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About General Conference 2019
The Council of Bishops called a Special Session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church held February 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. The purpose was to receive and act on a report from the Commission on a Way Forward based on the recommendations of the Council of Bishops. The 32-member Commission was authorized by General Conference 2016 and appointed by the Council of Bishops to examine paragraphs in The Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and exploring options to strengthen the unity of the church.
Council of Bishops offer video overview of the One Church Model
Several bishops from the United Methodist Council of Bishops offer their thoughts and support of the One Church Plan. The council voted to recommend the One Church Plan as the best way forward for the future of The United Methodist Church. The recommendation is based on the work of the 32-member Commission on a Way Forward.
A number of groups in the Western Jurisdiction have issued statements regarding plans for the Way Forward that will be considered at the 2019 General Conference. Below you will find these statements and their support for the One Church Plan.
General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The General Conference 2020 will take place May 5-15, 2020, at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
About the Commission on the Way Forward
The Commission on a Way Forward was proposed at the 2016 General Conference by the Council of Bishops “to do a complete examination and possible revision of every paragraph of The Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and explore options that help to maintain and strengthen the unity of the church.” The proposal was approved and a 32-member commission was named in October of 2016. You can learn more about their composition, vision, and how they are structuring their work here.
Focus: Commission on a Way Forward
In a series of three short videos produced by the Desert Southwest Conference, Bishop Grant Hagiya of the California-Pacific Conference, and Rev. Donna Pritchard of the Oregon-Idaho Conference share about the work of the Commission on a Way Forward. Both were members of the commission.
The first video talks about the make-up of the commission and how they worked together, the second talks about the commission’s role in creating the three plans before the 2019 General Conference session and the third looks at their hope for the future of The United Methodist Church and the value of staying a people united in ministry and mission.
