The United Methodist Church will hold its General Conference April 23–May 3, and a cohort of Duke Divinity students has been preparing to attend as observers.
 
As the highest legislative body in the denomination, General Conference determines the global budget for the church, sets policies, and has the power to amend the constitution and revise the Book of Discipline and Book of Resolutions. Due to the Covid pandemic, the scheduled quadrennial gathering was postponed from 2020—a gap of nearly eight years.
 
United Methodist seminaries and divinity schools often offer a course or some other opportunity for interested students to learn about General Conference. In past years, Duke Divinity has offered a directed study option. But Bishop Ken Carter, of the Western North Carolina Conference as well as bishop-in-residence and consulting faculty at Duke Divinity School, suspected that more than a handful of students would be interested this year—both because of the significance of General Conference and because it will be held in Charlotte, N.C., making it feasible for many students to attend. He updated the course to complement the robust Methodist studies curriculum and to introduce many denominational leaders into conversation with students.
 
“This course is a result of Bishop Carter’s vision,” said the Rev. Dr. Laceye Warner, the Royce and Jane Reynolds Professor of the Practice of Evangelism and Methodist Studies and associate dean for Wesleyan engagement and hybrid programs.
 
Warner co-taught the course with Bishop Carter and the Rev. Dr. Sangwoo Kim, associate dean for vocational formation, senior director of Methodist House, and administrative faculty.
 
“Bishop Carter’s leadership in the denomination, alongside the dean’s, Dr. Kim’s and my denominational and conference leadership attracted a committed and hopeful group of students,” Warner said.
 
Emilee Ogden, a second-year M.Div. student who is a certified candidate on the elder track in the Alabama-West Florida Conference, is one of those students. She was excited about the opportunity to learn more about the denomination and General Conference.
 
“I’m new to being Methodist,” Ogden explained. “I started working at a church in 2019 and began the ordination process in 2021. With the proximity of General Conference, I wanted to know more about how the denomination is governed, and this is a great opportunity to witness this and participate in it.”
 
Each class session included guest speakers from across the denomination, including a number of Duke Divinity alumni in denominational leadership positions: Bishop Gregory Palmer, former Council of Bishops president and member of the Duke University Board of Trustees; Bishop Tom Bickerton, current president of the Council of Bishops; Bishop Connie Shelton of the North Carolina Conference; Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball of the West Virginia Conference; and the Rev. Dr. Edgardo Colón-Emeric, dean of Duke Divinity School. Other speakers included Bishop Will Willimon, of the North Alabama Conference (retired) and professor of the practice of Christian Ministry at Duke; and the Rev. Dr. Susan Henry Crowe, former general secretary of the General Commission on Church and Society.
 
“I was surprised at the magnitude of bishops willing to come and speak to us about topics they’re interested in and issues they care about,” said Haley Capps, a third-year M.Div. student who is a certified candidate on the elder track in the North Carolina conference. “I appreciated getting to know Bishop Shelton better, and it’s been a good opportunity to build relationships and be in conversation with people in episcopacy across the nation.”
 
Ogden agreed: “What surprised me most is the varied types of guests we had. All these different bishops and leaders were willing to share their experiences and let us ask questions—such a good breadth of information and experience. I don’t how many other places you could say, ‘Yeah, we just chatted with some bishops!’”
 
Several students noted that the session on “General Conference and the Social Principles” with the Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe was especially insightful. Since retiring as general secretary of the General Board of Church and Society, Henry-Crowe has continued to serve as a consultant to strengthen the agency’s presence and witness for the 2024 General Conference. She was dean of the chapel and religious life at Emory University for 22 years and served as an ecumenical collaborator with the World Council of Churches for more than 10 years. She was the first woman elected president of the United Methodist Judicial Council.
 
Justin Robins, a third-year M.Div. student who is a certified candidate on the elder track and approved to be licensed in the Virginia Annual Conference, said that Henry-Crowe’s session was helpful as he thinks about his vocational call.
 
