Reports of the Legislative Committees

1996 United Methodist General Conference

The committee recommended concurrence:

• Eliminate the words "although we do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching..." from Social Principles ¶71F. The committee approved (46-45-1) a petition deleting the last two sentences of ¶71F and replacing them with new text that acknowledges differences within the UMC. It indicates a continued search for understanding through "prayer, study and pastoral experience." (A minority report has been filed.);
• Affirm the right of persons with mental disabilities to freedom from abusive treatment;
• Urge congregations to designate on Sunday during the year for observance of a Health Care Sabbath;
• Call congregations, annual conferences, jurisdictions and boards to join the UM Mental Illness Network;
• Commend to churches and families the Household EcoTeam Program "to help save the earth";
• Support "all movement toward the provision of quality health care" and "progressive methods of providing health insurance";
• Revise and update the current resolution on "Drug and Alcohol Concerns," as well as four other resolutions dealing with the issues;
• Add under "Causes of Suicide" the alienation and rejection youth experience when dealing with sexual identity issues;
• Describe "God's Vision of Abundant Living" and call UMs to examine their current actions and lifestyles;
• Update the present resolution on "The Law of the Sea";
• Encourage the inclusion of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Prevention in the Clean Air Act and other legislation;
• Amend the second paragraph of Social Principles ¶71F to highlight the destructive nature of exploitative abusive or promiscuous sexual relations;
• Affirm the right of persons with homosexual orientation to serve in the military;
• Move Social Principles ¶71G on "Rights of Homosexual persons" to ¶72 and to also assure rights for former homosexuals;

(4/22/96, 5:30 p.m.)

• Affirming overwhelmingly ¶71H on abortion with an amendment committing "our church to continue to provide nurturing ministries to those who terminate a pregnancy, to those in the midst of a crisis pregnancy, and to those who give birth";
• Amending the resolution on "Responsible Parenthood" by inserting a reference to Discipline ¶71H.

The committee recommended concurrence:

• Wording that ensures understanding that Discipline requirements supersede annual conference's requirements;
• Voting rights for deaconesses;
• Voting privileges of lay members on the board of ordained ministry;
• Concerning expired resolutions in the Book of Resolutions;
• Dealing with the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy, moving bishops from one jurisdiction to another;
• Clarifying sentence structure of a paragraph on the jurisdictional conference;
• Changing "persons with a handicapping condition" to "people with disabilities";
• Concerning establishment and administration of a mission;
• Concerning assignment of missionaries and mission traveling preachers in the Missionary Conference;
• Concerning organization of a Missionary Conference;
• Asking that publisher of each new Book of Discipline prepare a table to show how paragraphs/changes are different from the previous issue;
• Asking that conference boards and agencies be intentional in their nominations for committees;
• Dealing with conference power to locate a clergymember;
• Changing a word from "trial" to "probation";
• Recommending that UMC join in covenanting relations with the Evangelical Church of Spain and of West Africa/Sierra Leone;
• Supporting Missionary Conference district superintendents having the same limitations on years of service as other district superintendents;
• Resolution supporting the Rio Grande Conference;
• Switching the order of Parts III and IV in the Book of Discipline (20232, Petition, p. 203)
• Adding UM Communications to list for records and archives;
• Seeking to identify Black clergy and laity for leadership positions.

The committee recommended concurrence with amendments.

• Expanding non-ordained clergymembers' voting rights at annual conference;
• Defining the election and eligibility of clergy delegates to General and Jurisdictional conferences;
• Giving lay members of the board of ordained ministry vote at the clergy session;
• Making changes possible in the district council on ministries and providing for an alternate structure;
• Formulating the number of bishops assigned to each jurisdiction.

The committee referred:

General Conference structure petitions to the Connectional Issues Study of the General Conference on Ministries.

The committee recommended nonconcurrence (on close votes):

• Eliminatiing the Jurisdictional Council on Ministries using "may" have alternate administrative and programmatic structure;
• Asking to change the title of Book of Discipline to Doctrines and Discipline of UMC.

