The United Methodist Way of Voting on Issues

Sometimes, people ask me how I will vote on a particular issue at Annual Conference. Let's face it. Most, if not all of us, have a sense of how we will vote on an issue before we even go to a meeting.

People sometimes wonder why United Methodists do not allow for absentee balloting at church meetings. It's because of John Wesley's emphasis on "Holy Conferencing." Wesley believed that conferencing was a "means of grace" in which our discussions, deliberations, and decisions, were a means whereby God's unmerited favor was made present through the gathering of God's people.

If we would cast a vote and not attend a meeting or come to a meeting with our minds already decided on a particular issue, we end up blocking a fuller understanding of the issues that are before us through the discussions and the information that is shared.

I have found that what I thought would be an obvious way to vote on a particular issue ended up being a lot more complex than when I had first read a proposal on paper. When we truly listen to each other, especially those who represent "the other side" of an issue, God is able to help us arrive at a decision that will be faithful to the gospel and the mission of the church.

"Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors"

It's more than a slogan.