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 62. 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. The Northern Illinois Conference has a handout sharing who can vote on constitutional amendments, and the New England Conference offers a helpful overview of the upcoming process. Check out the comprehensive article from United Methodist News as well.

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 2/3 of 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, and likewise the General Commission on Religion and Race shares more info on paragraph 5. 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. United Methodist News also has a helpful article on what’s ahead.

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. Check your rules in your conference’s latest journal for your conference’s equalization formula to see who serves as lay equalization by office—if you serve on a conference committee, you may already have a seat! E-mail your district superintendents’ offices today and let them know you’re interested in serving as lay equalization members.
2. Make sure your United Women in Faith conference president is at annual conference. She is a 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. Share information. Share info about the amendments and encourage support in your newsletters, e-newsletters, social media, and other communication.

United Women in Faith seats as lay equalization

Did you know just about half of U.S. annual conferences invite United Women in Faith district presidents to be lay equalization members? If you’re a district president in the following conferences, make sure you attend your annual conference!

Conferences in which district presidents are voting members by virtue of office: Alabama-West Florida, Arkansas, California-Pacific, Desert Southwest, Eastern Pennsylvania, Florida, Greater New Jersey, Holston, Horizon (Central Texas), Horizon (Northwest Texas), Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, New England, North Alabama, North Carolina, North Georgia, Northern Illinois, Oregon-Idaho, Pacific Northwest, Peninsula-Delaware, Rio Texas, South Georgia, Virginia, Western Pennsylvania

Many annual conferences also invite our board members. Board members in the following conferences, make sure you attend General Conference as well!

Conferences in which board members are voting members by virtue of office: California-Pacific, Horizon (Central Texas), Dakotas, Desert Southwest, Eastern Pennsylvania, Great Plains, Illinois Great Rivers, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon-Idaho, Pacific Northwest, Peninsula-Delaware, Upper New York, West Ohio, Wisconsin 

Many conferences also invite General and Jurisdictional Conference delegates to be lay equalization. North Alabama invites former United Women in Faith presidents, Mountain Sky invites retired deaconesses and home missioners, Arkansas invites the entire United Women in Faith conference executive team, and West Ohio invites the Mission u deans and any national mission institution executives who are United Methodist. Check your conference rules!

Are you a district or conference president also serving on an annual conference team or in an annual conference leadership role? For example, are you a deaconess serving as district president, or a conference president serving as a district lay leader, or a district president who is the director of lay servant ministries or on the board of ordained ministry? First, it’s wonderful to have as many United Women in Faith leaders in The United Methodist Church as possible. Well done! But, this may mean you are taking up two seats, so to speak, at annual conference, as you may already be a lay equalization voter by virtue of your annual conference role. Consider electing co-presidents so that an additional United Women in Faith member can offer her voice and vision at annual conference.

If you have any questions, 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.