News

5/31/2023

The Commission on General Conference gathered in Florence, Kentucky for an in-person planning meeting May 21-24, 2023. Participants included representatives from each U.S. jurisdiction and Central Conference members from Africa.  Members from Europe and the Philippines were unable to attend for a variety of personal reasons. During the session, important updates and continuing work were discussed in preparation for the postponed 2020 General Conference to be held April 23-May 3, 2024, at ...

5/12/2023

Council of Bishops President Thomas J. Bickerton presides at the bishops’ spring 2023 meeting in Chicago. East Ohio Conference Bishop Tracy Smith Malone, at left, is the Council of Bishops president-designate. Photo by the Rev. Todd Rossnagel, Louisiana Conference. By Heather Hahn, United Methodist News The Council of Bishops is recommending that The United Methodist Church hold a five-day session of its top lawmaking assembly in May 2026.  This gathering would be in addition to the regular ...

12/13/2022

Because the 2020 General Conference was postponed and not canceled, delegates elected at the 2019 session of the Annual Conference continue to serve in this capacity By Heather Hahn UM News The United Methodist Church’s highest court ruled that new delegate elections “are not required” for the long-delayed and potentially pivotal 2020 General Conference, now set for 2024. “The delegates duly elected to the 2020 General Conference for the 2020-2024 Quadrennium stand as submitted and certified by...

6/1/2022

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...

3/16/2022

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 ...

3/4/2022

The Commission on General Conference 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 ...

2/22/2022

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 ...

7/21/2021

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 ...

7/7/2021

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 ...

5/26/2021

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 ...

2/25/2021

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...

3/10/2020

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/. 

2/3/2020

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 ...

1/27/2020

BY SCOTT HUGHES Pray – Be in prayer, as individuals and as a church community, for General Conference, delegates, and for discernment. Use The Upper Room prayer guide:  Be Still and Know: 40 Days of Prayer for General Conference. Get information from trusted news services. Check the North Georgia Conference General Conference webpage, www.ngumc.org/GC2020, regularly. Sign up for Conference e-newsletters.  Sign up for the Daily Digest from the UM News Service. United Methodist News Service ...

1/2/2020

The members of the North Georgia Conference Delegation have endorsed the Rev. Dr. Byron E. Thomas as their episcopal nominee.    Rev. Dr. Thomas is currently senior pastor of Ben Hill UMC in Atlanta. He is chair of the North Georgia Conference Delegation to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences.  Rev. Dr. Thomas has served as Senior Pastor of Ben Hill UMC since June 2013 where his focus has been on strengthening the link between spiritual formation and missions. Placing a premium on ...

10/22/2019

The Commission on the General Conference has unveiled the logo for the 2020 General Conference to accompany the theme, “…and know that I am God,” based on an excerpt from Psalm 46:10. The entire verse reads: “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth.” (NRSV), although the verse number may vary in non-English translations. United Methodist Communications designed the logo, which is used to maintain a consistent visual identity for the 2020 ...

8/16/2019

General Conference organizers chose “…and know I am God” as the theme of the 2020 United Methodist General Conference, but not before discovering the Psalm’s words and even its verse numbers vary by translation depending on the language. Read about the fascinating discussion in this UM News Service report at https://www.umnews.org/en/news/biblical-comparison-shapes-gc2020-theme

7/1/2019

(Photo by Kathleen Barry, UMNS. Combined choirs of Centenary College and Martin Methodist College sing at the 2016 United Methodist General Conference.) (UMC.org) United Methodist choirs, worship ensembles and liturgists from around the world have an opportunity to be part of the worship experience of the 2020 General Conference. Creatives may apply to share their talents while leading the church body during The United Methodist Church’s top legislative assembly meeting May 5 -15, 2020 in ...

6/14/2019

The North Georgia Annual Conference has elected its Delegation to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences of The United Methodist Church. All are invited to join the delegation in prayer and fasting on Thursdays from July 1, 2019  through the General Conference in May 2020.  Clergy Members of the Delegation (General Conference) Byron Eric Thomas Philip Daniel Schroeder Patricia Alice Rogers Jasmine Rose Smothers Glenn Leland Ethridge (The North Georgia Conference mourns the death of ...

4/26/2019

(Photo: Mike DuBose, UMNS) On April 26, the United Methodist Judicial Council ruled that certain parts of the Traditional Plan passed by the 2019 Special General Conference are constitutional. Other portions of the plan were ruled unconstitutional. The portion of the legislation deemed constitutional will take effect in the U.S. on January 1, 2020.  The Judicial Council ruled that the exit strategy passed by the General Conference is constitutional. This legislation goes into effect ...