In his book, The Rest of Our Lives, Patrick Morley reminds us that on any given Sunday some 100 million persons are in church, and that about 60 million claim to be born-again Christians. But, Morley writes, those 60 million have made no apparent difference in the world today.
For many years, I did not think it was spiritual to become involved or to serve beyond the local church; but I have decided to stop being a Christian who complains about the state of the church, and try to do something about the things which were undermining the Wesleyan beliefs of our beloved United Methodist Church.
Hoping to make a difference, I decided to become a candidate for delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences (para. 15, Book of Discipline). I wanted to make my one small voice count for Jesus Christ and traditional United Methodism.
Being a delegate is vitally important if a person wishes to influence the decisions made regarding critical and controversial issues facing the UM Church, including the expenditure of church funds.
By way of introduction, there are three types of delegates in the United Methodist Church.
1. The Annual Conference delegate
Each local church has the right to send one or more delegates to Annual Conference to deal with church matters (para. 36,37, and 39, Book of Discipline), and elect delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences. The local church nominating and personnel committee, chaired by the pastor, makes the delegate nominations to the administrative board (Charge Conference). A church is allowed one delegate for each clergy appointed to that particular church. Upon election, the delegate then becomes the local church representative to Annual Conference.
Each conference of the United Methodist Church has its own procedure for electing delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences. Become familiar with the procedure and discuss it with your district superintendent and/or your district lay leader.
2. The Jurisdictional Conference delegate
The Jurisdictional Conference follows the General Conference by a few months. Delegates to Jurisdictional Conference are the General Conference delegates, plus an equal number of delegates elected and designated for Jurisdictional Conference only (para. 614, Book of Discipline).
Election at Annual Conference takes place by assigning to General Conference the required number of candidates receiving the most votes; and designating as jurisdictional delegates the required number who receive the next highest amount of votes. The two (or more) whose vote totals follow are designated as reserve delegates to Jurisdictional Conference. These two (or more) attend Jurisdictional Conference and sit in, as necessary, whenever a delegate has to be absent during sessions.
It is at Jurisdictional Conference that bishops are elected to replace those who are retiring.
3. The General Conference delegate
Delegates to General Conference are elected by the Annual Conference in the number allowed by the Discipline formula, (para. 602, Book of Discipline), and certified to the Annual Conference secretary by the secretary of the General Conference.
The two (or more) top vote-getting Jurisdictional Conference delegates act as reserve delegates to General Conference. General Conference delegates are assigned to specific committees to study and make recommendations on petitions which have been submitted from throughout United Methodism.
The first week of General Conference is spent in committee, dealing with issues and potential recommendations to be made to the plenary session. The second week of General Conference is spent in plenary session where committee reports are heard and voted upon.
Process
To become a delegate to General and/or Jurisdictional Conference is not easy, but it is possible. I was elected to General Conference as a first-time candidate. In my particular conference, each district is allowed to elect five lay persons to be included in a conference pool from which General and Jurisdictional Conference delegates are elected.
If you desire to be a candidate from your district/conference in 1996, now is the time for you to begin making your plans.
Three years in advance
Let your pastor know of your desire to be a candidate. Ask your pastor to recommend you as a local church delegate to Annual Conference for the two or three years leading up to the election. Elections will take place at the 1995 Annual Conference for selection of delegates to the 1996 General and Jurisdictional conferences.
Become an active participant in and supporter of your local church. Teaching a Sunday school class or a Bible study, serving on a committee, volunteering in needed areas, and being a member of the council on ministries/administrative board are suggested beginning activities.
Take seriously your vow to support the local church through your presence, your prayers, your gifts, and your service.
Let the district superintendent know of your desire to serve on a conference board or committee.
Two years in advance
Let your pastor, district superintendent, conference council director and/or bishop know of your desire and availability to serve as a delegate.
Volunteer and serve on district committees and the district council on ministries. Attend conference and district functions such as UM Men, UM Women, district rallies, koinonia nights, Holy Spirit conferences, etc. Be a Christian who cares.
