Unprecedented! That's the word for the day during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have never in the history of The United Methodist Church had to postpone a General Conference for more than a year because of a global health emergency. We have not had to wonder about the continuity of general agency boards in the absence of jurisdictional conferences. And we have not had to decide what happens to a quadrennial budget when the conference that sets the budget for the next four-year cycle is postponed for a year. Unprecedented!
At our recent meeting on April 23, the Connectional Table (CT) tried to address these unprecedented times in ways that are most faithful to our polity, yet flexible in light of the challenges we face. After a careful review of the Book of Discipline as well as CT bylaws and articles of incorporation, the Connectional Table determined that our board members will continue until their successors are elected . Bishop Christian Alsted will continue as chair, even as he shares leadership with Bishop Mande Muyombo, who will come on the CT as an observer with voice. Bishop Muyombo will transition fully into the position as chair of the CT after the General Conference in 2021 .
The Connectional Table also affirmed the action of the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) regarding the budget. Specifically, at its March meeting, GCFA decided to continue the apportionment calculations set by the 2016 General Conference into 2021. GCFA made this decision after a thorough discussion of the challenges annual conferences are facing in paying apportionments and determined that, in the absence of a General Conference in 2020, it did not have the authority to alter the decision of the 2016 General Conference. While acknowledging the financial pain being felt in many of our annual conferences, the CT concurred with GCFA’s decision. And we celebrated together the continued faithfulness of United Methodists. Despite the pandemic, annual conferences are paying apportionments as best they can, and, given the financial realities, general agencies are aggressively tightening budgets.
We have hard decisions to make in the months and perhaps years ahead. We are in unprecedented times. We will need faithfulness to our mission, flexibility, and a bone-deep reliance on God's grace . We are seeing these very qualities at every level of our church as United Methodists around the globe adapt to new ways of doing ministry. Pastors, laity, annual conference and general church leaders who say they are just “doing their jobs” are bringing new healing and wholeness to communities. And God is blessing those efforts. In the midst of the challenges of a pandemic, we are finding our way forward in mission together by relying on each other and on our God.
Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai
Chief Connectional Ministries Officer of the Connectional Table