WMJM at the Western Jurisdictional Conference
Keeping its vision centered on justice, the Western Methodist Justice Movement has been working in the last several years to support collaborative ways for laity and clergy to work together to do mission and ministry, especially intersectional justice, across the jurisdiction.
As the call was made for the 2022 Jurisdictional conference and the election of bishops, WMJM looked for ways to keep justice in the conversation in collaborative ways.
Before the conference, WMJM sponsored a webinar in July to help those electing bishops keep justice issues at the forefront of the conversation of episcopal discernment. The resulting questions were made available to the United Methodist community. A variety of groups used some of these questions as they interacted with episcopal candidates.
WMJM leaders were involved in key legislative items at the Western Jurisdictional Conference. Working both through the rules committee, and on the floor of jurisdictional conference, WMJM leaders partnered with others to advance the values of an inclusive community in the ongoing leadership of the jurisdiction. The resulting rule changes greatly reformed the Jurisdictional Leadership Team and eliminated the “Mission Cabinet” a body with little or no laity representation. Specifically, the changes:
Revamp the Jurisdictional Leadership Team (JLT) to work more holistically while keeping connected with other jurisdiction-wide teams focused on specific projects. Drawing on what’s been learned about video conferencing during the pandemic, the JLT can now meet more frequently.
Establish a small, effective team within the JLT to keep its work going forward between meetings which does not rely heavily on bishops or their staff. Hopefully, this will allow our bishops to focus on providing vision and prophetic leadership instead of needing to manage the whole jurisdiction.
Grow the Western Jurisdiction more closely together by doing the detailed work of creating permeable boundaries so that we can better pool our strengths, resources, and wisdom.
In keeping with WMJM’s commitment to support the Christmas Covenant and its organizers from Central Conferences, WMJM provided leadership and logistical support to pass resolutions to:
Encourage the General Conference to pass the Christmas Covenant to reorganize the UMC so that the US can become one of 8 regional conferences that can contextualize its work in strong, regionally appropriate ways. Similar resolutions were also passed in the other four jurisdictional conferences. WMJM, in partnership with the Love your Neighbor Coalition have been financial supporters of the Christmas Covenant team that authored the plan and is now organizing to pass and implement it.
Request the General Conference to reject the “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation” since the Global Methodist Church has already split from the UMC.
The 2022 Western Jurisdictional Conference also advanced the work of intersectional justice in other ways. These were not actions initiated by WMJM directly, but they support the WMJM values of Intersectional Justice, creating a Beloved Community, and Solidarity to equalize power:
Officially established and allocated funds for the Western Jurisdiction Committee on Native American Ministries after it functioned unofficially for several years so that it can bring together existing annual conference groups to develop and strengthen Native American Ministries across the whole jurisdiction.
Organized and allocated funds to LGBTQIA+ Ministries of the Western Jurisdiction to provide ministries with, by, and for LGBTQIA+ persons.
Called for continuing the moratorium and abeyance of charges and complaints against LGBTQIA+ pastors and/or those officiating at same-gender weddings.
Ten years after the creation of Western Methodist Justice Movement, it is exciting to see these justice issues move forward in the jurisdiction. The 2022 Western Jurisdictional Conference showed how these issues are important, and how difficult it can be to get them right. We continue to seek perfection.