Listening Sessions Summary Video & FAQs

Listening Sessions Summary Video

After six listening sessions in various areas around the conference with clergy and lay, Bishop James E. Swanson Sr. sits down to talk about the purpose of those listening sessions. He gives a brief summary of the most commonly repeated concerns that were expressed about the Commission on a Way Forward and the 2019 Called Session of General Conference, and he responds to those concerns. This video has been closed captioned. In order to remove the closed captions, click on the box in the lower right corner labeled "cc" that toggles subtitles/closed captions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about General Conference 2019

This frequently asked questions (FAQs) document was created with the goal of bringing clarity to several subjects that were asked about online and during the recent six listening sessions. The listening sessions where about the Called Session of General Conference that will take place February 23-26, 2019. The two paragraphs of The 2016 Book of Discipline that will be discussed at the Called Session of General Conference are:

¶ 304.3: The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.

¶ 341.6: Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.

Following the conclusion of the 2019 Called Session of the General Conference, Bishop Swanson will have 11 district gatherings from March 10-23, 2019. We received over 500 questions, comments and concerns, and no question/comment went unread. Every member of the Mississippi Conference Delegation received all your questions and comments whether they were submitted via index card or online through registration. Several questions were geared towards the delegation, so if you do not see the answer to your question here, you can find contact information for the delegation here. Responses to your questions were broken down into the below five categories: