By Heather Hahn UM News To harmonize constitutional and disciplinary requirements and meet the denomination’s needs, the United Methodist Judicial Council determined: “January 1, 2023 shall be the effective date of: (1) assignment for all bishops, newly elected bishops and active bishops already serving in the jurisdictions, and (2) mandatory retirement for bishops whose sixty-eighth birthday has been reached on or before July 1, 2020.” That means the ruling affects bishops who planned to retire...

The Council of Bishops has asked the Judicial Council for a declaratory decision regarding Jurisdictional Conferences to be held to elect and assign bishops. They have tentatively set November 2-5, 2022, for Jurisdictional Conferences should the Judicial Council rule in favor of holding the regional meeting. This date was previously scheduled for Jurisdictional Conferences following the General Conference.   In the questions to the Judicial Council, the bishops want to know if they have ...

The Commission on General Conference has announced plans to further postpone the General Conference session of The United Methodist Church to 2024. Below find answers to some questions about the announcement. We will continue to update this document as we have more information.  Stay connected to news and information on General Conference by visiting www.ngumc.org/GC2020.  Q: Why did the Commission postpone General Conference to 2024? The Commission shared that their decision was based on ...

Judicial Council members participate during the Feb. 23 morning of prayer at the 2019 special General Conference in St. Louis. (From left) N. Oswald Tweh Sr., Lydia Romão Gulele, the Rev. J. Kabamba Kiboko, Deanell Reece Tacha, the Rev. Luan-Vu Tran and the Rev. Øyvind Helliesen stand in the front row. File photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News. By Heather Hahn United Methodist News Service The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that any postponement of General Conference resets the ...

Newly Formed Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference will Launch in January Adapted from a UMNS Report By Heather Hahn At a special session on Wednesday, July 21, the delegates of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference worshiped, received video updates from across the jurisdiction, and approved realigning the boundaries of Memphis and Tennessee Annual Conferences to create the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference.  Bishop James Swanson of the Mississippi Conference presided over the ...

Having twice been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 United Methodist General Conference is now scheduled for Aug. 29-Sept. 6, 2022, in Minneapolis. Even a year away, many United Methodists want to be sure they and informed on the upcoming global gathering and have access to accurate information.  Find a few helpful and reliable resources below:  North Georgia Conference General Conference Page  |  www.ngumc.org/GC2020  The North Georgia Conference communication office ...

The College of Bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church, in accordance with ¶521 of the 2016 Book of Discipline, has called a special session of the jurisdictional conference on July 21, 2021. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and will be held virtually. The purpose of the special session is to vote on a proposed resolution to unite the Memphis Annual Conference and the Tennessee Annual Conference into the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference. Delegates will also ...

A UMNS Photo by Mike Dubose The Commission on the General Conference has just announced its decision to further postpone the 2020 General Conference until Aug. 29 – Sept. 6, 2022 in Minneapolis, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the safety of mass gatherings and travel. In response to the further postponement, the Council of Bishops (COB) is calling a Special Session of the General Conference to be convened online on May 8, 2021. The purpose of the Special Session will be limited to...

As a member of the team that worked with mediator Ken Feinberg to produce the Protocol on Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation and Restructuring, Rev. Tom Berlin has received a number of questions about both the Protocol and accompanying legislation. In this 20 minute video he answers those questions.  Watch at https://revtomberlin.com/talking-about-the-protocol/. 

Photo: Many of the SEJ heads of delegations for the 2020 General Conference gathered in Atlanta in December. The clergy and lay heads of 2020 General Conference Delegations from the Southeastern Jurisdiction released a statement last week affirming the work of those who developed the “Protocol of Grace & Reconciliation Through Separation." In the statement, which they sent to the Commission on General Conference, the Delegation Heads call for the Protocol be among the first legislative items ...