JCD 1181

http://archives.umc.org/interior_judicial.asp?mid=263&JDID=1302&JDMOD=VWD&SN=1100&EN=1189

This ruling is an ad interim decision for the Council of Bishops which appears to have been needed so the conferences they served would have timely guidelines for the elections that lay ahead this year. The Council of Bishops meets right after the Council’s meetings so the request would not have been heard until this past April. Hopefully, this special session of the Judicial Council does not turn into a privilege that only the Council of Bishops may enjoy.

The decision itself is carefully parsed, with some slight discontent stated in the brief partial-dissenting opinions.

In effect, the Council said the amendment regarding electors for General, Jurisdictional, and Central conferences are all pastors under appointment who have met certain educational requirements and who have been under appointment for two years. Ambiguities arise because the amendment does not get more specific, which is why the bishops raised the questions.

This is a job for General Conference to sort out.