General Commission on the General Conference
UMNS Photo by Mike DuBose
Committee on Reference to Meet in January
The Committee on Reference will meet in advance of the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference in order to determine whether petitions submitted by organizations and individuals are in harmony with the call to the special session. Read more
Commission on General Conference Added to Confusion
The Rev. William B. Lawrence, past president of the Judicial Council, contends that the Commission on General Conference shouldn't have considered allegations of GC2019 voter fraud behind closed doors. Read more
Photo by Heather Hahn
Plans Canceled for GC2024 in Philippines
General Conference Commission leaders said the decision was based on the lack of facilities to hold a denomination-wide legislative assembly, which typically draws thousands of delegates and observers. Read more
Advance Daily Christian Advocate Available in Electronic Format
Printed copies of the Advance Daily Christian Advocate should be out by Nov. 26, but an electronic version is now available. Read more
About Those General Conference Registration Fees ...
A decision to charge $200-per-person registration fees for the 2019 General Conference is already having the opposite effect of what the General Conference Commission intended. Read more
Paying for the Special General Conference
How to pay for the 2019 Special General Conference – and how to tone down the anger and mistrust of previous sessions – has challenged the agency charged with running the church-wide policy-making assembly. Read more
Judicial Council to Hold Oral Hearings
Applications by individuals related to unofficial groups seeking to be "interested parties" to the Council of Bishops' request were denied by the Judicial Council, which instead will view them as "friend of the court" briefs. Read more
Photo by Maile Bradfield, UMNS
Constitutional Amendment to Be Revisited
A new ballot on Amendment 1, which failed by half a percentage point of passing, is to be sent out because of an error in the text, says the secretary of the General Conference. Read more
GC2020 Delegate Count Holds Steady
Delegate count and other details of the 2020 General Conference were addressed at the recent meeting of the UMC agency charged with organizing and operating the global lawmaking assembly. Read more
Photo by Heather Hahn, UMNS
Planning the 2019 Special General Conference
Planning and running the called Special General Conference in 2019 has put The United Methodist Church into "uncharted waters," but details are beginning to firm up, say members of the Commission on the General Conference. Read more
Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS
Denial of 2016 General Conference Booth Sparks Protest
The Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank promoting Intelligent Design rather than evolutionary biology, has mounted a protest against the UMC's refusal to let the group exhibit at the 2016 General Conference. Read more
UMNS Photo by Mike DuBose
Setting the Stage for General Conference 2016
Three themes from the Pre-General Conference Briefing point to organizers' effort to shape a more globally equal and more spiritually based 2016 session of The United Methodist Church's worldwide policy-making assembly, writes Cynthia B. Astle. Read more
UMNS File Photo by Kathleen Barry
Leader Responds to Commission's Proposal for Sexuality Debate
The Rev. Steve Clunn, coordinator for the Love Your Neighbor coalition of 11 organizations, outlines his deep concerns about the alternative legislative process on LGBT issues proposed by the General Commission on the General Conference. Read more
UMNS Photo by Mike DuBose
Alternative Process Offered for Sexuality Debate
The Commission on the General Conference is proposing an alternative to the traditional legislative debates, but first it must get the global lawmaking body to approve the plan, reports Heather Hahn of United Methodist News Service. Read more
Petition Going Forward
The United Methodist Commission on the General Conference is proposing to limit the number and kinds of petitions that come before the UMC's global legislative body. Read more
UMNS Photo by Mike DuBose
No Room at the Table for Centrists
The Rev. Bryan Bucher of the United Methodist Centrist Movement contends that those who favor a middle-of-the-road approach to human sexuality and church organization were deliberately snubbed by the Commission on the General Conference. Read more
United Methodist Communications
General Conference to Meet Outside USA in 2024 and 2028
The General Commission on the General Conference has chosen Manila, Philippines and Harare, Zimbabwe as the respective sites for the 2024 and 2028 global legislative sessions, the first time the worldwide body will meet outside the United States. Read more
Reconciling Ministries Network Photo
LGBTQ Leaders Respond to General Conference Commission Meeting
After accepting an invitation to meet with the General Conference commission, LGBTQ leaders issue a response to the meeting. Read more
Screen Capture from UMC.org
Worldwide UMC Nature Website Set Up
The Connectional Table and the General Commission on the General Conference have set up a new website for discussion about the worldwide nature of The United Methodist Church in advance of the 2016 General Conference. Read more