So the World Will Know: A Reflection on the Convening General Conference
In September I was honored to attend the convening General Conference of the Global Methodist Church as a lay delegate. The conference was like nothing I had ever experienced before. God showed up and did incredible works in my personal life and in the life of the church. I am left in awe of all that happened and that I got to be a part of such a beautiful expression of God’s love for the world. Many people have written about all that happened and I’m not sure how much more I can contribute, but I would like to join the voices that are testifying to all that God has done!
When I put my name forward as a potential delegate, I did so out of obedience to God. I was excited about the possibility, but since I’m relatively unknown in the West Plains Conference, I didn’t really expect to get elected. When I was elected and started attending delegation meetings, I felt overwhelmed and underqualified. I listened as brilliant people had elegant ideas of what the episcopacy should look like, and I realized how unprepared I was to be in that discussion. I was honored just to be with such incredible people, so I sat quietly and learned as much as possible. I was prepared to go to General Conference and quietly vote my conscience while those around me voiced their opinions.
Each delegate was placed on a Legislative Committee that reviewed petitions related to their assigned area of the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline. We were asked to give our top three choices and then we were assigned to one of the committees based on our preferences and the desire to ensure each committee had a diverse group of clergy and laity. I knew I wanted to be on the Finance Committee because of my accounting degree and my experience handling finances for two Global Methodist Churches in New Mexico. Other than that, I was open to any committee except the Episcopacy and Superintendency Committee, as it focused on the role and election of Bishops, an area where I felt others were more qualified. Naturally, I was placed on that very committee, leaving me questioning God’s plan and feeling nervous about my effectiveness in that environment.
Prior to our first committee meeting, our West Plains delegation head, Ron, wisely warned us not to agree to be secretary of our committees because it is a very demanding job. I took that to heart and went into the first meeting determined to elect someone else to that role. As we were electing the chair and vice-chair, I felt a stirring in my heart to be secretary, but I wasn’t confident about it and didn’t particularly want the responsibility. I prayed and told God that if He wanted me to do it, He could make it happen and I would follow, but I was not going to actively pursue that position. Shortly after I finished praying, a complete stranger nominated me to be secretary and I (reluctantly) agreed. Since I was the only person crazy enough to agree to it, I was unanimously elected. Again, I was left asking God what He was doing.
Upon arriving in Costa Rica, it quickly became evident that God had placed me in that role for a purpose. The work was demanding, just as Ron had warned, but it was the type of work that I am good at, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Listening to everyone else in the committee enriched me, and I now possess a deeper understanding of the episcopacy than I ever imaged. God used my talents to allow me to play a small leadership role in this historic moment of the church. I am still amazed at how everything worked out; when I agreed to be a delegate, I could not have imagined all that the Lord was planning to do through me.
The theme of the conference was “So the World Will Know” and as I reflect on the General Conference, I can’t think of a better theme to express what the Lord did. John 17:22-23 says, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Over and over, I witnessed the unity these verses reference. We started each morning with passionate worship and then let the Holy Spirit continue to fill us as we got to work. We were unified in spirit, even amid intense disagreements. There were two major episcopacy plans that we had to consider: The General Superintendency plan and the Hybrid Episcopacy plan. When it came time for our committee to choose which one we wanted to recommend, we overwhelmingly chose the General Superintendency plan. The leader of the Hybrid Episcopacy plan immediately came to the microphone and humbly let us know that he would not be bringing a minority report to the floor. Instead, he collaborated with others in the committee to refine the General Superintendency plan and it was made better because of his input. That same spirit of cooperation and humility permeated the entire conference.
I am confident that God will continue to use me in the life of the Global Methodist Church. I plan to be as involved as possible because I have seen a glimpse of what God can do when we step up in unity as the church. I truly believe that the unity of the Spirit that we experienced in Costa Rica is a sign of God’s love in us and the world will see that there is something different about the Global Methodist Church because of it. As I return to my local church, I carry with me all that I experienced, and I am ready to share it with my community so that the world will know that God loves them even as he loves me.
-Molly Williams
