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What is the Methodist Conference?

Some tips to help you prepare well and participate fully

What is the Methodist Conference?

A guide for Conference representatives

The Conference is the governing body of the Methodist Church under God. The Methodist Church is a connexional Church, and the Conference is one expression of that. There is interdependence and mutuality throughout the Connexion, which is articulated through our decision-making processes. You are a member of a body whose history goes back continuously to 1744, so it is not surprising that over the years it has developed its own traditions and some particular ways of doing things. It is a big gathering and there are legal requirements to be met, so rules and procedures are important to avoid muddle and get things right. This information is offered to help you find your way and make your contribution.

An important point to make at the start: you are a representative, not a delegate. If you are a district representative, you have been selected because your District Synod trusts your judgement, but it cannot bind you to vote or speak in a particular way. You gather with other representatives to consider the issues before you and in the light of the debate, your knowledge of the district and all the other factors, seek the wisdom of God. Whilst your own experience and interests will shape the way that you read and respond to the business of the Conference, it is important not to lose sight of your responsibility to represent the district in your voting and speaking in the Conference.

The same, of course, applies to those representing other constituencies (for example, representatives of the Connexional Council or of partner churches).

The Conference has responsibility for the oversight of the whole life of the Church and it meets annually in both its Representative Session and Presbyteral Session. The business of the Conference is done, and decisions are made, by seeking the will of God through conferring together.

We recognise that within the Conference our prayer and worship, and our conferring together are both means of grace. We know that God is present among us while we gather prayerfully and faithfully as the Conference. This attending to and engaging with God as the Conference is an encounter with Christ who shares our life and who changes forever what our lives might mean. We are, in the Conference, invited to reflect together on the work of God who calls the people called Methodists to live faithfully, serve lovingly and speak confidently of the great love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. We will, in the Conference, be invited to make decisions about how we might do that most effectively.

Those who make up the Conference act in succession to the members of earlier Conferences and on behalf of those who will come after them. The Conference sets the Standing Orders that govern the whole Church. It is the Conference which makes decisions, on the recommendation of committees which report to it, about the progress of those who are exploring a call to ordained ministry. The Conference receives presbyters and deacons into Full Connexion, thereby entering into a covenant relationship of mutual care, responsibility and accountability with its ministers.

Those who are received into Full Connexion who are not already ordained are ordained during the Conference to a ministry of word and sacrament (for presbyters) or to a ministry of witness and service (for deacons).

The Conference annually stations all its ministers and probationer ministers, as one expression of the covenant relationship.

The Presbyteral Session

This session, comprising the presbyters who are members of the Representative Session together with others permitted by their District Synod to attend, meets before the Representative Session. Most of the above notes apply, although there are usually far fewer formal resolutions.

The session is an opportunity for presbyters to confer on matters of common concern. It is open to them to discuss any item of Representative Session business and express a view on it, but the formal decision in such cases lies with the Representative Session.

Business dealing with presbyteral candidates, students and probationers, as well as matters of discipline, will be in closed session, and only voting members, that is, those presbyters who are also members of the Representative Session, are permitted to be present.

Preparing well for the Conference

Once you have been elected or appointed as a representative to the Conference, you need to start your own preparation. To help you to do that:

  • You will receive a number of emails during the year from the Secretary of the Conference and from the Connexional Events Coordinator. Please read and save these – they include details specific to the coming Conference.
  • The Conference web pages will be regularly updated with specific details you need for the coming Conference, as well as helpful background information. You can read about the officers of the Conference and their roles, especially those who sit on the platform.
  • The final reports to the Conference will appear in the Agenda, which you will receive by post. Volume one is sent to Conference representatives three to four weeks in advance of the Conference, and volume two about two weeks ahead. The reports will be placed on the website as soon as they are ready, and you will be alerted to this by email.
  • The Conference Rules of Procedure and the First Report of the Business Committee printed in the Conference Agenda (volume one) set out the way in which the business of the Conference is conducted.
  • Please make sure you set aside time in your diary to read everything carefully. There can be a large amount of material.
Practical information

Travel

Start to make your travel plans in good time. The costs to the Church can be greatly reduced if you travel by public transport and book early enough to get cheap tickets. Following the Conference’s adoption of the Action for Hope strategy, you are asked only to come by car if you can share with other representatives, if you have mobility needs, or if your vehicle is fully electric. Please note that at some venues parking is very restricted; parking will only be reimbursed if the Conference Office has approved travel by car before the Conference.

