Global Methodist Church’s Transitional Leadership Council Looks Forward to Transition

By Walter Fenton

“Don’t get me wrong, it has been a great privilege to serve the Global Methodist Church during its transitional season, but I’ll be very happy when we can retire that word ‘transitional,’” said Cara Nicklas, chairwoman of the GM Church’s Transitional Leadership Council (TLC). “Of necessity, every council, commission, our governing document, and even some of our staff members, have been called ‘the transitional this’ or ‘the transitional that,’ but praise the Lord, in a matter of months the term will be transitioned out of existence!”

Created in early March 2020, the TLC has served as the GM Church’s general decision-making body prior to and ever since the denomination’s launch on May 1, 2022. Originally intended to function for just six to twelve months, the Covid pandemic and the repeated postponements of The United Methodist Church’s 2020 General Conference kept it in existence far longer than its members ever imagined.

Eleven of the original 17 members are still serving on the Council, which has since expanded to 21. The members continue to meet every Monday morning at 9 am U.S. Eastern Time, largely deliberating and voting on matters forwarded to it by numerous commissions, task forces, provisional annual conferences, and transitional conference advisory teams. TLC leaders believe thousands of people have participated in the formation the GM Church.

If a series of legislative petitions submitted by the TLC are adopted at the GM Church’s convening General Conference in San Jose, Costa Rica, September 20-26, 2024, the TLC will cease to exist by the close of this year. It would be replaced by a body called the Connectional Council that would serve as the GM Church’s “chief missional and administrative body, providing leadership at the general church level in between General Conferences.” It would also “have full legislative authority with respect to all matters expressly delegated to it by the Book of Doctrines and Discipline or the General Conference as stated in each such delegation.”

“I’m confident GM Church members want a general church that is relatively small, nimble, and flexible,” said Nicklas. “One way we can fulfil that mandate is to convene our necessary, but costly General Conferences every six years rather than every four or five. However, if that is the case, then we need an administrative body that can act authoritatively in between our gatherings. I think the the Connectional Council could do that.”

According to the legislation, the Connectional Council would be composed of not more than 24-members. The delegates to the convening General Conference would directly elect eight members to the Connectional Council, four laity and four clergy. Five connectional commissions responsible for various areas of the Church would each elect two members to the Council, one pastor and one lay person (members of the various commissions would be elected by the General Conference delegates). Also, the Assembly of Bishops would elect two episcopal leaders to serve on the Council, and then the 20 elected members would elect four others to ensure the Council fully represented the global nature of the GM Church.

“GM Church leaders must be about the business of doing all they possibly can to equip, empower, and strengthen the local church,” said the Rev. Mike Schafer, who will serve as the new denomination’s connectional operations officer and therefore will work directly with the Connectional Council. “Consequently, we need a body that represents the whole church, is committed to its health and vitality in all places, and enables its local churches to fulfil our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.”

The new Council would also work alongside the Assembly of Bishops, and the denomination’s annual conferences to implement the strategic vision and initiatives set forth by the GM Church’s General Conferences. The Council’s mandate and authority would, in keeping with Methodist governing traditions, always derive from the duly elected lay and clergy delegates to the Church’s General Conferences. Either directly or indirectly, the General Conference would elect, or empower others to elect, the members of the Connectional Council.

“While the TLC has played an important role over the past four years, now is the time for it to yield to a more permanent body with the full imprimatur of the Church’s General Conference,” said the Rev. Keith Boyette, the denomination’s transitional connectional officer and the first person to serve as the chair of the TLC. “I’m sure I speak for all the TLC members when I say that our sincere thoughts and prayers go with the men and women, clergy and laity, who would serve on the GM Church’s first Connectional Council. I’m confident the entire Church will support and pray for them every day.”

Launched on May 1, 2022, the GM Church is composed of 4,670 local churches organized into 36 provisional annual conferences around the world. GM Church delegates will meet in San Jose, Costa Rica, for the denomination’s convening General Conference, September 20-26, 2024.

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The Rev. Walter Fenton is the Global Methodist Church’s Deputy Connectional Officer.