JCD 1178

http://archives.umc.org/interior_judicial.asp?mid=263&JDID=1298&JDMOD=VWD&SN=1100&EN=1189

Northern Illinois used creativity to try to get around JCD 1032 by directing its BOM to train pastors that they could only use “no more than a profession of faith and vows of the Baptismal Covenant to be required of new church members in this Annual Conference.” They made the legal decision that some things in the Discipline superseded JCD 1032 and then asked the Council if they were correct.

The Council did not take kindly to the conference’s pre-empting the responsibilities of the Council and they did not take kindly to the conference asking them to rule the correctness of their actions.

The concurring opinion was not a straight repeat of previous such opinions. But the point was the same: This is a problem for General Conference.