy, and homophobia.

Our United Methodist Church cannot afford “normal” any longer. We're at crossroads. As we witness calls from leaders across our Central Conferences, including the impassioned pleas from UMAF, Africa Voice of Unity, and the Philippines Central Conference College of Bishops, there is a clear directive for change.

The proposal for worldwide regionalization coming from our Central Conference leaders who are on the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters presents a pivotal opportunity to repair historic harms. It offers substantive changes that reflect the rich tapestry of our worldwide United Methodist connection. It would have the General Conference follow in the self-emptying, kenotic, way of Christ—who is the head of the universal Church—and freely pour out its power upon the whole church rather than wielding it like a cudgel and imposing its will upon the body.

Regionalization will provide a framework where all corners of our church have equal access to live out our common faith, shared historic doctrines, and reflect the all-encompassing love of our One Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the ways that the Holy Spirit nudges towards sanctification in particular contexts.

And so it is all the more concerning that there is continued resistance to worldwide regionalization by some U.S. caucus groups. Those who say they will stand against this necessary paradigmatic shift and hold it hostage to advance their own financial agendas do so at the risk of plunging our church back into a normalcy riddled with the same toxic, colonialist behaviors that the UMC must overcome.

This is a moment to redefine what our “normal” should look like—a United Methodist Church that is inclusive, equitable, and reflective of its worldwide membership. I echo the calls from my beloved siblings across our Central Conferences in their call for enacting worldwide regionalization. Our worldwide church must move beyond the U.S. concerns that have dominated past conferences so that it can embrace a future where every United Methodist, regardless of geographic origin, has an equal say in the affairs of our Church.

The United Methodist Church after 2024 must be better than normal.

Ian Carlos Urriola is a lay delegate to the 2024 General Conference for the United Methodists of Upper New York in the Northeastern Jurisdiction. This article represents only the author's views and not those of the United Methodists of Upper New York or its General/Jurisdictional Conference Delegation.