In one year, the General Conference will have a special session to hear the recommendation of the Council of Bishops and vote on the Way Forward for The United Methodist Church. Your Northern Illinois General Conference Delegation is meeting in preparation for this important vote. Here are some things that we would like you to know.
We don’t know what the Council of Bishops will bring to us, and we will find out when you do.
At the 2016 General Conference, the delegates asked the Council of Bishops to lead us past our impasse on inclusion after decades of debate. The Bishops formed the Commission on the Way Forward to advise them, and the Commission is developing their recommendation. The Council receives that report and will use it to determine their recommendation to the church, which will be presented later this spring or summer.
Listening Sessions We will be sharing more information with the Conference when we know more and we are interested in hearing from you. The delegation will hold listening sessions around the conference this summer or early fall. There is a lot of speculation right now, but we want to be ready to discuss exactly what we will be voting on before we engage in conference-wide discussions. Click here to read more.
Commission moderators emphasize mission as key to way forward Following their seventh meeting Jan. 18-20 in Dallas, the moderators of the Commission on a Way Forward are urging United Methodists to engage in reflections on where they see mission at the heart of the denomination as well as seeing mission as significant for resolving conflict.
Read more and find questions for reflection by clicking here.