One year in advance
Serve at the conference level on boards and committees if possible. Attend conference events (Holy Spirit conferences, Lay Witness rallies, Walk to Emmaus, Convocation on Preaching, schools of evangelism, spiritual formation academies, etc.).
Begin to make detailed plans as to how you can be elected from your district as one of the final pool nominees from which Annual Conference delegates elect General and Jurisdictional Conference delegates. Ask your pastor if he will support you and give you a letter of recommendation to be a district nominee. Send the pastor's letter to Annual Conference delegates from your district.
Ask a friend whose reputation is beyond blemish to make your nomination at the district meeting when nominees to the conference pool are elected.
Six months before Annual Conference in which General and Jurisdictional delegates are elected
Communication is vital. Prepare a statement sheet or brochure as to how you stand on current and upcoming issues facing the UM Church (see next page). Be specific as to what you will vote for and against.
Statement sheet or brochure could include:
Additionally, some candidates have buttons prepared which read "Please Vote for John Doe." These buttons are given out to supporters at Annual Conference.
Each potential delegate must decide how to best reach the Annual Conference delegates. You should obtain the approval and backing of your local church administrative board. You should also obtain a list of delegates to annual conference from conference headquarters.
Send your local church pastor's letter recommending you to all Annual Conference delegates, or selected delegates. Later, in a separate mailing, send your statement sheet or brochure with a letter from you to each (or selected) delegate, asking them for their support.
You should even send letter and statement sheet or brochure to Christian friends who are not Annual Conference delegates, asking them t pass your information on their local church delegate.
At Annual Conference in which General and Jurisdictional Conference delegates are elected
Arrive early and speak to and new friends during registration. Arrange for friends, or your Sunday school class, to be present with an adequate supply of statement sheets or brochures. Sometimes these friends can approach delegates on your behalf more easily than you can.
Occasionally, the election of lay and clergy delegates can be a touchy issue. Lay delegates should refrain from being involved in the clergy delegate election; and clergy do not usually campaign for any lay candidate.
To those you don't know, do not hesitate to introduce yourself and ask for their support.
Lay delegate election to General and Jurisdictional Conference is not an either/or vote for/against any person. The issue with Annual Conference delegates should be who will represent their Christian beliefs when dealing with the issues facing conferences.
The election is to select a given number of delegates and it is your wish to be within that number. As such, it is your goal to get as many Annual Conference delegates as possible to vote for you on the first ballot and each succeeding ballot until you are elected.
Having the support of the conference and district lay leaders is certainly a plus. Their support should be sought.
Many Annual Conference delegates are first-timers and do not have the faintest idea for whom to vote. The process which I have just described is of great value to the new delegates as well as to your conference, for it enables your conference to send delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conference who truly will best represent the consensus of your particular conference. It is most important that you be in contact with these first-timers who want and need information.
For instance, I was speaking with some friends during the balloting, and a woman directly in front of me turned and said, "Are you Charles Holston? Yours is the only name I knew when I arrived at the Annual Conference."
The first ballot is taken relatively early the first day of the Annual Conference, so it is of utmost importance to have communicated with delegates in the weeks, days, and hours before the opening of Annual Conference. Do not wait to campaign during Annual Conference.
Some Annual Conferences, through their lay leadership, have surveyed their potential General and Jurisdictional delegates to determine their stand on vital issues. This information, the "Right to Know," is compiled by some conferences and made available to Annual Conference delegates. How else can the delegates determine whom to send to and Jurisdictional Conferences to represent them unless the candidates have gone on record as to their vote for or against specific issues? Many issues facing our church have never been voted on publicly in our conference before the balloting takes place. Some delegates would likely never be elected to General and Jurisdictional Conferences if those voting for them knew how their elected representatives think and vote.
The future
The above process is not the only way to be elected a General or Jurisdictional Conference delegate. However, it worked for me and other conference delegates.
You must feel in your heart that you are doing what God wants you to do in this political process. Then, work diligently for what you believe and consider best for our United Methodist Church and God's kingdom.
Whether you win or lose, prayer will support you.
Charles Holston was a delegate to the 1992 General Conference. He is a long-time member of Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
This article was published in Good News (September/October 1993).