The 1992 General Conference approved Calendar Item 1529 on page 527 of the Daily Christian Advocate. It mandated the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women to "explore with the General Council on Ministries and other appropriate church bodies ways to assess the effectiveness of the church's efforts to eradicate sexual harassment."
Process and Implementation
This referral included the General Council on Ministries because of a Survey of United Methodist Opinion study on Sexual Harassment in The United Methodist Church published by GCOM in 1990. That study received wide acclaim in the public and church media as the first indicator of the incidence of sexual harassment within the church.
Early in the 1993-96 quadrennium, the General Council on Ministries communicated with the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, indicating their desire to work with the Commission in developing an appropriate methodology to assess the effectiveness of the church's efforts to eradicate sexual harassment. Other methods were employed to acquire data for this assessment.
The Division on Research, Planning and Futuring received regular reports of the collaboration of the General Council on Ministries' staff with staff of the Commission on the Status and Role of Women on this referral.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21705-GJ-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference