May 2, 2024

Grace and Peace, Clergy and Laity of The Florida Conference!

This morning the session of General Conference began with a celebration of our mission work around the globe. New missionaries were commissioned and will be deployed by The United Methodist Church to share the gospel, offer medical care, start new churches, care for the needs of severely impoverished children and serve in numerous other ways. Your church is actively fulfilling the Great Commission and the call of Christ to serve the poor and vulnerable.

Delegates of this General Conference have voted for some significant changes in the structure and practices of our church over the last two days. These changes have been anticipated for some time. Notably, the General Conference delegates removed paragraph 304.3 from our Book of Discipline. They also removed other restrictions against same-gender marriages and the ordination of qualified, openly gay persons for ordained ministry. While many will disagree about whether this is the right time for such change, more than 90% of the General Conference delegates have decided to bring this protracted conflict to a close and welcome all people into the life of The United Methodist Church. These policies and this conflict in many ways have caused harm to individuals and to the church. It has been an obstacle to our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Bishop Nhiwatiwa of the Zimbabwe Conference, in a compelling sermon from this General Conference, called for an end to conflict in The United Methodist Church. I join him in the hope that we are beginning a new day with the decisions made here.

I know that you will have church members who view these changes in a variety of ways. It is my expectation as the Bishop of The Florida Conference that we will respect each other in the unity of Jesus Christ, understanding that we have a variety of perspectives and serve in a multitude of contexts and locations.

Attached you will find a document that will answer questions of practices related to same-gender marriage and the ordination and appointment of openly gay clergy. Please join us for a webinar on Tuesday, May 7 at 6 pm where I will join Rev. Alex Shanks and Molly McEntire to provide answers to your questions about the General Conference.

In Christ,

Tom Berlin,
+ Resident Bishop
Florida Conference

WEBINAR RECORDING

Recorded on May 7, Bishop Tom Berlin, Rev. Alex Shanks (Assistant to the Bishop), and Molly McEntire (Lay Delegate to General Conference),
discuss the outcome of the 2024 General Conference and answer questions from the webinar chat.

Click here to download the webinar Q&A
Click here to download the Revised Social Principles
Haga clic aquí para descargar los Principios Sociales Revisados (en español)

GENERAL CONFERENCE WRAP-UP

Created by United Methodist Communications, this short video gives a concise summary of this year’s General Conference.

GENERAL CONFERENCE 2024

Every four years, United Methodists from around the world assemble and connect in worship, prayer, Communion, and fellowship as they conduct the legislative work that shapes our denomination. In addition to setting the rules and establishing procedures for virtually every aspect of our church's life, General Conference also communicates the denomination's official position on a variety of issues and cultural challenges.

General Conference 2020 was scheduled to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but was postponed due to the world-wide COVID-19 shutdown. Then, as outbreaks, quarantines, and international travel restrictions continued, it was decided to wait until the end of the four-year-cycle and to hold General Conference in 2024.

The postponed 2020 General Conference was held April 23 - May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina.