GC Commission 2018
The Commission on the General Conference met in Des Moines, Iowa on May 10-11, 2018. Photo by Art McClanahan.
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Commission on the General Conference has voted to utilize registration fees in order to make up a $700,000 budget shortfall to cover the costs of the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference—expected to be $3.7 million. The other $3,000,000 is being funded by the General Council on Finance and Administration from various funds under its supervision.
Moses Kumar, General Secretary and Treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration advised the Commission that it was its decision whether to cut the budget or raise income from another source to cover the difference. Unlike the regular session of General Conference, there are no significant sponsorship opportunities to offset the costs – and no additional money was apportioned by the 2016 General Conference for this purpose.
The Commission on the General Conference made the decision to charge registration fees, which it anticipates will make up the additional funding needed. “After much discussion, registration fees seemed like the best alternative,” said Duncan McMillan, Commission chair. “This was a difficult decision because we want the event to be fully accessible to all who want to participate.” McMillan said that free live streaming of the General Conference would be available.
The $3.7 million figure includes $500,000 for translation and interpretation services, $212,000 for the Daily Christian Advocate and petitions software, and $610,000 for facility expenses. The biggest expense, however, is $2.2 million for delegate expenses, including travel, housing and per diem. The Commission considered the possibility of reducing the per diem, but that would cover only a fraction of the needed funds.
The Commission has undertaken a number of cost-cutting measures, including decreasing the Commission's meeting costs, negotiating significant savings in meeting expenses and implementing efficiencies to reduce travel costs. Requiring all delegates to make housing arrangements through the business manager’s office will result in substantial sales tax savings. Many of the general agencies are also providing their services at their own cost.
The fees range up to $300, with a discount for early registration. Delegates will not be charged a registration fee, and annual conferences may bring up to three clergy reserves and three lay reserves with no registration fee.
The special session will be held February 23-26, 2019 at The Dome in America’s Center, located in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Commission on the General Conference, meeting this week in Des Moines, has announced that the 2019 special session of the General Conference will be held in The Dome, part of the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis. The meeting of The United Methodist Church’s top policy-making body will be Feb. 23-26, 2019.
The Dome has been the site of numerous religious conventions, including the Billy Graham Crusade and what may have been the largest indoor gathering in U.S. history, when Pope John Paul II held mass for more than 104,000 in 1999. The multi-purpose stadium, former home of the St. Louis Rams, also has hosted the General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In additional news at the Spring meeting of the Commission on the General Conference, Sara Hotchkiss, General Conference business manager, announced that United Methodist Communications, “in an effort to support the important work of the called special session,” will provide all production resources to the February 2019 meeting at no cost to the Commission.
“United Methodist Communications is happy to provide production services to the Commission on the General Conference for the 2019 Special Session from operating reserves. This is one way that we can be good stewards by absorbing these costs for the Commission, understanding that this additional conference was not in the plans when quadrennial budgets were created,” said Dan Krause, general secretary of United Methodist Communications.
The Commission on the General Conference is simultaneously planning for both the 2019 special session and the regular session of the General Conference, which is scheduled for May 5-15, 2020, in Minneapolis.