Toward more structural, gender, and racial equity

Love in action: Help ratify constitutional amendments at your annual conference

You can help move the church toward more structural, gender, and racial equity and help ensure that our church reflects its teachings and values by voting yes on constitutional amendments at your 2025 annual conferences.

What are constitutional amendments?

Like the U.S. Constitution, the constitution of The United Methodist Church is the denomination’s fundamental constituting and legal document. It can be found in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, paragraphs 1 to 61. Amendments are changes to the constitution. Proposed amendments must first be supported by 2/3 of the voting delegates at General Conference, followed by ratification by 2/3 of all voting members of every annual conference.

What is ratification?

In 2025, annual conferences will begin voting on the constitutional amendments passed by the 2024 General Conference. Ballots will be distributed during annual conference sessions, then votes will be tallied and sent to the Council of Bishops, who will track all recorded votes. Annual conference members can debate the amendments but cannot make changes.

Amendments are ratified via aggregate vote, meaning every individual yes and no vote is counted in the total. United Methodist Communications has an article and video that explains the ratification process in more detail, and the Northern Illinois Conference has a handout sharing who can vote on constitutional amendments.

What constitutional amendments passed General Conference?

The amendments on which annual conferences will vote on are the following. The links will take you to more information. Worldwide regionalization requires a series of amendments, while the other three are simple changes to one paragraph. These amendments were submitted by the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the General Commission on Religion and Race, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry:

• Worldwide regionalization
• Addition of “gender” and “ability” to paragraph 4, article 4
• Racial justice
• Requiring a local pastor’s degree to come from a University Senate-approved seminary in order to qualify to vote for General Conference delegates

Why should we ratify these amendments?

These amendments were approved by more than 700 elected delegates from around the world and were submitted by trustworthy, official church bodies. United Women in Faith supports the adoption of all amendments as faithful steps toward being a church that makes disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world.

Read more about United Women in Faith support for regionalization on our General Conference blog. The Commission on the Status and Role of Women shares the arguments for the amendments to paragraph 4 on their website, where they also encourage your support. Check out the statement from the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women on how its legislation works for justice and inclusion. And the General Board of Church and Society shares their goals for their legislation in a quick online course.

The Western Methodist Justice Movement recently held on webinar on the amendments. You can watch the video on their website.

How can we ratify these amendments?

1. Vote at annual conference. Each local church is granted an equal number of lay members and clergy as voting members of the annual conference. Be sure your church has its allotted lay representatives. If your church has a vacancy in that position, volunteer to fill it! (Many local churches cover the costs for clergy and lay members to attend annual conference.) In addition, almost all annual conferences need lay equalization members to help ensure there are equal numbers of lay people voting as clergy at the session. Annual conferences usually ask for volunteers around March, so check your United Methodist conference website, and be sure to sign up for conference and district newsletters. E-mail your district superintendent’s office today and let them know you’re interested in serving as a lay equalization member.
2. Make sure our United Women in Faith conference president is at annual conference. She isa voting member by office, as stated in the Book of Discipline.
3. Encourage others to vote yes. Talk to your pastor and your church’s lay member to conference and encourage them to support the amendments. Host district and conference gatherings, in-person or online, to share information and have conversations.
4. Include it in your newsletters. Share info about the amendments and encourage support in your newsletters, e-newsletters, social media, and other communication.

More resources will come from United Women in Faith, so stay tuned! In the meantime, reach out to Tara Barnes, director of denominational relations, at tbarnes@uwfaith.org if you have any questions.

Cover photo by Larry McCormick for United Methodist News.