Regionalization legislation approved by General Conference, now goes before Annual Conferences

By Heather Hahn, UM News, and Conference Communications

General Conference has now passed much of the legislation that aims to give The United Methodist Church’s different geographic regions equal standing in decision-making.

In what outgoing Council of Bishops President Thomas J. Bickerton called “a historic day for our church,” delegates voted 586 to 164 for an amendment to the denomination’s constitution that will now go before annual conference voters for potential ratification. 

A constitutional amendment requires at least a two-thirds vote at General Conference; the regionalization amendment received 78% of the vote. To be ratified, the amendment also will need at least a two-thirds total vote of annual conference lay and clergy voters

“This is a big moment here at General Conference, but it will be a long process,” said Bishop David Graves, episcopal leader of the South Georgia Conference. “Every Annual Conference will now have the opportunity to give voice and vote to this legislation. The earliest it could be voted on in South Georgia is 2025, and then the aggregate votes would then have to be compiled to get to a 2/3 total vote of the denomination.” 

Regionalization has become United Methodist shorthand for a package of legislation that would restructure the denomination. Under the legislation, the U.S. and each central conference — church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines — would become regional conferences with the same authority to adapt the Book of Discipline, the denomination’s policy book, for more missional effectiveness.

Allison Lindsey, lay delegate and member of St. Mark UMC in Douglas, Ga., has served as a director for Global Ministries for the past 12 years. She says she has been given a front row seat to the many contexts of mission and ministry that United Methodists live out as a true connectional, global denomination.

“I see this movement to regionalization as a tremendous next step to allowing each region to be more impactful in the work of discipleship in our unique contexts,” said Lindsey. “I look forward to the delegation sharing more with our Conference what this looks like and where the opportunities lie to have South Georgia’s voice in shaping this work for how each region can live out and adapt their mission. This is just the first step, and it’s an exciting way forward.”

At present, only central conferences have that authority under the denomination’s constitution to adapt certain portions of the Discipline as missional needs and different legal contexts require.

The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters — a permanent General Conference committee with a majority of its membership from central conferences — submitted the eight petitions of the Worldwide Regionalization proposal. The standing committee, which met April 21-22, gave its final approval to the legislation before the start of General Conference on April 23.

That teed up the proposals for action by the full General Conference plenary in its first week — a big change from previous sessions when General Conference typically does not take up major proposals until its second week.

Kelly Roberson, Director of Conference Ministries/Communications, served on the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters from 2012-2016 as the lay representative from the Southeastern Jurisdiction.

“This legislation has been carefully and prayerfully worked on for quite some time by the Standing Committee,” said Roberson. “When I first began meeting with my brothers and sisters from central conferences where we had deep and meaningful conversations, I quickly realized how U.S. focused our General Conference gathering is. It was important for me to hear that voiced as a way for us to then work on what it looks like to truly be a global denomination. This is the fruit of that work.”

The legislation voted on by General Conference delegates was the work of multiple United Methodists around the globe. That includes the Standing Committee, the Connectional Table (which coordinates denomination-wide ministries) and members of the Christmas Covenant, a grassroots group of United Methodists in the central conferences who saw regionalization as the best way to promote unity. 

“This is a result of excellent collaboration of people from all walks of life, of all parts of our connection,” said Christine Schneider, a reserve delegate from the Switzerland-France-North Africa Conference and member of the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters.

The South Georgia delegation believes regionalization better positions The United Methodist Church to minister to an ever-changing world.

“We are a worldwide church and this decision honors that. International delegates from Central Conferences will no longer have to listen to or vote on American rules like pensions or property laws when we gather,” the statement reads in part. 

The delegation will give a report at the 2024 Annual Conference session and will lay out a roadmap for how South Georgia will study and discuss this legislation leading up to the 2025 Annual Conference session. 

Ask the UMC produced a 5-part series explaining regionalization. Click here to view.

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A Statement from the South Georgia Delegation

This is a procedural step in a larger and longer process. The vote at General Conference gives the delegates from every Annual Conference an opportunity to consider how we should organize our Connection. South Georgia will vote on these proposed Constitutional amendments in June 2025, allowing time for us to study and discuss.

Our delegation believes this better positions The United Methodist Church to minister to an ever-changing world.

We are a worldwide church and this decision honors that. International delegates from Central Conferences will no longer have to listen to or vote on American rules like pensions or property laws when we gather.