The 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 – May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The last General Conference was set to happen in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020, until the pandemic made it necessary to postpone the quadrennial legislative event until 2024.

General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church which meets once every four years. The conference can revise church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy, and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs. 

The coming General Conference plans to have 862 voting delegates — half clergy and half lay. Of the elected delegates, 55.9% are from the U.S., 32% from Africa, 6% from the Philippines, 4.6% from Europe (including Russia) and the remainder from concordat churches that have close ties to The United Methodist Church.

The four-member delegation elected at the Dakotas Annual Conference Session in June of 2019 includes the following representatives: Kara Heagel, a member of First UMC in Rapid City, graduate of Wesley United Seminary in Washington, D.C., will serve as the one lay delegate for the Dakotas Conference. Rev. Rebecca Trefz, who serves as the Southeast District superintendent and the executive director of ministries for the Dakotas Conference, will serve as the clergy delegate.  Beata Ferris, a member of First UMC in Pierre, South Dakota, is the reserve lay delegate. Rev. Sara Nelson, who now serves as the senior pastor at First UMC in SIoux Falls, South Dakota, is the reserve clergy delegate.

The Dakotas Conference delegation will join other delegates to consider the approval of the four-year budget allocating apportionments— shares of church giving— for denomination-wide ministries around the globe. General Conference also sets the formula used for apportioning the budget to annual conferences, the denomination’s regional bodies. 

In addition, the assembly approves theological statements on subjects such as baptism and communion. The coming General Conference will consider adopting a theological statement on the United Methodist understanding of church titled “Sent in Love.”

General Conference also elects members of the Judicial Council, the denomination’s top court; members of the commission that plans General Conference; and some members of other denomination leadership bodies.

The Judicial Council will be on hand throughout General Conference to weigh in on questions about General Conference actions, including whether legislation is in line with the denomination’s constitution.

General Conference has received 1,099 total valid petitions — including 352 new petitions submitted since General Conference’s delay in 2020.

The Advance Daily Christian Advocate contains all legislation submitted for consideration by the delegates at the upcoming  General Conference.

The first stop for any legislation coming under consideration at this General Conference is one of 14 legislative committees or the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters. The standing committee is a permanent General Conference committee that deals with matters pertaining to church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines.

Petitions approved by committee then move on to the full body of delegates for possible further revision and a vote.

The Book of Discipline requires that all petitions must receive a vote in their assigned committee and all legislation approved by a committee must receive a vote by the full General Conference plenary.

It is possible for legislative committees and the plenary to vote down multiple petitions in bulk. Likewise, the General Conference plenary can approve multiple petitions in bulk if they qualify for the consent calendar.
 

Delegates routinely pray over their decision-making. They are to vote based on their own conscience as moved by the Holy Spirit.

General Conference opens and closes with Christian worship. Worship services also open each day’s proceedings, often with bishops preaching. 

In preparation for General Conference, the Dakotas Conference delegation invites you to participate in a webinar on April 4th @ 7pm CDT, or April 7th @ 2pm CDT, to learn more about General Conference and ask questions about the upcoming 2024 General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, April 23-May 3, 2024.  Get the details and register.

The Dakotas Conference Communications team will provide complete coverage. Let us know if you are planning to attend General Conference so we can connect with you and share your story from GC 2024. 

A beginner’s guide: FAQs about General Conference

How General Conference works video.

View a schedule for GC 2024.