911. General Policies--1. The General Council on Finance and Administration is authorized to withhold approval of a portion or all of the budget of any agency or any Church-related institution receiving general Church funds until such agency or Church-related institution certifies to the council in writing that it has established and has complied with a policy of (a) recruiting, employing, utilizing, recompensing, and promoting professional staff and other personnel without regard to race, color, age, or sex, (b) fulfilling its duties and responsibilities in a manner which does not involve segregation or discrimination on the basis of race, age, or sex, and (c) insofar as possible, purchasing goods and services from vendors who are in compliance with such policies as are described in sections (a) and (b) of this paragraph. In the fulfillment of this directive the council shall take the following steps to ensure that concerns of the General Commission on Religion and Race and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women are represented: (1) consult with the two commissions in the development of a certification form to be submitted to the council by agencies and institutions receiving general Church funds; (2) share copies of such certifications with the two commissions; (3) receive and consider recommendations from either of the two commissions regarding possible noncompliance with these policies by agencies and institutions receiving general Church funds.
2. It may withhold approval of any item or items in the budget or budgets receiving general church funds which in its judgment represent unnecessary duplication of administrative function; in cooperation with and on recommendation of the General Council on Ministries, it may withhold approval of any such item which represents unnecessary duplication of program within an agency or between two or more agencies. If the council finds that there is such duplication in existing activities, it shall promptly direct the attention of the agencies involved to the situation and shall cooperate with them in correcting the same, and may decline to supply from general fund receipts money to continue activities which have been held to duplicate each other unnecessarily or plainly violate the principle of correlation as applied to the total benevolence program of the Church.
3. An agency of The United Methodist Church proposing to borrow funds for a period in excess of twelve months or in an amount in excess of 25 percent of its annual budget or one hundred thousand dollars, whichever amount is smaller, whether for building or current expense purposes, shall submit such proposal, accompanied by a plan for amortization, to the council for approval. If the council disapproves, the agency shall delay such borrowing until it can be considered by the next General Conference.
4. Any general board, cause, agency, or institution or any organization, group, officer, or individual of The United Methodist Church or to which The United Methodist Church contributes financial support desiring or proposing to make a special churchwide financial appeal during the quadrennium shall present a request for authorization to make such appeal to the General Council on Finance and Administration at the time budgets for the ensuing quadrennium are being considered. All such appeals shall be reviewed by the General Council on Ministries and its actions shall be reported to the General Council on Finance and Administration. The council shall then report such request to the General Conference with a recommendation for its action thereon. Special appeal shall be understood to mean any appeal other than the general appeal for support of the World Service program as represented in the World Service budget. Churchwide appeal shall be understood to mean any appeal to the Church at large except appeals to such special groups as alumni of an educational institution. In the interim between the quadrennial sessions of the General Conference such proposed churchwide financial appeal shall require the approval of the General Council on Finance and Administration and the Council of Bishops. In case of emergency the executive committee of either of these bodies may act in such matter for the body itself, but only by a three-fourths vote. Any individual or agency authorized to make a churchwide appeal for funds shall channel all gifts through the General Council on Finance and Administration. The General Council on Finance and Administration may withhold payment of the allocation from any general fund to any agency or institution which it finds to be in violation of the provisions of this paragraph.
5. The apportionments for all apportioned general Church funds, as approved by the General Conference, shall not be subject to reduction either by the annual conference or by the charge or local Church (712.1).
6. Individual donors or local Churches may make contributions to the support of any cause or project which is a part of the work of any general Church agency. Such miscellaneous gifts shall be sent to the General Council on Finance and Administration, which shall then forward the gift to the agency for which it is intended. Agencies receiving miscellaneous gifts shall acknowledge receipt of the gift to the donor. No agency shall solicit or cultivate gifts for any cause or project which has not been approved for support through World Service special gifts (913), general Advance special gifts (914), or a special appeal (911.4).
7. No general council, board, commission, or committee shall initiate or cause to be organized without approval of the General Council on Finance and Administration a foundation or similar organization for the purpose of securing, conserving, or expending funds for the direct or indirect benefit or support of any general agency or any of its programs or work. Foundations related directly or indirectly to any general church agency shall report annually to the council in a manner determined by the council.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 911
1996 United Methodist General Conference