As I write this the General Conference of the United Methodist Church is underway in Charlotte, North Carolina. General Conference is the gathering of United Methodist delegates and episcopal leadership from around the world. The gathering normally takes place every four years, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first regular general conference in eight years (a special called general conference was held in 2019).
The present gathering is still considered the postponed 2020 General Conference, even though it is happening in 2024.
Significant portions of the proceedings are available by livestream for those of us curious about church polity. Opening worship is also livestreamed and I am aware of at least two inspiring sermons that I hope to watch again.
As I watch the conference from Austin, something about the long tables of delegates and the parliamentary procedure reminds me of another large, global decision-making gathering. I have been mentally referring to the 2020 General Conference as “United Methodist COP.”
I originally intended the comparison as a joke, but the more I listen to the proceedings the more parallels I see.
At both COP and the UMC General Conference an international body of delegates gathers to work collaboratively to develop and implement a shared vision for the future.
At both COP and the UMC General Conference delegates can hear the deliberations and negotiations in multiple different languages.
At both COP and the UMC General Conference proposals are introduced, debated, and voted on by the assembled delegates. One difference between the two is that the multi-lateral negotiation process at COP requires consensus building through an iterative drafting process while in the UMC decisions are made by majority vote, with different majority thresholds required for different levels of decision making.
At both COP and the UMC General Conference there are practices which ensure the participation of a broad range of voices.
At both COP and the UMC General Conference documents considered are made available ahead of time to ensure transparency.
At both COP and the UMC General Conference there are side meetings, committee work, special interest groups, and even protests.
And, both ahead of and during both COP and the UMC General Conference there is a level of analysis, conversation, speculation, and debate that rivals the kind of jockeying and analysis most people reserve for their March Madness brackets.
One final similarity is that following the proceedings of both COP and the UMC General Conference, hearing the remarks by laity and episcopal leaders, learning about the proposals brought forward, and understanding the decision making process has made me hopeful about our ability to work together for the common good.
These systems we have created are not perfect, of course, but they are designed to ensure broad participation among committed people who in their own ways are interested in productive outcomes.
One item on the agenda at the General Conference is the announcement of the Revised Social Principles. The Social Principles guide the denomination in its stance toward a suite of social issues.
The process of revising the Social Principles began 2012 with the goal of making them more explicitly theologically grounded and making the language more concise. This is the first major revision of the UM Social Principles since 1972.
Language on the cover of the Revised Social Principles reflects the broad coalition of voices who contributed to the revisions: over 4,000 United Methodists from around the world participated in the process.
One emphasis of the update was to clarify and update the social principles related to Creation Care, which is called “The Community of All Creation” in the new version. Resource UMC reports that:
“The Community of All Creation section begins by describing the dire threats creation is facing at this time including climate change, overdevelopment, and use of unsustainable energy sources. The document then calls on Christians to adopt more sustainable and just practices. The Revised Social Principles also acknowledges the ways unjust environmental policies touch other social concerns such as racism, classism, and the historic mistreatment of indigenous peoples.” (Resource UMC)
Methodism’s founder, John Wesley, saw an intrinsic connection between our faith and our work for justice in the world. Works of mercy, which include working for justice, is one of what Wesley called the means of grace, practices in which we engage both as a reflection of our experience of God’s grace and as a way to grow further into that grace. Like prayer, worship, and study, works of mercy are an essential part of Wesleyan faith.
Maybe that’s another reason I see a connection between the work of the UMC General Conference and COP. Climate change is a major justice issue affecting the lives of people around the world in big and small ways. As a people whose faith practice includes working for justice in the world, climate justice must be of critical importance for United Methodists.