The United Methodist Church’s prime legislative physique on Thursday handed a number of measures to restructure the worldwide group to provide every area larger equality in harmonizing church life with its personal customs and traditions.
The first measure voted by the UMC Normal Convention on the Charlotte Conference Heart in North Carolina was an modification to the church’s structure to divide the church into 4 equal areas—Africa, Europe, the Philippines, and the USA.
In response to the plan, every area will have the ability to customise components of the Ebook of Self-discipline, a code of values, to go well with native wants. Whereas church territories in Africa, the Philippines, and Europe have already loved some leeway in customizing church life, the USA has not.
The vote on the constitutional modification handed 586-164 or 78 p.c, which suggests it exceeded the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional modification. It should now go earlier than every small church area, known as an annual convention, for ratification by the tip of 2025.
If accepted by two-thirds of the delegates to the Annual Convention, the reorganization would permit the 4 areas to find out their very own {qualifications} for appointing clergy and lay leaders; publishing their very own hymns and rituals, together with rituals for weddings; and established its personal judicial courts. A brand new ebook of self-discipline may have a bit that may be revised and tailored for every of the 4 regional conferences.
The 2-week world assembly is the primary assembly of the Normal Convention in 5 years, largely because of delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows a painful schism that has cut up almost 7,600 US-based church buildings from the denomination — accounting for 25 p.c of all US congregations.
Regionalization was the primary order of enterprise and it unexpectedly got here early within the assembly. The Normal Convention normally doesn’t take up main resolutions till its second week.
This isn’t the primary time Methodists have tried to regionalize their actions. The final try, in 2008, handed the Normal Convention however failed to achieve two-thirds approval amongst particular person conferences worldwide.
The Rev. Dee Stickley-Miner, government director of missional engagement on the Normal Board of World Ministries who labored on the plans alongside non-U.S.-based church leaders, mentioned this time, the measures had been extra clearly acknowledged and formed and examined by Methodists in several areas.
Regionalization is framed as an initiative of decolonization. Born as an 18th-century motion began in England by John and Charles Wesley, the Methodist motion has at all times been centered in the USA by way of numerous schisms and reorganizations. This new regionalization, whether it is accepted, will decentralize the church.
“We actually perceive what the United Methodist Church worldwide is like and the way that requires some modifications in our personal construction, to see the USA with different areas in order that Jesus may be on the middle and never be there. a area,” Stickley-Miner mentioned.
However the regionalization plan can be a recognition that cultural and theological variations are driving Methodists aside, particularly concerning sexuality. Many church leaders consider that Methodists around the globe can dwell underneath one umbrella if there may be room for dissent on same-sex marriage and the inclusion of LGBTQ folks.
A number of coalitions of Methodists in the USA and overseas opposed the measure, together with the Wesleyan Covenant Affiliation and Good Information journal.
On Thursday, delegates handed 5 of the eight measures within the regionalization package deal; The remaining three, which relate solely to the USA, will likely be voted on later and thought of procedural
