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.
