Nashville, Tenn. — The Committee on Reference will meet in advance of the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference in order to determine whether petitions submitted by organizations and individuals are in harmony with the call to the special session, as required by ¶14 of The Book of Discipline 2016 and Judicial Council Decision 1360. This is in addition to the other responsibilities outlined in Section VII.A.7 of the Plan of Organization and Rules of Order of the General Conference (beginning on p. 18). The meeting will take place January 11-12 in Irving, Texas.
The Commission on the General Conference developed the process for handling legislative petitions for the Special Session, after consultation with a design team. The Commission recommended that the committee meet before February so that decisions about which petitions are in harmony are made before the legislative assembly convenes. Petitions that are determined not “in harmony” will be withdrawn. The first daily edition of the Daily Christian Advocate will contain a report of the committee’s actions.
The members of the Committee on Reference for the 2016 General Conference will continue to serve as the Committee on Reference for the 2019 Special Session, except where vacancies on the committee have occurred since that time. As directed by the rules of the General Conference, the Council of Bishops recently made appointments to fill those vacancies.
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Media contact:
Diane Degnan ddegnan@umcom.org
615.742.5406 (o) 615.483.1765 (c)