Looking Ahead to the GNJ 2025 Annual Conference

As many of you know, this past April 2024, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church met in Charlotte, NC. It was a significant gathering where delegates from across the globe made major decisions about the future of our church, including important updates to our Constitution.

But those decisions are not final yet. According to our rules, any change to the Constitution must be confirmed (ratified) by two-thirds of all Annual Conferences around the world. That means that when the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference gathers in 2025, we will be part of that global decision-making process.

Let me walk you through what we’ll be voting on, using clear language, so we can all better understand how this affects us and why it matters.

What Are Constitutional Amendments?
The Constitution of The United Methodist Church is like our foundation. It defines who we are, how we are structured, and how we relate to one another as a global church. In 2024, the General Conference approved several constitutional amendments. Now, every Annual Conference, including ours, must vote on them. If two-thirds of all votes across the world are in favor, then these changes will officially become part of our Constitution.

What Are We Voting On?
Here are the five key constitutional amendments up for ratification:

1. Regionalization Amendment
   This is the most far-reaching structural change. It proposes a comprehensive reorganization of how The United Methodist Church operates globally, through a concept called Regionalization.

The amendment affects over 25 paragraphs in the Constitution, including ¶¶ 9, 10, 13, 15–36, 38–40, 46, 49, 50, 52, 56, and 61. It creates a new structure of Regional Conferences across the church, giving each region, including the United States, the ability to adapt the Book of Discipline to fit its ministry and cultural context, as long as core doctrine and connectional commitments remain intact.

This means:

• All parts of the UMC, not just central conferences outside the U.S., will have regional authority over matters like ordination, liturgy, and social witness.
• The U.S. will have its own U.S. Regional Conference, making our church governance more balanced globally.
• No region can impose its disciplinary decisions on another. This reduces harm and increases mutual respect.

This amendment builds a more equitable and contextual United Methodist Church, united in Christ, but respectful of local needs and cultures.

2. Inclusion and Equality (Article IV)
   This amendment updates our church’s commitment to inclusion by making clear that all people, regardless of race, gender, ability, or background, have full and equal participation in the life and leadership of the church. It strengthens the language of equality in our Constitution and reflects the inclusive witness we strive to live out at Trinity and across our connection by adding the words gender, ability.
3. Racial Justice (Article V)
   This amendment adds direct language stating that The United Methodist Church opposes racism in all forms and commits to its elimination in church and society. It declares that people of all races and ethnicities are equal in worth and dignity and that the church has a responsibility to dismantle systemic racism as part of its Christian witness.
4. Council of Bishops Representation
   This amendment ensures fair and proportional representation of all Regional Conferences in the Council of Bishops, so that no single region dominates the leadership or voice of the church. It reflects our belief in shared power and global collaboration.
5. Clarifying General and Regional Conference Roles
   This amendment explains more clearly what decisions belong to the General Conference (church-wide matters) and which are reserved for the new Regional Conferences (contextual, local decisions). This clarity helps us function better and avoid confusion as we move into this new structure.

Why It Matters
These amendments reflect our ongoing journey to be a more just, compassionate, and globally connected church. They don’t break our unity, they deepen it, allowing each region to serve faithfully and responsibly in their own context while remaining part of one global body.

At the 2025 Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, votes will help shape the future of the UMC, here in Ewing, across our conference, and around the world.

As always, I invite you to be in prayer. Pray for the lay and clergy delegates who will vote. Pray for our bishop and leaders. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We trust in God’s movement, just as God moved through General Conference, we trust that God will move through Annual Conferences as well. May it be a holy conferencing, grounded in truth, grace, and love.

Warmly,

Rev. David Gaitan