Today, I sat in on the first day of the last week of The General Conference of the United Methodist Church 2020/2024. Last week, delegates spent time in Legislative Committees pouring over nearly 1200 petitions. Much work has been passed out of committee and passed on the floor via consent calendar; notably, many petitions relating to “regionalization” of our church passed with little resistance.

Today began with worship which featured the commissioning of Deaconesses and Home Missioners, two orders of lay service within our church. Bishop Karen Oliveto preached and presided, sharing some great stories from the work of deaconesses in old west Montana. She also coined a phrase “self-avowed, practicing Methonerd.” Aside from just being a cheerful presence, Bishop Oliveto called the entire conference into a life of loving service. As the candidates were being commissioned, I found myself deeply moved by the leaps of faith they were taking: not leaps of blissful ignorance, but eyes-wode-open service to a broken and hurting world. Bishop lamented how people of privilege (whether economic, racial, or other privileges) often fail to see the image of God in the downtrodden and the oppressed because they spend too little time getting to know them. I felt the ping of conviction on that one!

In the first plenary, the Conference heard a report from the Ethics Committee who had received a complaint regarding a delegate who was also an active leader in the Global Methodist Church. The Ethics Committee concluded that the leader technically committed no explicit rule violations. Still, they likened his behavior to poaching players from another team, finding the whole matter ‘highly unethical’.

Much of the day was consumed in a long debate over how many Bishops are needed in Central Africa. General Conference in 2016 concluded that they needed 5, but an amended ruling reduced it. Our new financial straights further complicates the matter, although more than one delegate wondered aloud if it’s time for Africa to pay it’s own leadership and not rely on the US churches. Ultimately the original petition passed with slight amendment. But it was an eye-opening look into the competing realities of the church across the connection.

We also just heard several reports. We celebrated the 35 anniversary of Africa University and the presenters gave a wonderful look into the ‘return on investment’ the church has made in Africa. It made me wonder what it would mean for the UMC to make similar educational initiative in all other continents? We heard also from General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and their work calling young people into ministry through Exploration, supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities and supporting 13 UM seminaries. We heard a report from the Abundant Health program of the GBGM.

The biggest report was from our benefits agency, Wespath. The executive director spoke about the new pension plan, much of which passed through content calendar. He explained about the principles the agency utilizes to balance fiduciary responsibilities toward their beneficiaries and the ethical standards of the church.

The final report was from our Credentialing Team. These are the folks that register delegates from all over the world. They have had a many obstacles since these delegates were first elected in 2018. A global pandemic plus disaffiliations confused the already-difficult task. Ultimately, the Credentialing Team explained the several reasons several Central Conference delegations were incomplete. There are even people still traveling, with 7 of the 11 days already complete. It seemed like an impossible task to me.

On a personal note, I saw some folks from West Virginia Annual Conference and even finally met a friend of a friend who I’ve only ever seen on Facebook. Usually, my introversion really kicks in at conferencing events and I get really anxious. But today, the atmosphere was really respectful and relaxed. There was easy humor throughout the day and even the dramatic moments were dealt with gracefully. Mom and I finally grabbed dinner a bit late and we have an early start tomorrow morning. As I sit here all tired, I remain grateful for the United Methodist Church.