General Conference
Postponed General Conference 2020 Legislation
For centuries, mission has helped to propel the Methodist movement around the world. Today, the Spirit of God is moving the church into a new mission age.
As the international mission, humanitarian relief and development organization of The United Methodist Church, Global Ministries works with partners and churches in more than 115 countries to equip and transform people and places for God’s mission.
Global Ministries connects congregations, conferences, other organizations and individuals to extend their mission outreach by sending missionaries, supporting evangelism and church revitalization, providing humanitarian relief led by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), and improving the health of communities around the world.
To continue equipping United Methodists world-wide to participate in God’s mission, Global Ministries submitted the following Petitions in 2019 and 2023 to the upcoming General Conference.
The 2019 petitions appear in Vol 2, Section 2 of the printed ADCA, and Vol 2, Section 2 of the online ADCA; The 2023 resolution petitions appear in Vol 3, Sections 1, 2 and 3 of Church & Society, identified in the petition numbers as “CA”, “CB”, and “CC.”
Petitions Submitted August 2019
A. BOOK OF DISCIPLINE PETITIONS
Due to change of circumstances since 2019, Global Ministries and the Council of Bishops intend to submit a joint request to the Committee on Reference to withdraw the two petitions below that they jointly submitted in 2019. These two petitions are currently assigned to the Committee on Higher Ed and Superintendency, identified in the petition numbers as “hs.”
PETITION NUMBER 20645: Delete “Autonomous Methodist Church” Category and Replace with More Precise Terms
ADCA pages 991-992; Online ADCA page 407
PETITION NUMBER 20651: Affiliated Methodist Churches
ADCA pages 962-964; Online ADCA, page 378
B. NON-DISCIPLINARY PETITIONS
Global Ministries submitted five pending non-disciplinary petitions to continue for another quadrennium the work of the Asian American Language Plan, Korean Ministry Plan, National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministries, Pacific Islander Plan, and Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries.
PETITION NUMBER 20534: The UMC Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries
ADCA page 705
PETITION NUMBER 20535: Pacific Islander Ministry Plan
ADCA page 705
PETITION NUMBER 20536: National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministries
ADCA page 705
The National Plan is requesting that agency administration of the Plan be transferred from Global Ministries to the General Commission on Religion and Race. See page 1538 of the Supplemental Report of the NPHLM Plan contained in Global Ministries’ August 1, 2023 Supplemental Report to General Conference found in Vol III of the ADCA pages 1531-1538. Global Ministries does not object to the administrative transfer.
PETITION NUMBER 29537: Korean Ministry Plan
ADCA pages 705-706
PETITION NUMBER 20538: Asian-American Language Ministry Plan
ADCA page 706
c. RESOLUTION PETITIONS
PETITION NUMBER 20633: Religious Freedom: Grounded in Love
ADCA pages 721-723; Online ADCA pages 137-139
This resolution petition calls for an end to violence and persecution of others because of their religious beliefs or affiliations. Rooted in scripture and grounded in the biblical mandate of love, respect, and dignity, rather than the traditional political theory or human rights rubric of other resolutions on this subject, this petition emphasizes the value of diverse religious beliefs and affiliations and affirms the importance of religious dialogue.
PETITION NUMBER 20548: The Church and Deaf Ministries Steering Committee
ADCA page 706; Online ADCA page 124
PETITION NUMBER 20547: A Covenant to Care: Recognizing and Responding to the Many Faces of HIV and AIDS in the USA
ADCA pages 709-713; Online ADCA page 125
PETITION NUMBER 20546: The Church and the Global HIV and AIDS Pandemic
ADCA pages 713-717
PETITION NUMBER 20545: United States-China Political Relations
ADCA page 717
PETITION NUMBER 20544: Seeking Peace in Afghanistan
ADCA pages 717-721
PETITIONS SUBMITTED AUGUST 2023
Global Ministries submitted petitions to readopt “As Is” the 10 resolutions listed below, with a rationale indicating Global Ministries wants to preserve these resolutions (which would otherwise have automatically sunset) for consideration and potential action at a future general conference.
RESOLUTION 3063: Resourcing Black Churches in Urban Communities
Petition Number 20800
VOL. 3, ADCA page 30
RESOLUTION 3065: Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr Day
Petition Number 20801
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 30
RESOLUTION 3109: Volunteers in Mission
Petition Number 20804
VOL. 3 ADCA page 30
RESOLUTION 3124: The Church’s Response to Ethnic and Religious Conflict
Petition Number 20805
VOL. 3 ADCA page 31
RESOLUTION 4051: The United Methodist Church, Food, Justice, and World Hunger
Petition Number 20763
VOL. 3 ADCA page 1194; Online version page 12
RESOLUTION 6038: Global Migration and the Quest for Justice
Petition Number 20854
VOL. 3 ADCA page 71
RESOLUTION 6031: Holy Land Tours
Petition Number 20855
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 71
RESOLUTION 6081: Africa Growth and Redevelopment
Petition Number 20864
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 76
Resolution 6101: Haiti Reconstruction and Development
Petition Number 20866
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 77
RESOLUTION 6147: The Abolition of Torture
Petition Number 20871
VOL. 3 ADCA, page 78