Legislative Sections Set to Work
By Jim Nibbelink
Another early morning. Another full day of work. We’re getting into the rhythm of the days. Western Jurisdictional meeting at 7. Worship at 8:15. Then follow the appropriate meeting schedule until late at night. Go to bed. Get up. Repeat. There are adequate breaks for meals, and fresh-baked cookies, courtesy of churches in our host conference, Central Texas, are set out twice a day. It will take over 20,000 dozen cookies to keep everyone fueled for all of General Conference!
Bishop Joao Machado of Mozambique led today’s worship. We got to experience what our Central Conference (outside the US) brothers and sisters face when dealing with a language unfamiliar to them. The sermon was delivered in Portuguese. Now, Devin, our delegation chair, was all set, as he’s fluent in Portuguese. The rest of us had to wait for the translation – a good learning experience! Again, the music was varied and uplifting. We particularly enjoyed some down-home choruses led by a great group from one of our Minneapolis churches.
The hard work of legislating for the United Methodist Church for the next four years has begun. Starting with the 1564 petitions that were submitted from around the world of the church, thirteen Legislative Sections have launched into the processes that will culminate in a revised Book of Discipline and Book of Resolutions. The petitions have been split up by subject matter into thirteen groups and each group has been assigned to a related Legislative Section. Each Delegate has been assigned to one of these sections, which will make recommendations to the entire General Conference concerning each and every petition. Legislative Sections may recommend adoption or rejection of each proposal. They may amend a proposal as well, changing the language, and sometimes the thrust of a petition. Once a section has made its recommendation, the legislation goes to the whole Conference, along with the relevant recommendation. The plenary session will then consider the advice of the Legislative Section and vote final adoption, amendment or rejection. From the actions of the plenary, our updated principles, priorities, positions, methods and pronouncements will come.
Each Legislative Section sets its own working schedule for the first few days, first accommodating the overall worship and plenary plans. Sections may be dealing with many petitions or just a few, depending on the paragraphs of the Discipline and Resolutions that have been assigned to them. As petitions emerge from Legislative Sections, they are scheduled for action on the floor of the plenary. Recommendations that are overwhelmingly recommended for adoption or rejection by the Legislative Sections are placed on a daily Consent Calendar and voted upon in groups to expedite the voting process. Petitions that come from Legislative Sections without a consensus, simply a recommendation to adopt or reject, are brought to the floor individually for debate and action. The floor discussions and votes will begin in a day or two, when enough petitions are ready to warrant a plenary session.
Until legislation comes to the floor, a lot of information is exchanged in hallway meetings, over lunch and on cell phones. Plus there is always more networking, seeing old friends, hugs and new acquaintances. This worshipful work continues to amaze! I’m so glad I’m a part of a connectional church, which values the sacred worth and contributions of everyone. If we could just keep up with our sleep, this could be fun!