Portland, OR — This morning’s plenary of the 2016 General Conference saw the first of the official legislative actions by the full General Conference through the passage of several “consent calendars.”
Consent Calendars contain items that were approved in a legislative committee by 90% or more of the voting members. The consent calendars are then voted on in a single vote. Members of the General Conference has 24 hours from the printing of the consent calendars in the conference Daily Christian Advocate (the daily journal of the conference) to have items removed from the consent calendar by submitting a form with the signatures of 20 delegates asking for removal to the conference secretary.
Here are some of the things the General Conference did this morning:
- Referred a request for the creation of an additional Annual Conference in the Cote d’Ivoire Episcopal Area to the West Africa Central Conference.
- Made changes in the makeup of committees related to several agencies and boards.
- Revised the purpose and mission of the General Commission on Religion and Ract.
- Encouraged local churches to help candidates for ministry with their educational expenses.
- Allow part-time local pastors to serve as clergy mentors.
- Added group mentoring for local pastors.
- Changed requirements around provisional membership.
- Made changes to the theological understandings of ordination.
- Affirmed and started the implementation of a full communion relationship with the Moravian Church (Northern and Southern Provinces).
To review specific actions of legislation by the General Conference, please visit the CALMS on-line reporting system by clicking here.
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