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be booked for you unless you state when you register that you wish to make your own arrangements. Feel free to stay in your own home if near to the venue, or with friends, but make this clear when you register. Accommodation is usually booked for presbyteral representatives from Thursday (or Wednesday, if they are travelling from far away) and for lay and diaconal representatives from Saturday (or Friday, if travelling long distances). Arrival dates for each district will be published on the Conference web pages and you will receive a reminder to register with your letter of invitation. It may be possible to arrange accommodation if you wish to arrive earlier than the date specified for your district, but this will normally be at your own expense.

Arriving

The first thing to do when you arrive is to register at the Conference Registration Desk.

The Presbyteral Session starts on the Thursday before the Representative Session. It will include a pastoral address from the retiring President, a Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance for presbyters who have died during the year, and various items of business. In addition to representatives, some presbyters attend the Presbyteral Session ‘at their own expense’ with the permission of their Synod; they are not representatives with voting rights.

The whole Conference, made up of lay, diaconal and presbyteral representatives (the Conference Diaconal Committee will have met during the MDO Convocation, some weeks prior to the Conference), then gathers on Saturday afternoon in its Representative Session. The ringing of a bell is the signal to stand and sing together, unaccompanied, the hymn ‘And are we yet alive?’. Many visitors will be present, including guests to witness the induction of the new President and Vice-President.

The Fringe

There are a number of fringe events at lunchtimes and in the evenings. You will find details of fringe events at methodist.org.uk/Conference

What the Conference does

The Conference deals with different kinds of business.

  1. The ‘weighty’ items are generally Reports, often commissioned by the Conference in a previous year, defining policy and calling for a decision. The pre-Conference meeting of district representatives will help to identify Reports of particular significance. The content of these may prove to be controversial, so you will want set aside time to concentrate on them.
    Many reports however are routine; the ‘housekeeping’ reports of bodies legally accountable to the Conference. Sometimes the Conference may be asked to express a view on an issue or make an appointment, but most often it is just a matter of saying, in effect, “thank you, carry on”. Many such reports will be voted on en bloc.
    A number of committees report to the Conference through the Connexional Council. Since 2024, the Council has been the Trustee body of the Church and so will report to the Conference on a wide range of issues.
  2. There are replies to Memorials sent in by Synods and Circuit Meetings during the year. Each must be given a reply – either the one offered in the Agenda by the Memorials Committee or a revised version of it, or a completely new one. Alternatively, it could be referred to a committee to consider during the year and prepare a reply for the next year’s Conference to send.
  3. Sometimes a Synod will offer a District Resolution for debate.
  4. During the Conference itself there will be Notices of Motion proposed by Conference members. See the glossary at the bottom of this page.
  5. There are many Appointments to be made, for example chairs of district and members of committees, and, most important, the election of the President and Vice-President and the designation of those who are to succeed them the following year. There are also lists of those to be received into Full Connexion as presbyters or deacons, and those permitted to become supernumerary; also ministers of other Churches to be recognised or authorised to serve in Methodist appointments.
  6. Three particular categories of business need to be noted:
    1. The budget will be presented early in the Conference, leaving time for discussion and amendment, and it will be voted on near the end of business.
    2. Special Resolutions – sometimes, because of the importance of the issues involved or for legal reasons, the decision of the Conference has to be provisional and must be referred to a committee, or to the Synods, and confirmed (or not) the following year. In the case of changes to the Doctrinal Standards the process is even more extensive, involving Circuit Meetings and Church Councils as well, over a two-year period.
    3. The Law and Polity Committee is responsible for ensuring that the decisions taken are clear, coherent and in accordance with the law of the land and with the Church’s own Standing Orders, and a sub-committee at the Conference has a watching brief and will intervene from time to time.
  7. Overarching and underpinning all this is the Conference Worship. The Conference is neither simply a business meeting nor a debating chamber, but a gathering of representatives of the Methodist people to confer together and seek the will of God. The opening sessions, the President’s and Vice-President’s addresses and the Sunday and daily worship are a vital part, setting the tone for the whole.
    In the Sunday morning service, people will be received into Full Connexion as presbyters and deacons. This establishes the Covenant relationship: in which presbyters and deacons “are held accountable by the Church in respect of their ministry and Christian discipleship, and are accounted for by the Church in respect of their deployment and the support they require for their ministry” (SO 700(2), 701(2)). Since 2022, the implications of the covenant relationship have been set out in Part 6 of Book I of CPD and an act of commitment is made within the Conference.
    The Conference’s worship also includes the ordination services on the Sunday in which those received into Full Connexion are ordained in the Church of God.

The Order Paper

For each session, a small business committee is appointed by the preceding Conference to recommend how each day’s business should be dealt with. Its recommendations are printed in the Order Paper.