“My favorite speaker and topic was Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe and her talk about social principles,” he said. “I have a bivocational call to serve in both hospitals and parish ministries. I found social principles helpful for sermon writing and working in congregations, but also how they can reach the world.”
 
Capps also cited that session as the “most important interaction” in the course that addressed her own vocational call. “I’m big on the Social Principles and social advocacy,” she said. “I saw Susan Henry-Crowe’s passion for revision to the rules and her wisdom and humility in the process. I hope it will be a catalyst to revise other parts of the Book of Discipline.”
 
Learning about denominational governance might sound like a dry or legalistic experience. Robins said he gained a fresh perspective from the course: “I expected the polity to be regulatory and governmental. But really it’s more contextual liberation of different ministry settings.”
 
Ogden added, “Dr. Warner was a vital part of what made this course so good. Her knowledge is so deep about polity.”
 
While students had the opportunity for a deep dive into United Methodist polity, governance, and General Conference, they recognized that many people in their home churches, districts, and conferences might not have much awareness or knowledge of the implications of General Conference.

 

“After this course, I could better articulate the importance of General Conference to my local church and why it matters. Spiritual formation is really important to me, and I’m concerned about a gap between the clergy and laity growing in both understanding and practice. Wesleyan theology and practice is both individual and communal, and we need to know what we believe and why.”

Haley Capps, M.Div. '24

“Many people think we’ve just been arguing about homosexuality forever!” said Robins. “People have a vague understanding of General Conference but they don’t really know how the Book of Discipline gets updated or why connectionalism is important.”
 
“The vast majority of parishioners don’t know much about General Conference,” said Ogden. “It’s like trying to turn an ocean liner—it can’t just make a 180-degree turn. It’s a global church. Even if there weren’t debates about disaffiliation or LGBT inclusion, it still takes a lot to effect change. It won’t be immediate. But it’s still valuable and important.”
 
Capps sees that value, too: “After this course, I could better articulate the importance of General Conference to my local church and why it matters. Spiritual formation is really important to me, and I’m concerned about a gap between the clergy and laity growing in both understanding and practice. Wesleyan theology and practice is both individual and communal, and we need to know what we believe and why.”
 
The course has concluded, and the start of General Conference is just days away. How do students feel about the church—and their own call to ministry in the United Methodist Church?
 
“I’m interested in how the UMC is going to continue to live into the General Rules, especially with an open invitation to all—both clergy and congregation,” said Capps. “How will the church live into inclusion of all, including LGBT+?”
 
“One part of me is still very hopeful and excited, and feeling that my calling has been crystallized and galvanized through this experience,” Ogden said. “Another side is a little less hopeful, because there are topics on the table for discussion that shouldn’t be and people can be less than holy and less than loving about those. But I’m still hopeful for the future of the Methodist church. I still love this denomination and this church, and that makes the work even more important. I love it enough to know that there are parts that are kind of icky—but part of our calling is to roll up our sleeves and come to the table to do the work in love and grace and move it forward.”
 
Warner felt that hope and love from the students in the course. “I am stunned by the enrollment and energy of this course. These dozens of students bring not just hope but also insight and commitment. They are gaining the knowledge and expertise, at a relatively early stage, to lead God’s active renewal of the UMC. This is remarkable. I am privileged to offer encouragement and support for what God is doing through so many.”
 
In his course focused on United Methodist polity, Kim asked the students: “Is it a good time to be a United Methodist?” Robins said that they concluded it certainly is not a boring time!
 
“It is a time when we hold fast to our convictions and identify what is unique to the United Methodist Church. What is our role, currently and in the future? I want to spend my career not just asking people but also going out to them. It’s amazing: our mission is to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I am excited about my ministry journey and the future of the UMC.”
 
Learn more about General Conference in an article by Heather Hahn in UMNews.