The committee recommended concurrence:

• Adopting a $503 Million dollar budget for the quadrennia, as amended. Adjusted upward from the figures on page 285 of the Advanced DCA were Ministerial Education Fund and Black College Fund. Adjusted downward were all the other apportioned funds except Africa University, which showed no increase or decrease over the previous quadrennium. The bottom line is a zero percent increase for 1997, 1998, and a two percent increase for 1999 and 2000;
• Authorized creation of a personal investment plan that works like mutual funds for personal contributions of clergy and staff;
• Authorizing annual conferences whereby they may establish policies and procedures whereby allocations may be adjusted between sessions of annual conference;
• Authorizing the annual conference council on finance and administration to review audited reports of all funds administered by districts and district agencies;

The committee recommended nonconcurrence:

• Separating world service from conference benevolences in conference budgeting;
• Allowing charge conferences to approve paying apportionments.

The committee recommended concurrence:

• Recommendation for a Focus on Young People--Walking in the Way That Leads to Life;
• Report on Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century;
• Report on the Connectional Issues Study;
• Definitions of a Missional Priority and a Special Program;
• Definition of the title of Deputy General Secretary.

The committee recommended concurrence with amendments:

• Substitute for Recommendation I of the Connectional Issues Study, creating a Connectional Process Team with 38 members;
• Substitute for Recommendation II of the Connectional Issues Study, approving in principle "the interactive organizational process as a method of discerning and implementing God's will for mission and ministry in every aspect of the connection";
• Recommendation III of the Connectional Issues Study, setting the total membership size for 13 general agencies at no more than 640 members during the 1997-2000 quadrennium;
• Setting the memberships of general agencies and representation by conference and jurisdiction for the quadrennium. The committee recommended nonconcurrence:
• A total of 26 petitions concerning the elimination or replacement of the General Council on Ministries;
• 26 additional petitions concerning language changes if the General Council on Ministries were eliminated or replaced;
• A new definition of the mission of the church;
• Elimination of the Committee to Nominate Additional Members;
• Limiting required UM membership to the presidents and vice presidents of program boards;
• Requiring that general secretaries be elected annually by their respective agencies.

The committee referred:

• A petition proposing new definitions, structures and titles for agencies to GCOM for consideration by the CPT;
• A petition proposing a General Administrative Council to GCOM for consideration by the CPT;
• A petition on the eligibility of staff member of program boards 20to serve as officers of corresponding General Conference Legislative Committees to the Judicial Council for a declaratory ruling.

The committee recommended concurrence:

• No program or World Service dollars are to be used for the move of the General Board of Global Ministries;
• Churchwide Special Sundays with offerings;
• Concerning investigations, trials and appeals;
• Notification of omission of unconstitutional clauses;
• Explanation of rational of judicial decision;
• Notice of hearing;
• Membership of the General Board of Global Ministries from the Council of Bishops;
• Membership of the Women's Division;
• Establishing Annual Conference Committee on Native American Ministries;
• Deletion of ¶2623.1(j) concerning misrepresentation of credentials;

The committee recommended concurrence with amendments:

• Membership of general agencies to concur with recommendations of the Connectional Issues Study;
• Recommending Committee on Audit and Review for each General agency;
• Quadrennium of the worker petition substitued with resolution entitled "Emphasis on Concern for the Worker";
• Disability awareness Sunday to be observed annually.

The committee referred:

• U.S. Convocation on Heterosexism and the Mission of the Church referred to Church and Society.

• Reconsidering the move of the General Board of Global Ministries;
• Leaving the General Board of Global Ministries in New York;
• Moving the General Board of Global Ministries to Atlanta, Ga.;
• Defining status of person in the "Constitution";
• Flexibility in Annual Conference Structure;
• Earth Day to appear on Official Church Calendar;
• Ministry Sunday to be observed;
• Elimination of Annual Conference Council on Ministries;
• Establishment of Annual Conference Committee on Native American Ministries;
• Elimination of Annual Conference Committee on Native American Ministries;
• Judicial Administration of the Church;
• Judicial Council assure hearings;
• Statement of information on process and protocol by Judicial Council;
• Right of the accused to face the accuser;
• Regarding Fair Process;
• Description of the nature of an appeal;
• Reasonable time and place for fair process hearings and interviews;
• Protection for self-incrimination;
• Several concerning chargeable offenses;
• Regarding General Agency Membership;

The committee recommended nonconcurrence:

Acting on Pet. 20903 referred from the Ministry Committee mandating UM seminaries to include a course on Methodist Polity.

Committee on the Local Church(4/20/96, 9:35 p.m.)