Each day you will receive the Order Paper for the day, any Notices of Motion, and the Daily Record (ie the record of what happened the day before). The Order Paper details the timing proposed for the business of the day, and includes additions and corrections to the printed Agenda.

The Order Paper will also be sent to representatives by email each evening and it can be found on the Conference website from 8am each day. It is important to allow time to read the Order Paper carefully before the start of the day’s business.

The Daily Record is helpful as a reminder of decisions made. In total, it forms the record of what the Conference decided; you will find it useful when you return home and are telling others. A few days after the Conference you will also receive a web link to the complete Record.

Timetable

A timetable of business will be published on the Conference web pages. This sets out when items of business are anticipated, but will be subject to change during the week. It is important therefore to pay attention to the Business Committee’s report each day and to be prepared for items to be brought forward.

Debating

All debates follow the same general pattern.

  1. First, the proposer summarises the item, then presents the resolution. They address the President or Vice-President and speak for no more than four minutes. Some proposers will be very brief: they might just say (eg) “I move resolution XX/X” if they feel that all the information the Conference needs is in the report. Sometimes, in the interests of time and where there is little disagreement, a speaker might move two or more resolutions together.
  2. For some items of business (eg a Notice of Motion), there is a seconder, who is also in favour of the motion. The seconder may speak immediately after the proposer, but does not have to do so; most choose to wait until near the end of the debate so that they can help by replying to points made by other speakers. Some waive their right to speak at all. Whenever they choose to speak, they get two minutes.
  3. Then people speak from the floor, and they have up to two minutes.
  4. At the end of the debate, which is whenever the President or Vice-President thinks all points of view have been heard (but may be before everyone wishing to speak has had a chance to do so), the seconder speaks if they did not before, and the proposer sums up in reply to points that have been raised.
  5. Finally, there is a vote.

Other things can happen to alter this process. At any time, a representative from the floor can attract the attention of the President or Vice-President and make what is known as a Procedural Motion. This can call for one of several things:

  • that the vote be now taken (ie no more speeches – vote!)
  • that the question be not put (ie we do not want to vote on this topic, and thus the Conference will not express an opinion on it)
  • that the question be referred to the Connexional Council or a committee (ie we want someone else to deal with it), and the Council or the committee will have to report back to the Conference
  • that the debate be adjourned (ie we will come back to this later)
  • that the Conference adjourns.

Of these, the first two are most common, but even they do not usually come up more than once or twice each year. If the Procedural Motion is for the vote to be now taken or not put, then the Conference will first vote on whether it agrees. Then, depending on the outcome of that vote, it may vote on the business itself. So you will possibly get two votes in close succession, the second of which will be the actual vote on the topic.

You might also hear a Point of Order. This is usually a claim by a representative that the rules of debate, or of the Conference, have not been followed correctly. The speaker at the tribune pauses (and the clock timing their speech is stopped) while the Point of Order is made. The President or Vice-President decides on the validity of the Point of Order and – depending on the result – the debate either continues or something else happens. If you are speaking when a Point of Order is raised, wait for the President or Vice-President to tell you what to do.

Speaking

There are two main ways of getting to speak at the Conference. The first way is to be the proposer or seconder of a Notice of Motion. In this case, you will be called by the President or Vice-President to one of the tribunes (lecterns) for speakers.

The second way is to join one of the queues of people waiting to speak. The President or Vice-President will often pick the person at the front of each queue from each side in turn. (If you have a first-time speaker card, you may be given priority.)

  • Start by addressing the President or Vice-President (Madam/Mr President or Vice-President). You should not address anyone else, such as members, visitors, viewers online.
  • State your name and district or other capacity in which you are a member of the Conference.
  • Address the matter at hand. If a report has multiple resolutions, then address the actual resolution being discussed.
  • Keep to time.
  • Be brief – nobody ever complained that a speech at the Conference was too short.
  • Be clear – you are allowed to read from notes, so don’t hesitate to do so if that helps.
  • Avoid repeating what someone else has already said.
  • Because of the live streaming, it is important to remember that what you say has a larger audience than just those sitting in the hall.
Timing

Proposers of motions have four minutes for their speeches; other speakers are allocated two minutes. If the speech is not made in English, the native language is not timed but the English translation is. Timings are subject to change at the discretion of the platform.

There is a light system on each tribune – it flashes amber with one minute to go; solid red means stop immediately (finish your sentence if you can do it in a few words).

If the business of the Conference is becoming pressured in terms of time available, the length of speeches might be shortened on the recommendation of the Business Committee. This will be proposed by the Business Committee in its report (usually on the Order Paper) at the beginning of a session’s business.

