About half of my social media feed over this week has been friends saying, “finally it has begun.” The “it,” to which they refer is General Conference. After a delay of four years, the pain of disaffiliation, and countless hours of preparation, prayer, and consternation, the long awaited 2020 General Conference has begun. That isn’t a typographical error; the General Conference that has begun in Charlotte on April 23, 2024 is the 2020 General Conference.
General Conference is the highest legislative body of our denomination. It is the only body that can actually speak for our denomination. If you ever hear someone say, “United Methodists believe . . . ,” if it didn’t come from General Conference it isn’t true. This is the group that sets the course for the next four years of our life together. This is the group that will declare our feelings about the issues of the day. This is the group that will define how we are to be organized. And, the work has begun.
There is an old saying that the two things you should never watch are sausage being made and legislation being perfected. You are likely to see many news stories over the next few days that tell all sorts of things, but most of them are reported before the process is done. It is a long process and until it is done, we will not know what the end will be. I urge us all to be patient and to let the delegates do their work.
I have never been a delegate, but I know many who have. I know them all to be people of faith and prayer, earnestly seeking to do all they can to further our life together. They will, I am confident, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and prayerfully do the very best they can. I trust them.
Many of you have heard me say, whatever happens, I for one will be staying as a United Methodist. You are not required to agree with me on this, but, you have a right to know where your pastor is. I believe that my vows to uphold the United Methodist Church by “my prayers, my presence, my gifts, my service, and my witness” continue to hold me and require me to stay, even if General Conference does something with which I disagree.
E. Stanley Jones, the great United Methodist evangelist from the last century, once wrote of the Church, “there must be a basis so strong that strong [people] can and do hold together in spite of differences.” He went on to remind us that the earliest of the Saints were not bound by organization, they were not bound by opinion, but quite simply, “they held together around the person of Jesus Christ. They were Christ-ians.” May it be so for us still.
Pastor Tom