UMCSC opens nominations for lay, clergy delegates to GC2019
By Jessica Brodie
Anyone interested in being a delegate to the 2020 General and Southeastern Jurisdictional conferences has to act fast.
Lay (non-clergy) potential delegates have until Jan. 10 to submit their nomination form to their district superintendent, and clergy potential delegates have until Feb. 1 to submit theirs to the conference secretary.
The South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church has been allotted 16 delegates to General Conference, the global UMC’s quadrennial legislative gathering set for May 5-15, 2020, in Minneapolis. At General Conference, representatives from all over the world examine, discuss, pray, debate and eventually determine a host of key legislative issues that will become church law for the next four years. Eight of the 16 are to be clergy delegates, and eight are laity.
Those 16 elected General Conference delegates will also serve as delegates to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, set for July 15-18, 2020, at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. An additional group of 16—eight clergy and eight laity, also will be elected to serve as delegates to Jurisdictional, giving South Carolina a total representation of 32 delegates to that gathering.
The slate of nominees will go before the 2019 South Carolina Annual Conference meeting in June, where members of Annual Conference will elect delegates to attend the 2020 General and Jurisdictional conferences. The elections will be done in two separate votes: first the General Conference delegates and then the Jurisdictional Conference delegates.
Lay nominations
Each local church may submit nominations for lay delegates that are selected by the church council and certified by the council chairperson and pastor.
A maximum of 120 names selected by the 12 districts will be presented to the South Carolina United Methodist Women, United Methodist Men, Board of the Laity and Council on Youth Ministry. Each of these four ministries may add up to five additional names.
These names will go before Annual Conference in June.
Laity receiving 12 or more write-in votes on any ballot during the election process will be added to the lay ballot. Standing Rule 57 governs the election of lay delegates.
To download the nomination form: https://tinyurl.com/laynominees.
To view contact information for UMCSC district offices: https://tinyurl.com/umcsc-districts.
Clergy nominations
Eligible UMCSC clergy members (full elders and deacons in good standing, active and retired) who are nominated by means of one of the forms below by Feb. 1 will be listed on the Annual Conference ballot.
Those nominees will be assigned an election number, and their information will be included in pre-conference materials.
Eligible clergy who are not nominated by Feb. 1 still may participate in the delegate election process by means of a write-in ballot. Eligible clergy members receiving 12 or more write-in votes on any ballot during the election process will be added to the clergy ballot. Standing Rule 58 governs the election of lay delegates.
To download the nomination form: https://tinyurl.com/clergynominees.
The form can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to UMCSC Conference Secretary, 4908 Colonial Dr., Suite 104, Columbia, SC 29203.
For more information about the election process or how to be a nominee, email [email protected].