Only General Conference can speak for UMC

General Conference alone can speak for The United Methodist Church.  United Methodists, our agencies, and our congregations are all entitled to express their opinions about social, political, moral or ethical issues.  But it is important to remember that these individuals and groups speak only for themselves.  As the United Methodist Communications news coverage reveals, the House of Representatives has a number of members who also are members of The United Methodist Church, and even they took differing positions on the recently passed Health Care Reform Act.

It is important to note that The United Methodist Church did not take a position on this specific piece of legislation; rather, the General Board of Church and Society has worked diligently to promote key principles of health care reform.  Principles like access to health care, for all people, have been promoted by the UMC for many years, and it was behind these principles, not any specific legislation, that the GBCS put their endorsement.  It is regrettable that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi implied that this particular piece of legislation was endorsed by The United Methodist Church.  That is simply not the case.

General Conference believed reform was essential, and in 2008, they did pass a Resolution urging reform of the health care system.  However, that resolution did not advocate for any particular piece of legislation.

I urge all concerned to read the news article from UMCOM.  It provides a comprehensive review of the official position of The United Methodist Church, its constituent groups and of individual United Methodists with differing viewpoints on the issue.  To read the story from UMCOM click here.