29 Nov Proposals for the 2017 US National Conference

Todd Fetters (right), Bishop, US National Conference

The 2017 US National Conference will meet next summer, July 12-15, in Lancaster, Pa., where our denomination began 250 years ago. We have reserved the afternoons for special activities surrounding our 250th anniversary. For that reason, we want to limit the business session to Thursday morning, 8 am to noon. Center stage will be important proposals from the Task Force on Human Sexuality (which are still being finalized).

We invite United Brethren members and churches to submit proposals they would like the National Conference to consider in 2017. Proposals normally involve revisions to the United Brethren Discipline, but may include other issues. However, in light of the anniversary, we will limit what gets passed along. The bishop, in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team, will decide the urgency of the proposals; some can no doubt wait until 2019. But we do want to open the door to your ideas.

The Executive Leadership Team set the following schedule regarding proposals for the 2017 US National Conference.

• March 1, 2017. Deadline for submitting proposals to the Bishop’s Office.
• April 25, 2017. The Executive Leadership Team reviews the proposals.
• May 1, 2017. A draft of the approved proposals is posted on the national conference website.
• May 2017. The draft proposals are discussed in regional meetings.
• June 10, 2017. A final version of all proposals is posted on the conference website.

In submitting proposals for revising the Discipline, here are a few guidelines:

1. For revisions to existing content: submit the exact wording you would like to see used (rather than just a general idea), along with the paragraph number. Indicate exactly where it should be placed in the Discipline (chapter and paragraph number).
2. Include a brief statement of the rationale for making the revision. A sentence or two is usually sufficient.

As a reference, here is a proposal from a previous conference.

Chapter 14, Churches in Crisis
Intent: Place closing a church in the hands of the local board, instead of the local conference.

Current wording:
3. Closing the Church
The final decision will be made by the local conference. When that decision is made, the following actions will occur:

New wording:
3. Closing the Church
The final decision will be made by the local board. When that decision is made, the following actions will occur:

For non-Discipline proposals, include a description of what you want to see done (perhaps in the form of a motion, if appropriate), along with rationale.

Send all proposals to my administrative assistant, Cathy Reich:

Email: cathy@ub.org
Surface mail: 302 Lake Street, Huntington, IN 46750.

The current Discipline can be found at ub.org/discipline. You can read it online or download a PDF copy. If you attend one of the regional meetings, and certainly if you attend National Conference, I recommend that you print out a copy for yourself.

I look forward to seeing you next summer in Lancaster.

Trust God More!