Conference to consider creating regional U.S. body

United Methodist News Service
FORT WORTH—Would making The United Methodist Church in the United States a regional body be the best way for the denomination to function as a worldwide church?
Ten speakers explored that question during a Jan. 25 panel discussion on “The Worldwide Nature of the Church: What It Means.” The session was part of the Pre-General Conference News Briefing sponsored by the General Commission on Communication.
General Conference, which meets every four years, is the denomination’s top legislative body. During its meeting April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, the 2008 assembly is to consider proposed structural changes. They acknowledge the denomination is growing outside the United States and that 30 percent of United Methodists now live outside the United States.
Proponents say the structural changes would make the church more effective and equitably organized for worldwide ministry. Opponents say the changes may actually serve to fragment the denomination into national entities.
A task force examining the issue has proposed four changes to the de-nomination’s constitution to make regional and jurisdictional structures similar worldwide.
Task force members say the current structure gives the U.S. church too much influence and marginalizes United Methodists in Africa, Asia and Europe.
The constitutional changes would pave the way for legislative proposals to the 2012 General Conference that would eliminate U.S. concerns from denominational policymaking. Those concerns would become the business of a U.S. regional conference.
The six-member task force has sent 24 petitions to General Conference. They propose changes in 24 paragraphs of the church constitution. Most of these changes are grammatical or change the words “central conference” to “regional conference.”
The committee, chaired by Nebraska Bishop Ann Sherer, will ask General Conference to allow the task force and the Connectional Table to continue their study of the church’s worldwide nature and report to the 2012 legislative assembly.
Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority vote of General Conference delegates and must be ratified by two-thirds of the aggregate annual conference voting members.