Except for daily worship with a sermon by one of the church's bishops and music by a visiting choir, virtually the entire 10 days will be devoted to legislation. Even glimpses of Colorado's majestic mountains mostly will be snatched en route between hotel and convention center.

Delegate Profile
While these 998 delegates are yet to be elected, a review of earlier General Conferences offers insight into delegates' backgrounds and perspectives. If history holds, about half the people who take their places at the long rows of tables in Denver will have served in one or more previous assemblies.

Some hard information already is available.

Church law provides for a maximum of 1,000 delegates--half clergy, half lay. It mandates that each annual conference must have at least one delegate from each order. Beyond that, a conference's representation is based on the number of lay members and clergy members in the conference.

By this formula, 850 delegates will come from the United States; 138 from annual conferences in Africa, Europe and the Philippines; and 10 from autonomous church bodies with which United Methodism has a concordat relationship-- the Caribbean and the Americas, Great Britain, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

International Delegates
Because of membership growth beyond the United States, the number of international delegates increased by 32 from 1992 and is almost double the 1988 figure.

Using the membership formula, in 1996 the Virginia and West Ohio Annual Conferences will have the largest delegations, 30 each. North Shaba will have the most delegates from outside the United States--18. Five conferences in the United States and 35 from other countries will have the minimum of two delegates each.

Based on an extensive survey of 1992 delegates by the General Council on Ministries, a few projections for 1996 can be chanced.

Slightly more than half the lay delegates and nearly a fifth of the clergy will be women. Not quite 20 percent of the U.S. delegates will be from racial and ethnic minorities.

About three-quarters of the lay delegates and two-thirds of the clergy delegates will be 50 years or older. Less than a fifth of the total will be younger than 40.

Lay delegates will be more likely to be retired. More than two-thirds will have at least a bachelor's degree. More than half will have annual household incomes exceeding $50,000. A majority of the lay women will be either homemakers or work in education, while most of the men will have professional or managerial backgrounds.

Among the clergy, a majority of the men will be district superintendents or senior pastors of congregations with 1,000 or more members, while most clergywomen will be district superintendents, serve in single-pastor appointments or serve as associate ministers. Both clergy men and women are more likely to come from large population centers than rural communities.

Lay delegates will be more likely than clergy to consider themselves as conservative, both generally and on religious matters. Clergy delegates are more likely to describe themselves as religiously conservative than conservative in general.

In 1992, lay delegates tended to show a stronger sense of responsibility to represent annual conference positions on issues. This trend was substantially more noticeable among people, both lay and clergy, who viewed themselves as conservatives.

Heavy Reading
One certainty is that once chosen, delegates will have a lot of reading to do--official reports, the Book of Discipline, mailings from special interest groups, background papers and petitions.

Willingness to spend "many hours on homework" is a key requirement for a delegate, in the opinion of C.R. Hager, who has represented the Kentucky Annual Conference since 1968. Along with the homework, said Mr. Hager, is the need to be a "good listener who wishes to share and learn from other delegates," and to be "trusted by the (annual) conference to represent the wishes of the people."

Reta Barto, an Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference delegate since 1968, also stressed the importance of studying "every bit of material that comes to you with an unbiased mind," and "listening to all sides of an issue without prejudice."

SIDEBAR
by Anita Owen Fenstermacher

The first time I heard the term "General Conference" I thought it seemed very generic. Since becoming passionately involved in The United Methodist Church, I sense General Conference to be anything but generic. It is the body that meets every four years to define and fix conditions of membership; the powers and duties of annual conferences and central conferences; and other aspects of the organization, leadership and the life of the church.

Delegates are elected by the members of their annual, missionary or provisional conferences. Conferences have different approaches to the election. Some use the first ballot taken to reveal the names of the leading people being considered for election. Others ask boards, agencies and local churches for nominations. Nominations can come from the floor of the annual conference or as write-in candidates.

Beyond the technical aspects of being a delegate, in my opinion other issues are important too. A deep commitment to Christ and The United Methodist Church is vital to election. Being involved and using your particular gifts to further God's reign in the local church should be as important as conference life. A delegate to General Conference must be interested enough in the church's witness in the world to keep informed about its stands on vital spiritual and social issues. Does the "Spirit" nudge the person with discernment that may bless the community? Does he or she listen to others for their discernment?

Once elected, delegates meet as a delegation for orientation, spiritual nurture and study of the issues coming before the General Conference. Delegates receive much information by mail, and the Advance Daily Christian Advocate contains what they need to know about functioning as delegates. At the General Conference many hours will be spent in the Plenary Sessions and in the standing legislative committees.

After prayer, listening and study, delegates will finally cast votes as representatives of the faithful who selected them as General Conference Delegates.