Revision of the Social Principles: 2018

By Rev. Denise Peckham, Conference Board of Church & Society

General Conference in 2012 tasked the General Board of Church and Society with conducting listening sessions across the connection. From these listening sessions, Church and Society concluded that the Social Principles needed to be more theologically grounded, more globally relevant and more succinct. At the 2016 General Conference, Church and Society was further tasked with bringing revised Social Principles to the 2020 General Conference.

Dr. Randall Miller, vice president of the General Board of Church and Society and chair of the Social Principles Task Force commented in a recent press release, “Very often in our Church what is made public is close to a finished draft, but in this case the GBCS Board and the members of the Writing Team made a very deliberate decision to make this working draft available for comments and suggestions by United Methodists from around the world. As much as humanly possible, we want the new Social Principles to reflect the diversity of our worldwide connection.”

The members of The United Methodist Church of North Texas have the opportunity to discuss the revisions and submit their suggestions to the General Board of Church and Society now through August. Your local Board members would be happy to attend a meeting at your church, or with a group of local churches, to facilitate the discussion and submit your comments to the General Board.

The revised document can be found here. While the draft document is complete, the subject of human sexuality has been left out pending the 2019 called session of General Conference. Following the called session the General Board of Church and Society will be informed by the Commission on a Way Forward and language will be developed in preparation for General Conference 2020.

If you have questions or would like to schedule a listening session, please email Reverend Denise Peckham, or call at 972-596-4303.

Published: Tuesday, May 1, 2018