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General Conference News and Commentary

General Conference News. Graphic by UM News.

UM News brings you the latest coverage of the most important meeting of The United Methodist Church. With in-depth analysis and a variety of perspectives, UM News is your go-to source of information about the international church body that sets official policy for the denomination.

Find news, commentary, FAQs, resources and more, on the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. Check back regularly for new and updated stories.

The Holston Conference’s Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor embraces the Rev. David Graves following his election as United Methodist bishop at the 2016 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. Taylor is among the 11 U.S. bishops who retired last year, and Graves is among the bishops now taking on extra work because of the retirements. The Judicial Council issued a decision May 20, addressing the question of whether jurisdictional conference can meet to elect new bishops. File photo by Annette Spence, Holston Conference.
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Judicial Council

Ruling opens door for bishop elections in 2022

The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that the Council of Bishops has the authority to call jurisdictional conferences to elect and assign new U.S. episcopal leaders but not to change the date when those new bishops take office.

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Attendees of the 2017 Kentucky Annual Conference in Bowling Green, Ky., raise their arms in prayer during a "Worshipful Work, Plenary." On May 10, The Judicial Council released a ruling that says U.S. annual conferences cannot disaffiliate from the denomination under current church law. File photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News.
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Judicial Council

Church court: Conferences can’t exit unilaterally

The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that current church law does not allow annual conferences in the U.S. to withdraw from the denomination.

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The Rev. Gary Graves gives instructions to delegates during the 2019 United Methodist General Conference in St. Louis. General Conference organizers are forming two teams to look at visas and logistics in hopes of preventing further delay of the denomination’s top lawmaking assembly after its postponement to 2024. Graves is General Conference secretary. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
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General Conference

Effort aims to stop General Conference delays

Organizers of The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly are looking at addressing the main problems that led them to postpone General Conference a third time.

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