General Conference authorizes study of United Methodist men

Translate Page

The mystery of why men are missing from United Methodist pews may soon be unlocked.

On May 5, General Conference delegates voted 469-443 to allocate $35,961 to implement a 2005-08 study on men across the denomination. The request for funds will be reviewed by the Council on Finance and Administration. That fiscal agency will present its budget recommendations for all general church funds to the May 8 closing plenary session for final action.

The study will be implemented by the Commission on United Methodist Men and the research arm of the General Council on Ministries (or its equivalent structure).

According to Bill Smith, a delegate from South Carolina, research shows that when a man is the first one in a family to come to Christ, the family follows him 93 percent of the time, compared to 17 percent when children are the first to attend and 27 percent for women.

"We need to find out why," Smith said.

The men’s commission reports that studies by researcher George Barna have found that women are 54 percent more likely than men to be lay leaders, 54 percent more likely to be in a small ministry groups and 39 percent more likely to have personal devotional time.

The study will enable the commission to "develop effective resources, respond to current needs, challenge long-held assumptions and develop effective strategies" for reaching men. The study committee will report its findings to the 2008 General Conference.

*Lauber is a news writer for United Methodist News Service.

News media contact: (412) 325-6080 during General Conference, April 27-May 7.

After May 10: (615) 742-5470.


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!

UMNEWS-SUBSCRIPTION

Tackling a petitions conundrum

The General Conference commission spent time grappling with what to do about petitions submitted by people who, for whatever reason, are no longer part of The United Methodist Church.
General Conference
The Rev. Lynn Hill, retired elder in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, preaches at the closing worship of the Commission on the General Conference meeting in Florence, Kentucky. Hill is the chair of the commission’s program committee. Beside him are Don Reasoner, who leads interpretation at General Conference, and Mills Maliwa, a commission member from South Africa. Photo by Heather Hahn.

What to expect at the next General Conference

The group that plans The United Methodist Church’s big legislative assembly is putting together the final details for holding the long-delayed General Conference next year in Charlotte, North Carolina. The group is as changed as the denomination it serves.
General Church
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. The bishops gathered April 29-May 5 for their first in-person meeting since 2019 and took on a variety of issues affecting the future of the denomination. Photo by the Rev. Todd Rossnagel, Louisiana Conference.

Bishops call for General Conference in 2026

United Methodist bishops see a need for the denomination’s top lawmaking body to hold an additional meeting to deal with changes resulting from church disaffiliations. Meanwhile, the denomination’s finance agency has its own concerns.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2023 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved