General Conference 2024
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General Conference News
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Bright Hope for Tomorrow: Bishops’ message after General Conference
Discover Key Outcomes of the Historic 2024 General Conference
Talk to your congregation about the mission and ministry of The UMC
Video overview: Experience General Conference and share it with others
May 3 wrap-up: Historic conference comes to a close
By: Joey Butler
May 3, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
On the final day of a General Conference eight years in the making — the Rev. Gary Graves, General Conference secretary, referred to it as “the multipurpose 2020 and 2024” meeting — delegates set the budget that will fund the ministries of the denomination for the next four years, a budget significantly lower than the one it set in 2016. Read more…
May 2 wrap-up: Delegates declare homosexuality no longer ‘incompatible’
By: Joey Butler
May 2, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
The day after a historic plenary session that saw General Conference delegates end the church’s prohibition on ordaining “self-avowed practicing homosexuals,” the church’s top legislative body on May 2 voted to remove the denominational stance that declares homosexuality to be “incompatible with Christian teaching.” That language has been in place since 1972. Read more…
May 1 wrap-up: Gay clergy ban lifted, new retirement plan approved
By: Joey Butler
May 1, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
During a historic May 1 morning plenary session, one of the sources of heated, often painful, dispute at General Conference for the past 40 years was removed without debate: The denomination’s ban on ordaining “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” has been lifted. Read more…
April 30 wrap-up: Some LGBTQ bans lifted, Episcopal communion approved
By: Joey Butler
April 30, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
On the second full day of General Conference voting, delegates fast-tracked a large number of items via the consent calendar. Read more…
April 29 wrap-up: African bishops added; prayers after Charlotte shooting
By: Joey Butler
April 29, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
After resting on Sunday, General Conference delegates hit the ground running in the legislative assembly’s second week. But as news spread of a mass shooting in Charlotte, just a few miles from where General Conference is taking place, a hectic plenary session was paused as delegates prayed for victims and the community. Read more…
April 27 wrap-up: First revised Social Principles pass, committee work ends
By: Joey Butler
April 27, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
The first week of General Conference wrapped up with the passage of the first of a number of proposed revisions to the United Methodist Social Principles. Delegates will work late to complete their legislative committee work, which they must finish today to begin voting next week. Read more…
April 26 wrap-up: Bishop urges delegates to follow God’s lead
By: Joey Butler
April 26, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
Mississippi Conference Bishop Sharma Lewis dropped to one knee and implored delegates to put their trust in God despite the human tendency to be “control freaks,” as the General Conference of The United Methodist Church began its fourth workday. Read more…
General Conference gives regionalization green light
By: Heather Hahn
April 25, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
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. Read more…
Young People Share fears, hopes for future church
By: Eveline Chikwanah
April 24, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
Young people have likened the current happenings in The United Methodist Church to a divorce with devastating effects on the children, but they asserted there is hope for a bright future. Read more…
VAUMC News – General Conference
Bishop Sue recaps love, acceptance at General Conference
On the last day of General Conference, the end of the two-week event that included one week of legislative committees and one week of plenary sessions, Bishop Sue provided a
Bishop Sue, delegates share reaction following removal of ban on ordination of gay clergy
During the morning plenary on Wednesday, May 1, the General Conference body removed The United Methodist Church’s ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” with approval
Registration now open for Post General Conference Panel Discussion
The Virginia Conference will host a post-General Conference Zoom webinar on Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. The panel will include Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson; Rev. Lindsey Baynham Freeman, head of
Help Understanding General Conference: Iconographics
Kim Johnson, GC delegate and NOVA District Director of Communications, has created a helpful infographic for individual and church use to explain the purpose of General Conference and more.
Resources
General Conference news and information from Virginia Conference Communications, featuring local clergy and laity. New resources will be added weekly through early May.
Playlist
Before Conference Conversations: Podcasts (16 episodes)
Playlist
General Conference FAQs
All of the legislation which was properly submitted in September 2019 for the 2020 General Conference is still properly before the body for consideration at the April 23-May 3, 2024 General Conference session.
The Judicial Council, the top court of the UMC, determined that any postponement of the General Conference would reset the submission deadlines for proposed legislation. Additional legislation was therefore allowed to be submitted, with a deadline of September 2023. The newly submitted petitions and new, updated reports from the denomination’s general agencies were then organized by legislative committee and translated into multiple languages. They were released in January 2024 and will be considered by the body alongside the originally submitted legislation. Learn more here.
The next General Conference will be held in Charlotte, NC from April 23-May 3, 2024.
This will depend in part on the legislation before the General Conference body. Normal General Conference sessions include a week of legislative committees prior to the General Conference body meeting together as a whole.