news stories Tagged “General Conference 2016”
Green light for new hymnal project
May 18, 2016 / By Sam Hodges
The United Methodist Church is on track to get its first new hymnal since 1989, and this one will be Internet-cloud based and print-on-demand — the first high-tech hymnal for a mainline denomination. General Conference 2016 approved on a consent calendar Tuesday, May 17, a petition authorizing the creation of a 15-member Hymnal Revision Committee. That was the big green light needed for the United Methodist Publishing House and Discipleship Ministries to move …more
Conference pleads with bishops for leadership
May 18, 2016 / By Kathy L. Gilbert and Sam Hodges
Delegates asked the Council of Bishops to lead the church out of the “painful condition” it is in after an address by Bishop Bruce Ough that called for unity but did not address full inclusion of LGBTQ people. The Rev. Mark Holland, a delegate from Great Plains, said the May 17 call for unity did not provide a path forward. He asked the Council of Bishops to meet today …more
Term limits for bishops fail at GC2016
May 18, 2016 / By Sam Hodges
Term limits for United Methodist bishops got strong support in a vote at General Conference 2016, but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to change the church constitution. The vote on May 17 was 482 in favor of term limits and 332 opposed. The Association of Annual Conference Lay leaders introduced the petition, arguing that lifetime tenure for bishops in the United States “inevitably invites abuse of power and creates a mistrust …more
May 17 Wrap-up Schism rumors quashed
May 18, 2016 / By Joey Butler
General Conference 2016 may have started off slowly, but it’s full steam ahead now. On a day with a full docket, delegates considered whether to give $20 million to a group of church growth consultants, whether to eliminate lifetime tenures for U.S. bishops and whether it’s time to create a new hymnal. All that while the Council of Bishops president said the bishops are committed to church …more
Clergy-related petitions pass GC2016
May 17, 2016 / By United Methodist News Service (UMNS)
A few petitions affecting United Methodist clergy either were approved by General Conference 2016 or are highly likely to be, having made it onto the consent calendar. But a renewed effort that would have begun the process to remove the constitutional bar to end guaranteed appointment for ordained elders failed in committee, as did an “early ordination” petition. Many petitions dealing with clergy came from the …more
GC2016 Celebrates Africa University
May 17, 2016 / By United Methodist News Service (UMNS)
As Africa University approaches its 25th anniversary, delegates to the 2016 General Conference took a few moments Monday afternoon to celebrate one of the best things this denomination has ever done. With an enrollment of more than 1,500 full-time students and 800 part-time students, Africa University, located in Old Mutare, Zimbabwe, today boasts more than 6,100 graduates from 32 African countries. More than half of the students (53 percent) are female — more than double other …more
May 16 wrap-up: Week Two begins with elections, celebrations, protests
May 17, 2016 / By United Methodist News Service (UMNS)
Before tackling the pile of petitions before them, delegates to General Conference 2016 voted to fill vacancies in key positions on the Judicial Council, the University Senate and the Commission on General Conference. And then, voting officially began. Opening worship “God is the host for our “banquet,” be it General Conference or God’s “kingdom on earth,” BishopCynthia Fierro Harvey said in her sermon on …more
May 14 wrap-up: Young ambassadors share hope, committee work finishes
May 16, 2016 / By United Methodist News Service (UMNS)
Worship, an address by young people and a silent protest for LGBTQ inclusion began Day Five of General Conference 2016, which ended with final legislative committee meetings. Young people’s address inspires While only two young people spoke on the General Conference stage Saturday morning, thousands more stood with them. Chelsea Spyres of Detroit and Peter Cibuabua of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, began their witness by …more
Preparing for General Conference – Interviews with United Methodist Women Delegates
May 13, 2016 / By Originally published on United Methodist Women (UMW), featuring Carmen Vianese - UNY Delegate
Being a delegate at General Conference is hard—and important—work. The United Methodist Church General Conference is held every four years to re-examine church law and to add or amend resolutions to the Book of Discipline. Some 1,000 delegates travel to General Conference from around the world to examine and discuss these proposed changes. The delegates are instrumental when it comes to deciding which resolutions are to be …more
The State of the Church Series: Reasons for hope
May 13, 2016 / By Scott Johnson, Conference Lay Leader
Upper New York Conference Lay Leader helped to lead the Laity Report at the 2016 General Conference session. Here he has shared some of the reasons he sees for hope, just as reasons for hope would be shared in the laity report. Article originally was published in the Interpreter Magazine found here: http://www.interpretermagazine.org/topics/reasons-for-hope. It is difficult to assess the state of the church at this …more