ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Church USA) — Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) has released guidelines for allowable actions and procedures during its Special Session of the Delegate Assembly, May 27-30 in Kansas City, Missouri. According to the guidelines, delegates must submit suggested amendments to the proposed resolutions by Monday, May 6.
The purpose of the Special Session, as outlined in the Feb. 9 Official Notice to Delegates, is “to complete the 2019-2021 biennium resolution process. Delegates will discuss and vote on resolutions that were delayed due to the global pandemic.”
The May 6 deadline for amendments is “to facilitate a proper review of proposed amendments due to the limited time available at the Special Assembly.” The Resolutions Committee will prioritize proposed amendments that meet this deadline.
The guidelines also provide instructions for making a motion, submitting and addressing amendments, initiating and tabling discussion, and adjourning the meeting.
“We have confidence that we can have robust and meaningful discussion during this time and will work to ensure that diverse voices and perspectives are shared,” said Linda Dibble, MC USA moderator, who will be overseeing the discussion times with the denominational parliamentarian.
“We want to ensure that we have a well-organized and transparent process,” said Glen Guyton, MC USA executive director. “The details for how we plan to conduct business are available on our resource page. Per our bylaws, part of our obligation as members of Mennonite Church is ‘to send delegate(s) to every session of the Delegate Assembly and shall actively seek to further the interests of the church during and between sessions.’ This is the system that our founders established. I encourage conferences, constituency groups, and congregations to join in this decision-making process,” he added.
According to MC USA bylaws, “The Delegate Assembly, as a representative of the church, shall function [to] … discuss and decide major issues of policy for the national conference and discern the voice and the Spirit in the midst of the Delegate Assembly.”
For more information on the Special Session of the Delegate Assembly, including official documents, proposed resolutions, staff impact statement, webinars and more, please visit the Delegate Assembly webpage.
Mennonite Church USA (MC USA), is the largest Mennonite denomination in the United States with 16 conferences, approximately 530 congregations and 62,000 members. An Anabaptist Christian denomination, MC USA is part of Mennonite World Conference, a global faith family that includes churches in 58 countries. It has offices in Elkhart, Indiana, and Newton, Kansas. mennoniteUSA.org