Chancellors issue restructuring caution

United Methodist chancellors released a statement April 23 urging General Conference delegates to seriously consider liability and tax risk in reconfiguring the denomination’s general agencies.

The United Methodist Church Conference Chancellors Association (UMC3) examined the Call to Action legislation submitted by the Connectional Table as well as the alternative proposed by the Methodist Federation for Social Action, an unofficial caucus.

The group states that the plans “do not clearly address joint liability issues or the loss of the current IRS denomination-wide group tax exemption ruling arising from the collapse, merger or dissolution of current general boards and agencies.”

Chancellors serve as legal counsel to United Methodist bishops, annual (regional) conferences and affiliated agencies and organizations. They adopted their statement at a meeting April 14 at Epworth-by-the-Sea in St. Simons Island, Ga. Their statement echoes concerns raised by the General Council on Finance and Administration, the denomination’s finance agency, regarding restructuring.


Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Local Church
Dr. Brett McKinley Pardue. Photo courtesy of the author.

When screens become a theological question

The question isn’t whether a screen belongs in a sanctuary, but whether the sanctuary is helping the people belong to one another in prayer.
Social Concerns
The Rev. Dr. Sheron C. Patterson. Photo courtesy of the author.

A United Methodist call to healthy aging

The United Methodist Church should serve as a model for healthy aging and caregiving. “It is not simply a healthcare issue. It is a discipleship issue,” writes retired pastor.
Social Concerns
Bishop C. Dale White speaks at the 1980 United Methodist General Conference in Indianapolis about his 11-day visit to Iran in November aimed at fostering dialogue amid the Iranian hostage crisis. White spoke about his delegation’s meeting with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. File photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Taking action during a previous Iran crisis

A few weeks into the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, Bishop C. Dale White of New Jersey joined a small delegation of religious leaders headed to Iran in hopes of fostering dialogue.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2026 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved