As the practice seems to have reached the point that the use of a disclaimer is needed, we petition the Church to adopt the following mandatory policy.
"The following statement is the personal opinion or belief of a small group of Church officials. The membership of The United Methodist Church has not been consulted or surveyed. This does not and cannot necessarily represent the Church--that authority is vested with the General Conference which meets every four years."
This wording should precede each press release, statement, study, or position paper. Any news organization should agree to include this statement to receive permission to use the release.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 22033-IC-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference