General Conference

General Conference 2020 - INUMC
The Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2020 United Methodist General Conference will be postponed until 2024. This is the third postponement of the denomination’s top policy-making assembly due to COVID-19. 
About the postponement, Bishop Trimble said, “There is no need for alarm. Though the date of our next General Conference has changed, our mission has not. People still need Jesus, so I encourage United Methodists in Indiana to continue to be the Church.” 
While many may speculate what this means for the future of the denomination, it is too early to draw conclusions. The Indiana Conference remains hopeful that through it all, the Indiana United Methodists will continue to be a faithful representation of the body of Christ.

Read release

About General Conference
The General Conference, the top legislative body of The United Methodist Church will meet at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church will have 862 delegates, equally split between clergy and laity, who will gather to set policy and direction for the Church, as well as handle other important business. Of the 2020 delegates, 55.9% will be from the U.S., 32% from Africa, 6% from the Philippines, 4.6% from Europe and the remainder from concordat churches that have close ties to The United Methodist Church.

Meeting every 4 years, General Conference is the only body that can officially speak on behalf of the 13.2-million-member denomination. The United Methodist Book of Discipline, typically updated every four years, incorporates changes made by General Conference.

The Indiana Delegation
The Indiana Delegation to the 2020 General Conference is comprised of 8 clergy and 8 laity. Six more persons (3 clergy and 3 laity) serve as alternate delegates to the General Conference. These delegates were elected at the 2019 Indiana Annual Conference. The first elected delegates became the chairpersons of the delegation.

About the Indiana Conference
The Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church provides leadership, resources, and support for more than 1,073 congregations ranging in size from 20 to 8,000 members in 10 districts across the state of Indiana. There are about 955 pastoral appointments to those churches, ministering to more than 174,102 adult members and 38,573 children and youth. The Indiana Conference is led by Bishop Julius C. Trimble.

Indiana Delegation shares statement regarding proposed separation protocol to be considered at General Conference

The release of the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation has created much conversation and some confusion. Bishop Trimble has recently released a statement on this proposed Protocol. As the Indiana Conference Delegation, we want to reassure the Conference of our commitment to the delegation’s work and offer some reminders. Read Full Statement

General Conference 2020 Petition Submission Process Opens

Petitions for consideration by the 2020 General Conference may be submitted to the Petitions Secretary now through September 18, 2019. According to church law, “Any organization, clergy member, or lay member of The United Methodist Church may petition the General Conference…”.
U.S. Elections See Shift in GC2020 Delegates
Months after a bruising 2019 special United Methodist General Conference, U.S. annual conference voters elected a significantly different slate of delegates to make big decisions in 2020.
Biblical Comparison Shapes GC2020 Theme
A well-known Bible verse provides inspiration for the theme of the 2020 General Conference in Minneapolis.

This summary compares proposals from various groups, in alphabetical order, about the structure of The UMC. It does not include proposals from individuals. Further details are in the documents and legislation. All proposals will be open for amendments at General Conference and may be subject to Judicial Council review. Updated on 1/7/2020.

View/Download Chart

CLERGY

Russ Abel
Aleze Fulbright
Lisa Schubert Nowling
Ronnie Bell
Rob Fuquay
Jill Howard
Duane Carlisle
Larry Whitehead

LAY

Chris Hancock
Ian Hall
Shirley Dominick
Leah Padgett
Michael Womack
John Lomperis
Shannon Priddy
Amy Land

The first three elected Jurisdictional Conference delegates serve as alternates to General Conference. They are:

Greg Pimlott, clergy,  Adriane Curtis, clergy, Matt Landry, clergy, Kim Arnott, lay member,  John Shive, lay member, and Brett Loyd, lay member.

Rev. Greg Pimlott

“What does it mean to me to be a delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences in 2020? It means walking with the denomination I call home during one of the most difficult hours of this generation. It means being a witness and a voice at a moment in history that my grandchildren will ask me about someday. And it means doing my part to see that the church I love has a future that my grandchildren will be grateful to be part of someday.” Read More

Rev. Chris Nunley

“I still believe in The United Methodist Church and will work diligently to make her stronger in love, in grace, and in her witness for Jesus Christ.” Continue Reading

Posted February 17, 2020

Rev. Rob Fuquay

“Nothing about this work has been easy so far. Everything about it holds the potential of new life. I am excited to be a part of helping United Methodists in Indiana and beyond define and live into a new vision of a church with Wesleyan values and ‘proclaim to every people, tongue and nation that God, in whom they live and move, is love.'” Continue Reading

Posted February 3, 2020

Kim Arnott

serving to GC2020 as an alternate lay delegate

“But, no matter what decisions are made in 2020, there will still be hurting people that need to know God, there will still be the poor who need our love and support, there will still be injustice in the world that needs to be addressed, there will still be communities that need to hear the Word of God, and there will still be lonely people that need our care. This needs to be our primary focus in the months and years to come.” Continue Reading

