Illinois Great Rivers Conference 2025 Journal-Yearbook
If ratified, the paragraph would read as follows: ¶ 5. Article V. Racial Justice-The United Methodist Church proclaims that from God’s goodness and love, God created all persons as God’s unique and beloved children. Racism opposes God’s law, goodness, and love and diminishes the image of God in each person. Fueled by white privilege, white supremacy, and colonialism, the sin of racism has been a destructive scourge on global society and throughout the history of The United Methodist Church. It continues to destroy our communities, harm persons, obstruct unity, and undermine God’s work in this world. Racism must be eradicated. Therefore, The United Methodist Church commits to confronting and eliminating all forms of racism, racial inequity, colonialism, white privilege, and white supremacy, in every facet of its life and in society at large. CA4: Clergy education requirements The 2020/24 General Conference voted to amend Section VI, Article IV of the United Methodist Constitution. This paragraph outlines the educational requirements for clergy members of annual or provisional conferences who are eligible to vote for clergy delegates to the General Conference. Previously, the paragraph required a clergy delegate to have completed a “course of study or an M. Div. degree…” It now states: “course of study or Master of Divinity from a University Senate approved theological school or its equivalent as recognized in a Central Conference…” This amendment ensures that those voting for clergy delegates have met the denominational standards for theological education. It does not expand or restrict voting access for licensed local pastors (LLPs) in central or regional conferences. Instead, it clarifies the meaning of an M. Div. degree and specifies qualifying theological schools and their equivalents. Local pastors retain the right to elect clergy delegates to the General Conference if they meet the following criteria: 1. Educational Requirements: They must have either a. Completed the Course of Study, or b. Earned a Master of Divinity degree from a University Senate-approved theological school or its equivalent as recognized in a central or regional conference. 2. Service Requirement: They must have served a minimum of two consecutive years under appointment immediately before the election. This amendment brings greater clarity and consistency to the voting process for clergy delegates while allowing for necessary contextualization within central and regional conferences. If ratified, the paragraph would read as follows: ¶ 35. Article IV. The clergy delegates to the General Conference and to the jurisdictional or central conference shall be elected from 74 the clergy members in full connection and shall be elected by the clergy members of the annual conference or provisional annual
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