General Board of Discipline Project
Dear Friends,
Our Book of Discipline is divided into different sections – the Constitution, the Doctrinal Standards, the Ministry of All Christians, the Social Principles, and then the chapters on Organization and Administration of our Conferences, local churches, clergy standards, and boards and agencies.
Since the 1968 Uniting Conference that birthed our present denomination, United Methodist Conferences outside the United States have had the ability to adapt certain parts of the Discipline to their own legal and cultural contexts. For instance, property laws are different in the Congo than in Chicago. Access to seminary education is different in Manila than in Madison, NJ.
General Conference has now asked all of us to take a look at our Discipline with an eye toward standardizing that ability to adapt across the globe.
The basic question is:
What parts are so central to our identity that they should not be adapted, and which parts need to be flexible so that we can advance the mission of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”?
Answering this question takes some imagination for those of us steeped in a U.S. context. We will need to ask ourselves what rules and guidelines might be a hindrance to the gospel in another place? Does this principle only apply in my cultural context or is it universal?
These are tough questions, but we believe that with input from all parts of the Body of Christ, the answers may become clear.
Not all of us have deep experience with every section of the Discipline. But most of us have pages that are dogeared and that we have to consult frequently. We are asking that you take some time to consider what should be adaptable about those parts and provide your feedback to us. Please use the feedback form that is linked below and tell us what you think by November 30th, 2024.
As the old Sunday School song goes: “I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we’re the church together!” Thank you for being the church.
On behalf of the EPA & GNJ General Conference Delegations,
Rev. Tom Lank and Harriett Olson
Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm and Judy Ehninger