Rev. Lisa Schubert Nowling

“I am privileged to serve as a General Conference delegate again in 2020, and I take this responsibility very prayerfully. I believe God has called me to serve the global church until it looks like the reign of Jesus – love, justice, and peace for all people and all creation. I am dedicated to breaking down the barriers among us and within us so all people are welcome in our churches. I am also grateful for the opportunity to shape the church I want our 4-year-old daughter to inherit.” Continue Reading

Posted January 2, 2020

Shirley Dominick

“I pray I can listen, discern and represent my hear-felt love for my church. It is a privilege to be a part of the group chosen to represent the body of Christ for our future.” Continue Reading

Reflection writted December 23, 2019 and posted January 2, 2020

Shannon Priddy

“This is a time of learning. I am doing a lot of reading. I want to know and understand the legislation. I want to understand differing points of view. I believe this is all part of my commitment to church and faith. I am doing all this to grow and develop as a strong, Christian woman.” Continue Reading

Posted December 9, 2019

Mike Womak

“I am a life-long, multi-generational Methodist…I never expected to be a member of the Indiana General Conference delegation. It is an honor I take very seriously. I feel a keen sense of responsibility to pass on to my 3 children and 8 grandchildren the love for Jesus and his church that was passed down to me by my faithful ancestors.” Continue Reading

Posted November 18, 2019

Rev. Adriane Curtis

serving to GC2020 as an alternate clergy delegate

“Our denominational system is not perfect. Sometimes it even seems frustratingly inflexible. Yet, our democratic-style system was developed to empower and give voice to ALL of us. Our Methodist roots uphold the value of every single human being as a beloved child of God. Even more, our theology upholds a God that brings us together for the sake of building God’s kingdom here on earth. We do that work together at General Conference.” Continue Reading

Posted November 12, 2019

John Shive

serving to GC2020 as an alternate lay delegate

“While I have been active in my local church, serving as lay leader, on committees, planning and participating in outreach, and even as treasurer; I had not gotten involved in Annual Conference or General Conference. So, I wanted to understand more of how business was conducted, and what issues were being discussed. Also, being a representative from a small, more rural church, I wanted our voice to be heard as well and wanted our church to be informed in return.” Continue Reading

Posted November 4, 2019

Rev. Dr. Aleze M. Fulbright

As I reflect on the question, as to why I availed myself to serve T he United Methodist Church as a delegate to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences, the word that continues to resonate with this calling is: SERVICE. The simple definition of service is, “the action of helping or doing work for someone else.” Continue Reading

Posted October 28, 2019

Chris Hancock

As a delegate, we are called to do many things, however, the one question I often find myself asking is, “How am I manifesting my identity as His adopted child?” Continue Reading

Posted October 7, 2019

Rev. Ronnie Bell

I’m a newly ordained United Methodist minister, serving at Cumberland UMC, the easternmost Methodist church in Marion County. I’ve also been elected by my clergy colleagues to serve as part of the delegation going to Minneapolis to help guide the decisions of our denomination on a way forward, particularly on the issue of human sexuality, but on many other issues and concerns as well. Continue reading

Posted October 1, 2019

Rev. Jill Howard

Being a delegate to the 2020 General Conference is a mixed bag of emotions. As I filled out my willingness to serve form this time around, after having served in 2016 and 2019, I asked a friend, “Why am I doing this again?!” The response? “Because you’re called to do it.” Continue Reading

Posted September 24, 2019

Rev. Russ Abel

Each time I have offered myself to serve as a General Conference Delegate, that has been one of the most common questions I am asked. The short answer is, I want to serve and I want to make a difference. I know that may sound simplistic or naïve, or both. But let me explain. Continue reading.

Posted September 16, 2019

A great way for clergy and laity to get involved, be in community, and serve is by volunteering their time and efforts to welcoming United Methodists from across the world as they gather for the 2020 General Conference in Minneapolis, Minn. Don’t currently live near Minneapolis? Don’t let that stop you. The Annual Conference is offering volunteers different options for housing and accommodations. Visit GC2020welcome.org for more information.

GC2020 Volunteer Opportunities

How do we talk to young people about General Conference? 

General Conference 2020 will impact all of us, but it is wise for us to consider how it will particularly impact the young people in our congregations. They are engaged in the conversation alongside us and listening carefully to understand its repercussions.  It is important that ministry leaders and congregations have thoughtful responses and resources to address the questions, pain, and the myriad of reactions from young people.

Church leaders are encouraged to listen, share, and speak with young people through this process. They are the church of today and tomorrow.

Consider the resources below to help you start the conversation with a young person. For more information and guidance, please contact Emily Krach, Associate Director of Leadership Development – Emerging Leaders, at emily.krach@inumc.org.

Download resources>>

Learn more about GC2020 by visiting the following links:

You may contact members of the Indiana delegation at 2020inumcdelegation@inumc.org.

For media needs, please contact Serena Acker, INUMC Communications Officer, at Serena.Acker@inumc.org.

Learn More About GC2024