The committee recommended concurrence:

• Adding the development of job descriptions and titles for associate pastors and other staff to the responsibilities of the pastor/parish relations committee;
• Encouraging staff to seek professional certification in their specialities;
• Clarifying committee members and chairs may be nominated from the floor as well as by the nominations committee;
• Listing lay preachers among those whom the charge conference is to enlist, interview, evaluate, review and recommend annually;
• Making lay leaders members of the pastor/parish relations committee if they are not lay members to annual conference or otherwise elected members of the committee;
• Concerning contracted employees;
• Emphasizing the enlistment responsibilities of a pastoral advisory committee;
• Adding interpretation of preparation for diaconal ministry to the responsibilities of the pastoral advisory committee;
• Allowing a special session of charge conference to remove officers or fill vacancies;
• Designating who calls to order and adjourns a constituting charge conference;
• Eliminating the family life council and local church work areas in favor of previous permissive action for ministry groups;
• Changing references to a parish-wide administrative council to parish council;
• Requiring the recommendation of the charge conference when a person seeks reinstatement as a local pastor;
• Enabling local churches to participate if the conference adopts a shared (basic) salary plan.

The committee recommended concurrence with amendments:

• For the pastor and a member elected from the committee co-chair the committee on nominations and personnel;
• Concerning membership of pastor/parish relations committees in churches open 26 or fewer weeks per year;
• Encouraging each church to be inclusive in the make-up of its council so all segments of the church are represented;
• Mandating the administrative board/council to provide guidance and leadership in the promotion of specific ministries adopted by the local church--including those which have been suggested by the general church and those proposed by the annual and district conferences;
• Saying the pastor or member is not to be present when the pastor/parish relations committee is considering a family member for candidacy or renewal of candidacy;
• Placing the chair or representative of the pastor/parish relations committee to serve on the Finance Committee;
• Assigning responsibility for stewardship to a sub-group of the finance committee when no stewardship ministry group exists;
• Saying a structure for local church classes and leaders may be provided;
• Requiring the charge conference to name a membership secretary;
• Providing a process for assessment of local church potential;
• Requiring church schools to teach skills and practice of non-violence;
• Affirming United Methodists' belief in prayer and directing the statement to be published in the Book of Resolutions;

The committee recommended nonconcurrence:

• Allowing local churches to choose which apportionments to accept;
• For the committee on nominations and personnel to elect its chairperson;
• For the lay leader to chair the committee on nominations and personnel in churches of over 500 members;
• For the nominations committee to nominate its own members; stating the pastor/parish relations committee has the same responsibilities toward all appointed staff as toward the pastor in charge;
• Excluding present and former counsellees of the pastor from serving on the pastor/parish relations committee;
• Having the alternate lay member of annual conference be a member of the finance and pastor/parish committees;
• Eliminating the pastor/parish relations committee;
• Detailing how the pastor/parish relations committee is to carry out its duties;
• Asking the charge conference to determine which moral and ethical issues in the community need special attention;
• Detailing how the Pastor/Parish Relations Committee prepares recommendations for a change of pastors;
• Concerning the procedure for evaluation of non-appointed staff;
• Establishing a work area on prayer;
• Allowing local pastors to appeal through the Board of Ordained Ministry to the executive session concerning their relationship with the Annual Conference;

• Adopted in ¶304.3 the following language defining "self-avowed practicing homosexual:" "`Self-avowed practicing homosexual' is understood to mean that a person openly acknowledges to a bishop, district superintendent, district committee or ordained ministry, board of ordained ministry or clergy session that the person is a practicing homosexual." This definition resulted from consultations between General Counsel of GCFA, the Council of Bishops, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and was presented in Petition #21158 amending ¶402.2. They also recommend non-concurrence with all petitions suggesting alterations in the language of ¶402 and 304 related to self-avowed practicing homosexuals and language specifying fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness. In all cases the current language in the Discipline was retained, with the exception of the addition of the above-mentioned definition.
• The committee approved legislation defining interim appointments and specifying a national registry of certified interim pastors.
• The committee approved a new grievance procedure to replace the current joint review process in the Discipline and concurred with the resolution titled "Sexual Abuse Within the Ministerial Relationship and Sexual Harassment Within the United Methodist Church" submitted by GCSRW.
• The committee referred the ordination services to the General Board of Discipleship and the Ordinal Committee in consultation with GBHEM and the Council of Bishops.
• The committee recommended non-concurrence with petitions requesting that only active bishops be members of the Council of Bishops.

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