Bishop David Bard has issued a call for a special session of the Michigan Annual Conference to consider sending legislation on the “Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation” to the 2020 General Conference in May, according to an announcement on the conference website. Forwarding late legislation to General Conference is permitted by United Methodist Book of Discipline, Paragraph 507.6.
“The special session will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2020, 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm at Goodrich Chapel on the campus of Albion College in Albion, Michigan. Albion College is a United Methodist-affiliated institution,” the announcement says.
According to Michigan Conference rules, legislation sent to General Conference can’t be amended, meaning that whatever legislation is crafted to enact the Protocol would be forwarded without changes. Revising proposed church-wide legislation is the job of General Conference delegates.
The announcement quoted 2020 Michigan Delegation Co-Chair Laura Witkowski: “I believe the Holy Spirit was at work within the Mediation Team, and we cannot ignore the difficult work they did together. The Protocol deserves to be addressed by the General Conference and the Michigan Conference can help make that happen. We are not the body to determine the final outcome of the Protocol, we are the vehicle to get it to the table.”
Bishop Thomas Bickerton of New York, a member of the General Commission on the General Conference and one of the Protocol negotiators, said four annual conferences had notified the commission that they intended to hold special sessions. However, Bishop Bickerton didn't specify the annual conferences.
Media Mentions as of Feb. 5, 2020
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ND United Methodist Church discusses possible split over LGBTQ rules – KX NEWS
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