Special Called Virtual Session on November 4
Business Session
Results
Pre Conference Session
The Special Called Virtual Session of the Annual Conference will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023. There will be two meetings - the Clergy Meeting at 9am and the Called Session of the Annual Conference at 10am.
Voting will take place on Saturday, November 4 as well. The ballot for both sessions will open as soon as the called session of the annual conference ends and will stay open until 5pm of that same day. You MUST complete your ballot by 5pm for it to count. If you run into any issues with voting, please email help@wnccumc.org.
The Conference has compiled a status report of all churches in the WNCC. This report specifies which churches are remaining United Methodist (85% of WNCC congregations) and which churches will be petitioning for disaffiliation on November 4. The report also includes the voting results and ballot totals for each church that held a vote on disaffiliation. View the full report here.
Questions? Check out the November 4 Information Guide.
See details and information below for each session.
Virtual Called Session of the Annual Conference Meeting on November 4, 2023 at 10am
- Livestream information of the Annual Conference special session will be available on this page. Anyone can view this session.
- Important information will be sent to Annual Conference lay and clergy member email addresses on Wednesday, October 25. If you do not receive this email, please contact your district office.
- Click here for information about lay members who can vote.
- We will send out the voting link on Saturday, November 4, immediately after the livestream of the called session of the annual conference, provided that we have your email and cell phone number on record.
- To access the ballot, each voting member needs to have his/her own unique email address. Pastors can verify or change lay members email addresses or cell phone numbers through the clergy dashboard.
- If you do not receive an email on October 25, please contact your district office.
- The ballot will open as soon as the meeting is finished. Members will access the ballot through their email or text notification. The ballot will close at 5:00 p.m. ET on November 4.
- If you know of someone who might have difficulty accessing the meeting or voting online, please reach out to them to offer assistance.
Continue to return to this page for information you will need for the special session. The livestream will be posted to this page the morning of November 4.
For technical assistance on the day of the conference, please email help@wnccumc.org.
**Any clergy who are unable to attend the Special Called Session on November 4 must fill out the Clergy Excused Absence Request Form. Retired clergy and clergy on leave are automatically excused and do not need to submit a request. If a lay member is unable to attend, they should notify their pastor.
Virtual Called Session of the Clergy Meeting on November 4, 2023 at 9am
- Only WNCC clergy are invited to attend this session. This session will be password-protected to ensure only clergy have access to participate.
- Clergy will receive a link to view the session in the email sent on October 25 and again on November 4.
- Clergy members in full connection and the Board of Ordained Ministry members are eligible to vote in the clergy session.
- BOM members and clergy eligible to vote will receive a link to a separate ballot to vote in the clergy session.
- The ballot will open as soon as the called session of the annual conference is finished and will close at 5:00 p.m. ET on November 4.
- The Business of the Annual Conference questions for consideration will be emailed October 25 and also posted on clergy dashboards.
Bishop Carter Calls Special Session of the WNC Annual Conference for Fall 2023
March 21, 2023
Dear Clergy and Laity of the WNC Conference,
This week, the Appointive Cabinet of the Western North Carolina Conference is meeting to discern and select clergy to be appointed to local churches next year. As a part of this work, the Cabinet will be appointing clergy to new communities of faith which are being started in areas where, because of disaffiliations, a United Methodist presence is wanted and needed. Already, groups of United Methodists have begun to meet in some of these areas.
We also celebrate the 80% of Western North Carolina churches who chose not to vote on leaving the denomination and who continue Christ’s mission in their communities and the world. Among these are a growing number of Lighthouse Churches. We are excited about the ways in which the Holy Spirit is guiding us into a future with hope.
We also want to take this time to announce the date of a fall virtual special session of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference.
The Virtual Special Session that will be held on May 6 was called in response to the request from churches departing to become independent congregations or members of other present or future denominations to begin to live into their futures. In the same manner, it will enable clergy to follow their calling to new ministries apart from The United Methodist Church. And in alignment with these departures, there shall no longer be meetings with WNCC churches where persons recruit members to depart from The United Methodist Church.
The fall special session is a response to churches who found they need more time for prayerful discernment about disaffiliation throughout the spring and summer. It also gives the small number of churches involved in the recently dismissed lawsuit against the Bishop and Conference additional time to work within the guidelines of paragraph 2553 of the Book of Discipline if they so choose.
Thus, in accordance with Paragraph 603.5 of the 2016 Book of Discipline and Rule 32 of the WNCC Rules of Order, and as your Resident Bishop, I am calling a Special Executive Session of Clergy Members at 9:00am and a Special Session of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference at 10:00am, to be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023. Both meetings will be held virtually.
The sole purpose of the called executive session of clergy members is to vote on clergy withdrawals. The sole purpose of the called session is to vote on the WNC Conference Board of Trustees' recommendations for churches choosing to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church through the authorized process outlined in Paragraph 2553.
Churches will need to submit their originating letter of intent by July 1, 2023, and hold their church conference by September 15, 2023, to be a part of this November 4 special session. Churches will need to provide salary and benefits for their current pastor through June 30, 2024, and must finalize their disaffiliation including payment of all costs by December 31, 2023.
Clergy who state a desire to depart must also state their intentions to their District Superintendent prior to August 1, 2023, and submit a formal letter of withdrawal (elders & deacons) or discontinuance (local pastors) by September 15, 2023.
Our desire continues to be that no local church or pastor departs from The United Methodist Church. We also pray God’s blessings upon those who have made this choice. And both special sessions will conclude with a liturgy of resurrection and hope for new ministries that are birthed in this season of change.
We ask your prayers as the Bishop and Appointive Cabinet continue their appointment-making work. We do so out of a desire for vital, innovative congregations who will offer the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people.
The Peace of the Lord,
+Ken Carter
Resident Bishop
Western North Carolina Conference
The United Methodist Church