General Conference Achieves Significant Milestones in Legislation for Racial Justice, Disability Inclusion, and Overall Equity
Photo credit: Paul Jeffrey/UM News
May 15, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jeehye Kim Pak, Senior Director of Communications and Marketing
General Commission on Religion and Race
202-495-2949
jpak@gcorr.org
The General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) is proud to announce a successful conclusion to the recent session of General Conference, where all proposed legislation by GCORR has been overwhelmingly approved. This marks a historic step forward in our mission to foster an inclusive and just community within The United Methodist Church (UMC). Click here to view GCORR’s legislations.
Key legislative victories include:
Article V Racial Justice constitutional change underscores the UMC’s dedication to actively confronting and eliminating racism, racial inequity, colonialism, white privilege, and white supremacy both within the Church and in society at large. This piece of legislation will be presented at all annual conferences for a ratification vote to change the constitution. GCORR will begin to educate and provide the narrative to help conferences understand the importance for the change.
Further emphasizing our commitment to inclusivity, General Conference has passed significant measures focused on disability awareness and inclusion. The Disability Ministries Committee of The United Methodist Church has been reinstated within our structure and placed under the auspices of GCORR. In partnership with the Disability Ministries Committee, the observance of Disability Awareness Sunday will now be supervised by GCORR.
Another series of approved legislation reinforces the UMC’s commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity. These legislations include support for multicultural ministries, the implementation of cultural competency training for church leaders, and the expansion of inclusive language on official forms to better recognize biracial and multiracial identities.
Additionally, two new disciplinary mandates have been introduced to reinforce the Church’s dedication to fairness and inclusiveness. The first ensures adherence to fair process and UMC inclusivity policies in the handling of complaints and proceedings against individuals from racial/ethnic/tribal minorities. The second requires transparent and diverse appointment processes for denominational task forces and ad hoc committees, including those under the Council of Bishops, enhancing trusted and equitable decision-making with significant local and global impacts.
Throughout the General Conference, GCORR provided daily equity monitoring reports, offering transparent insights into the daily proceedings and deliberations of the General Conference. These reports are available for review at the GCORR's General Conference page.
"We are immensely proud of the strides we have made during this General Conference," said Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo, General Secretary of GCORR. "These legislative achievements reflect a significant shift towards realizing a new reality for our church—one that truly embodies the principles of inclusivity and justice."
As we move forward, GCORR remains committed to building on these successes and continuing our journey towards creating a more equitable and inclusive church and community.
Learn more about the ministry, work, and impact of GCORR over the last quadrennium by viewing the Quad Report here.
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The General Commission on Religion and Race is one of 13 church-wide agencies of The United Methodist Church. The Commission offers teaching resources, training, and networking for Christians seeking to bring their faith to the task of dismantling racism, tribalism, and xenophobia in all forms. More information available at www.gcorr.org.