Proposed Constitutional Amendments 2025

This year, members of United Methodist annual conferences will vote on four amendments to the denomination’s constitution. The amendments deal with regionalization, inclusion in church membership, racism, and clergy-delegate elections.

To be ratified, these amendments need the support of at least two-thirds of all annual conference voters around the globe. The results won’t be known or announced until after all 127 United Methodist annual conferences in Africa, Europe, the Philippines and the United States have voted. The Council of Bishops expects to tally all votes and certify any amendment ratifications at its fall meeting in early November.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference will vote on the amendments at its annual session, May 13-15. Members of the Peninsula-Delaware Conference will vote on them at their annual session, May 20-22.

A draft of the amendments can be found online.  The amendments address: 

Regionalization

The most discussed and far-reaching of the measures coming before annual conference voters is worldwide regionalization — a package of legislation that gives The United Methodist Church’s geographic regions equal decision-making authority.

Under regionalization, the U.S. and each central conference — church regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines — would become regional conferences with the same authority to adapt parts of the Book of Discipline, the denomination’s policy book, for more missional effectiveness. Just as is now the case in the U.S. and each central conference, each regional conference would consist of multiple annual conferences.

At present, only central conferences have authority under the denomination’s constitution to adapt the Discipline as missional needs and different legal contexts require. The constitutional amendments not only extend that same authority to the U.S. but also spell out what can be adapted.

Among other things, each regional conference would be able to:

  • Publish its own hymnal, book of worship and regional Book of Discipline.
  • Set requirements for ordination and licensed ministry of pastors.
  • Set standards for lay membership.
  • Develop practices around marriage ceremonies, funerals and other rites in line with understanding of Scripture and the laws of each country.
  • Work with annual conferences to ensure policies and practices align with the laws of each country.

Regionalization would require changes to more than 20 paragraphs in the denomination’s constitution. But just as at General Conference, annual conferences will vote on all of the changes in the regionalization amendment on a single ballot.

General Conference supported the regionalization amendment by a vote of 586 to 164. Learn more about regionalization.

Inclusion in membership

If adopted, this amendment would add “gender” and “ability” to the list of characteristics that do not bar people from membership in a United Methodist church. In short, this constitutional amendment means pastors may not deny a person church membership whether that person is male or female or has a disability.

Specifically, the amended Paragraph 4, Article IV in the constitution would say: “All persons, without regard to race, gender, ability, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection.” 

General Conference supported the amendment by a vote of 607 to 67.

The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW) offers resources on amending Para. 4, Article IV.

Fighting racism and colonialism

The complete revision of the constitution’s Paragraph 5, Article V aims to strengthen the denomination’s longtime stance for racial justice.

As amended, the article would read: “The United Methodist Church proclaims that from God’s goodness and love, God created all persons as God’s unique and beloved children. Racism opposes God’s law, goodness and love and diminishes the image of God in each person. Fueled by white privilege, white supremacy and colonialism, the sin of racism has been a destructive scourge on global society and throughout the history of The United Methodist Church. It continues to destroy our communities, harm persons, obstruct unity and undermine God’s work in this world. Racism must be eradicated. Therefore, The United Methodist Church commits to confronting and eliminating all forms of racism, racial inequity, colonialism, white privilege and white supremacy, in every facet of its life and in society at large.”

General Conference delegates voted for the amendment by 621 to 59.

The United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race submitted the amendment and offer a number of resources that address it, including a video from the General Secretary, the Rev. Giovanni Arroyo.

Clergy-delegate elections

An amendment to Paragraph 35, Article IV aims to clarify who can elect the clergy delegates who serve at General Conference, and also at U.S. jurisdictional and central conferences, which elect bishops.

Annual conferences elect the delegates who vote at all of these gatherings. Half of those elected are lay and half clergy, with the constitution requiring lay people to elect lay delegates and clergy to elect clergy delegates.

The amendment, submitted by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, specifies the educational requirements for licensed local pastors to participate in clergy delegate elections. They must be “local pastors who have completed the course of study or a Master of Divinity degree from a University Senate-approved theological school or its equivalent as recognized in a central conference and have served a minimum of two consecutive years under appointment immediately preceding the election.”

General Conference supported this amendment by a vote of 547 to 99.