Elections, nominations, and more elections
As the high season of United Methodist conferencing approaches, we must prepare for several elections and nominating processes. While some focus will be on potential episcopal elections at the jurisdictional conference in July, our PNW Conference session will include several nomination and election votes, which will help shape our lay and clergy leadership for the next quadrennium.
Electing a new PNW Conference Lay Leader
Members will elect a new Conference Lay Leader during the 2024 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Sessions. This vital position can provide a meaningful lay voice during and in between annual conference sessions as resourcing is offered and decisions are made. The current lay leader, Nancy Tam Davis, will complete her service after two quadrennia.
A page detailing the position’s responsibilities and an application have been published on the PNW Annual Conference Sessions website – https://pnwumc.org/ac2024/lay-leader-election/. Applications filled out by May 1, 2024, will be published alongside other pre-conference materials. Additional nominations can be made on the floor at annual conference during the laity session where the election will take place.
The Episcopal Elections Process starts at annual conference
The Western Jurisdiction expects two bishops to retire this year, leaving two openings in the WJ College of Bishops. Conferences have been invited to nominate up to two people who meet the basic qualifications for the episcopacy as described in The Book of Discipline 2016, Paragraphs 401, 405, and 414. That said, decisions made at General Conference may reduce the number of openings to one or none.
Individuals who wish to put their names forward should complete the following tasks:
- Prayerfully discern your readiness to serve in the episcopacy.
- Complete the profile form on the WJ website at https://westernjurisdictionumc.org/episcopal-candidate-profile.
- Submit your name to PNW Conference Secretary Rev. Shirley DeLarme – shirley.delarme@gmail.com – after you have completed the profile form.
Candidates who complete the steps above by May 1, 2024, will have their profiles shared with conference members along with other pre-conference materials.
Per our rules, we will also receive nominations from the floor at annual conference, but no materials will be circulated for candidates named at that time. Per our practice, no one should be nominated without their consent. If someone is nominated who has not submitted a profile, they will be asked to do so after their election to honor the WJ’s process.
Other nominations and elections
When it gathers in June, members of the 2023 PNW Annual Conference Session will elect a slate of new and returning leaders for all our conference boards and agencies at this year’s annual conference session. Now is the perfect time to express your interest in serving in an area that aligns with your passions and gifts. If you aren’t already connected to a specific board or agency you want to serve (you can find the current rosters here), consider contacting your pastor, District Superintendent or District Lay Leader.
During its clergy session, PNW Clergy Members will also elect new leaders to serve in the coming quadrennium. Of course, the clergy session will do this while navigating its usual work of approving ministerial candidates and marking various transitions and status changes.
Whether contemplating a calling to the episcopacy, service in lay leadership, or support of the work of different conference boards and agencies, prayer is a necessary part of the process. Even as you pray to contemplate how you might serve, consider praying for others as they do the same.
