wfn.org | General Conference committees named; CPT to report separately

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

June 15, 1999 News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.  10-71B{332}

NOTE: This report may be used as a sidebar to UMNS story #331. Conference
editors may wish to use the General Conference logo with this story.

By United Methodist News Service

Ten legislative committees are being proposed for the United Methodist
General Conference in Cleveland, May 2-12.  

A nine-member Committee on Plan of Organization and Rules is also
recommending that the Connectional Process Team (CPT) give its report as an
order of the day early in the legislative gathering.

All petitions from individuals, local churches, annual conferences,
churchwide agencies and other groups will be dealt with by one of the 10
committees. Each committee will then take a recommendation of concurrence or
non-concurrence on each petition or group of petitions to  the entire
delegation for action. Usually the 1,000 delegates spend most of the first
half of the conference in legislative committees and the last half in
plenary sessions.  

Legislative committees proposed for the 2000 conference are: Church and
Society, Conferences, Discipleship, Faith and Order, Financial
Administration, Global Ministries, Higher Education and Ministry,
Independent Commissions, and Local Church. One of the most significant
changes made for the 2000 conference is moving all matters related to social
issues and the church's Social Principles from the Church and Society
Committee to the Faith and Order Committee.

The Committee on Organization and Rules, headed by the Rev. Jerome K. Del
Pino of Boston,  is recommending that the CPT report to all the delegates on
Wednesday, May 3. The 38-member team, created by the 1996 General
Conference, was asked to lead the denomination in a "transformational
direction" and to propose how the church should be organized for its mission
and ministry in the new century.

Following the presentation, the delegates will be divided into 25 randomly
selected non-legislative groups for reflection and dialogue. Each group will
meet for 90 minutes, convened and guided by a bishop. The convener and
recorder from each group will meet afterward to identify questions and areas
of consensus and dissent.

Immediately following worship the next day, delegates will receive a written
summary from all the groups.  The CPT report will then be assigned to
various legislative committees and the usual process for decision-making
will be followed. 

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