General Conference
United Women in Faith celebrates the ratification of constitutional amendments
NEW YORK—The United Methodist Council of Bishops today announced the ratification of the constitutional amendments passed at the 2024 United Methodist General Conference. United Women in Faith celebrates this news as a step forward for the denomination.
“Voters at General Conference and annual conferences have moved the church toward more structural, gender, and racial equity. These decisions by United Methodists around the world will help our church better reflect its global nature and make room for more voices at our tables as we love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local and worldwide connections,” said United Women in Faith General Secretary and CEO Sally Vonner.
The following amendments to the United Methodist constitution were ratified:
- Worldwide regionalization
- The addition of “gender” and “ability” to paragraph 4, article 4
- Updated language regarding racial justice for paragraph 5
- Changes to paragraph 35 that standardize and clarify who is eligible to vote for clergy delegates to General Conference
The renewed call for racial justice reflects United Women in Faith’s longtime commitment to dismantling racist systems, and a regionalized structure offers the church the opportunity to de-center the United States in its decision-making.
As the official laywomen’s organization of The United Methodist Church, we especially praise the naming of “gender” as well as “ability” as categories that cannot be used to discriminate against a potential member in one of our churches. The United Methodist constitution now declares that an individual cannot be denied membership or participation in our churches based on gender or ability.
“Women still face discrimination in society and in our church. It’s important that we name this as United Methodists,” said Vonner. “Women in the church have been advocating for this addition to paragraph 4 for a long time, and it’s a historic and blessed moment to see this amendment come to pass.”
In order for changes to be made to the United Methodist Constitution, it must be approved by two-thirds of the General Conference and then ratified by two-thirds of all voting members of every annual conference in the worldwide denomination. In 2024, the General Conference overwhelmingly supported the amendments, and in 2025, members of the church’s annual conferences did the same at their yearly meetings.
Sexism, ableism, racism, and colonialism are not a part of God’s kin-dom. Mutuality in mission and ministry is the only way we’ll succeed, together, in loving our neighbors and making disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world.
Cover photo by Mike DuBose/UMNews.
