Information regarding the work of the Virginia Conference District Alignment Team can be found here.

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UPDATE

Due to General Conference being postponed yet again, the Global Methodist Church has announced that it will launch on May 1, 2022.

The 2021 General Conference, rescheduled from 2020, has now been moved to 2024 due to the vast amount of requirements that must be met for global travelers to come to the United States. The target site is still Minneapolis, MN and the aforementioned Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace for Separation (see link below) will still come before the body. The Wesleyan Covenant Association has been working towards the formation of a new church once this protocol is adopted. This new branch of Methodism will be called the Global Methodist Church and will be comprised of those UMC churches that see themselves as Traditionalists. At this point, the GMC is not established as a church and the information in the link above is for your information.

In February 2019, there was a special called General Conference of the United Methodist church held in St. Louis to continue the debate surrounding the polarizing issue of human sexuality with particular regard to the ordination of gay people and clergy performing same-sex unions. This Conference narrowly approved a revised Traditional Plan and conflict continued. In January 2020, a Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace for Separation was revealed to the church and the world. This protocol was developed through direction of a professional mediator and seems to be the way forward that is needed for the sake of Methodism despite our differences. On January 13, an interview was conducted by United Methodist News with those who worked on this protocol, and that interview can be seen here.

While separation is likely, that will not be determined until the quadrennial General Conference in Minneapolis, MN, scheduled for May 5-15, 2020. The General Conference is the governing body of the UMC and is the only body that can speak for the UMC. Despite what you may have heard or read in the news, we are not separating today! However, should separation be the case, the Protocol is the beginning informational document regarding separation, and legislation is currently being drafted for the 2020 General Conference.

Other news surrounding the United Methodist Church can be found at the United Methodist News website, to include future information on the upcoming General Conference.

Above all, pray unceasingly for the United Methodist Church and for the upcoming General Conference.

Thoughts from Bishop Lewis on the Protocol can be found here and here.

Legislation for the Protocol has been formed and submitted.

Click here to read the entire legislation for the summarized version with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).