Constitutional amendment votes, reports and legislative work force late-night plenary at #PNWAC25

By Rev. Pam Brokaw

In a session that went well into the night, voters of the Annual Conference voted on the ratification of four constitutional amendments that will shape the future of our denomination. The total vote count of all 127 individual conferences will be announced in November of 2025 by the Council of Bishops.

Ratification requires at least a two-thirds majority at the General Conference.

Pacific Northwest Communications Director Patrick Scriven has shared that of the four amendments; the Regionalization amendment would most significantly impact how United Methodists govern and minister globally. The passage would provide greater flexibility for regional decision-making and as a structure that honors the diverse contexts in which our church operates.

Rev. Shalom Agtarap and Rev. Austin Adkinson presented the amendments passed by the General Conference that require ratification. As such, no changes to the constitutional amendments were possible that had 78 percent support of the General Conference. The General Conference is the world-wide church.

• The first amendment, if passed globally, would see the creation of a new United States Regional Conference.

The recommended amendments (including the three below) passed:

• An amendment to Paragraph 4, Article 4 of the constitution adds ‘gender’ and ‘ability’ to categories that cannot be used to exclude membership in The United Methodist Church.
• An amendment to Article 5 of the constitution would strengthen the church’s commitment to opposing racism and colonialism by explicitly stating these stances in the denomination’s constitution.
• Lastly, an amendment to Section VI, Article IV of the constitution would clarify the eligibility criteria of those voting for clergy delegates to General Conference, ensuring that elections are conducted fairly and transparently.

One question arose regarding the use of the term “gender.” Conference Secretary Shirley Delarme noted that all four amendments are “stand-alone,” and any changes would need to be addressed in the future. The timeline for implementing the amendments is uncertain.

Here are other matters addressed during the lengthy Plenary Session:

• A brief overview of the new Compass retirement program scheduled to take effect in 2026. The current model will cover those retiring before that time. The Compass model is believed to provide increased retirement funds for pastors in the future.
• The new Commission on Environmental Stewardship was introduced. It was created last year to be grounded in racial justice. Churches were encouraged to field teams to attend a 3-Day EarthKeepers training in Des Moines in October and make simple changes in their personal lives and churches.
• The Connecting for Missions consent calendar was passed involving Petitions 11, 13, 14 and 15.
• Petition 12 recommended an Annual Accessibility Audit for churches. It passed.
• The Board of Ordained Ministry reported on ongoing improvements in its processes, including an improved psychological assessment process for ministry candidates. Commissioning and Ordination candidates were introduced, and Bishop Cedrick asked each the traditional John Wesley questions.
• Throughout the afternoon and evening, a series of informational videos and presentations were shown, including messages from the United Women in Faith, Disability Ministry Committee, General Board of Disciples, Global Ministries, the Church in Mission, and Archives and History.
• Director of Connectional Ministries David Valera received the Bishop’s Award, honoring his 20th anniversary with the PNW Conference.

After a break, the session reconvened in the sanctuary with presentations by the:

• Faith Action Network, Perkins School of Theology, UMCOR and Disaster Response, Peace with Justice Grants, the consecration of a new Global Missions Fellow, and two new Deaconesses.
• New Lay Servants were announced as part of the Lay Ministries program.
• Combining two churches in Monroe into one called United in Grace was announced, as well as a merger of Bellevue UMC and Bellevue St. Peter’s UMC as Hope UMC.

The group broke for dinner set to return at 7: 30 p.m.

1. Rev. Cruz Edwin Santos offered a video report speaking to the growing need to support our immigrant siblings.
2. Rev. Dr. Allen Buck discussed the “Truth Telling Project” through the Circle of Indigenous Ministries. A focus on Camp Indianola looked at the history of the land, the treatment of the Suquamish, and ongoing discussions on returning the land to the tribe.
3. Rev. Cara Scriven presented a report from the Council on Finance and Administration—92.8 percent of apportionments were paid last year. A new collaborative staffing model with the Oregon-Idaho Conference called Shared Services is continuing to develop.

• A motion was made to call for a Special Session in the fall to set the budget.
• A variety of videos were played of various camps, United Women of Faith, the Black College Fund and EarthKeepers.

A motion was made to suspend the rules to make the Special Session possible. It passed.

Focus Session and Consent Calendar with items 1-8 was passed.

Petition #9, a request for budget and salary information for all Conference staff received a lively discussion. After multiple amendments, the measure eventually passed with the caveat requiring information for “exempt” employees to be included.

Petition #10, regarding new uses of closed church properties, was amended and passed to provide for more flexible decision making around closed churches and their property. This was eventually approved.

The session concluded at approximately 10:30 p.m., with District Gatherings starting the final Saturday of activities at 9 a.m.