Voting

NB You can only vote if you are in your designated seat.

There are three main ways of voting.

  1. For most matters, the President or Vice-President will ask the Conference if they are agreed.
  2. If the matter is controversial, or requires more than a simple majority, the vote will be by a show of hands. If the show of hands is inconclusive, the vote will be counted by means of an electronic system which will be explained to you at the Conference. This will be overseen by scrutineers who are drawn from the Conference representatives. This can take a few minutes, and depending on the resolution, business may continue before the result is announced.
  3. The third way of voting, used for solemn votes of affirmation, is by a standing vote. This is a tradition of the Conference which goes back to the earliest days of Methodism. If you, for whatever reason, do not stand, you can show your assent by the raising of a hand when the vote is called.

It is important to note that when you vote on a report you are approving only the resolution or resolutions attached to it. You are not required to agree with every sentence in the report itself. The only exception is when a report is intended to become a Conference Statement (eg clarifying some point of doctrine and intended for future reference). In such (rare) cases there is a special procedure which will be explained at the time.

Elections

The Conference designates the President and Vice-President of the following year’s Conference. The President must be a presbyter; the Vice- President must be a lay person or a deacon.

Each candidate must have been nominated by five ministers and five lay people, all of whom must be members of the Conference. The candidate, however, does not need to be a member of the Conference but does need to be a member of the Church or a minister in Full Connexion or recognised and regarded as if in Full Connexion.

Nomination forms for the two roles are circulated to all members of the Conference in advance of the Conference.

Along with the signatures of the ten people nominating, each candidate provides a statement of their experience. Copies of these are posted in or around the Conference hall for 24 hours before voting starts. There should be no campaigning or lobbying on behalf of the candidates.

Voting is by an online system on the basis of the Single Transferable Vote. For each role, each voter marks as many candidates as they wish in order of preference, your preferred candidate gets a 1 against their name, the second choice gets 2, etc.

A similar process follows for elections of members of the Business Committee.

Confidential business

At least once a year the Conference goes into Closed Session. The timing is known in advance, and only voting members of the Conference are allowed to remain in the hall. The video feed is shut off, the public and press seats cleared, and confidential items are discussed. They must not be discussed after the close of the session, even with a voting member who was not present.

Reporting back

Be prepared. At your autumn District Synod, you will be asked to report on the Conference. So keep notes to aid your memory.

And finally...

The Conference never officially ends. It only ever adjourns and it could reconvene at any time during the year (although this has not happened in recent memory). You are a Conference representative until the Conference meets again and confirms its membership.

Some commonly used terms (glossary)

Agenda item: the name and number of the business being discussed, as it appears in the Agenda.

En bloc: some items of business are not debated, but voted on all together. This is not because they are less important than other items, but because the Business Committee has judged that they do not need a separate debate. Any item can be removed from en bloc if the Conference votes to do so. The Report of the Business Committee will explain how to remove an item from the en bloc list.

Memorials: proposals sent to the Conference by District Synods or Circuit Meetings. They are considered prior to the Conference by the Memorials Committee, which then suggests what reply the Conference might make. The replies, on which the Conference votes, are printed with the memorials in the Agenda (usually in their own volume). Most memorial replies are taken en bloc if they do not relate to an item of business of the Conference. You can find out how to send a memorial on the Methodist Conference web pages.

Detailed information on how memorials are dealt with is in the Agenda (volume one) (within the Conference Rules of Procedure).

Notice of Motion: any two members of the Conference may bring a resolution to the Conference with a number of additional signatories, either in respect of an item of existing business or a matter of concern to the Church. This is also the means by which an amendment to a resolution or a reply to a memorial may be proposed. The details can be found in the Agenda (volume one), both in the Conference Rules of Procedure and in the First Report of the Business Committee. Shortly before the Conference, the names and contact details of three experienced members of the Conference who can give you helpful advice about Notices of Motion will be listed on the website, and in one of the letters from the Secretary of the Conference – do contact one of them if you need any support.

Resolution: all reports have a resolution, and some have more than one. Each resolution has a number that contains both the agenda item number (see above) and the number of that resolution starting with 1 for each report. So the first resolution in agenda item 41 will be resolution 41/1, then it will be 41/2 etc. Resolutions are usually voted on separately.

Useful links

For news from the Methodist Church in Britain:

methodist.org.uk/News

For news and information about the Methodist Conference:

methodist.org.uk/Conference

Keep up to date with stories from across Methodism by signing up to one of our mailings:

methodist.org.uk/SignUp

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