Written By Nan Pyle

Do you know who qualifies to serve as a delegate to Annual Conference and why? Based on my experiences over the last three years, I realize that many United Methodists, lay and clergy alike, have no idea. So, here’s the scoop!

Most clergy (2016 Book of Discipline ¶32) are members of the Annual Conference; for every clergy member, there is an equalizing Lay Delegate. Basically, this means that if your local church has a Senior Pastor and an Associate Pastor, the church will be asked to elect two Lay Delegates at Church/Charge Conference each year.

Also, there are laity who serve as lay delegates under a position they hold within the District or the Conference. These are Ex-Officio Delegates with voice and vote. Since Rio Texas Conference has a significant number of retired elders and deacons, these Ex-Officio Delegates help to even out the number of clergy vs. lay.

The remaining number of Lay Delegates needed to equalize the clergy are distributed as At Large District Delegates, based on the membership in each District (and this is where the biggest misunderstandings occur). At Large District Lay Delegates have the same rights and responsibilities as Local Church Lay Delegates. However, an At Large District Delegate is elected by the District, not the Local Church. 

As an example: if you are asked to serve as an At Large District Delegate, and you agree and are elected, and then decide on the week before Annual Conference that you cannot or do not want to participate, your church cannot hold a Church/Charge Conference and elect a replacement; only the District can vote in a replacement.

That brings us to Alternate Lay Delegates: each local church and district is encouraged to elect Alternate Lay Delegates. Those alternates are elected by the district or local church along with the lay delegates and their information is submitted on the same form. An Alternate Lay Delegate can be substituted in the place of a lay delegate who has become unable to participate in Annual Conference. There is a process for this substitution; if it is not followed, the alternate will not have the authority to vote. Please contact the Rio Texas Conference if a substitution is needed so the process can be implemented properly.

The clergy members and the Lay Delegates make up the legal representation of the Annual Conference. That’s right – it’s a legal thing. All Lay Delegates are elected; the names and contact information are submitted under the signature of the pastor. The Lay Delegate position is a conference-level position, so while the form is included with the other Church/Charge Conference forms that each church gives to their District Superintendent, the form must also be submitted to the Conference Secretary. The instructions are on the bottom of the lay delegate form.

Here are some simple answers to frequently asked questions:

FAQs:

1. What is a Delegate to Annual Conference?
   
   Delegates are the legal representatives of their Local Church, District or Annual Conference who hold the right and responsibility to vote on the business of the Annual Conference.

2. Who serves as a Delegate to Annual Conference?
   
   Most (2016 Book of Discipline ¶32) clergy serve as clergy delegates. Each church elects 1 lay delegate at their Charge/Church Conference. Plus if a church has more than 1 appointed clergyperson, 1 additional lay delegate is elected for each clergyperson. So if First UMC has 3 appointed clergy, they receive 1 lay delegate because they are First UMC + 2 additional lay delegates to equalize their clergy.

3. Why can’t each local church send 20 Lay Delegates to Annual Conference?
   
   The number of lay delegates must equal the number of clergy delegates per Book of Discipline.

4. What is the difference between an At Large District Lay Delegate and a Local Church Lay Delegate?
   
   Both At Large District Lay Delegates and Local Church Lay Delegates hold the same responsibilities. The difference is that an At Large District Delegate is elected by the District while a Local Church Lay Delegate is elected at the Local Church/Charge Conference.

5. I want to serve as an “extra” delegate; how do I do that?
   
   There is no such thing as an “extra” delegate! Unfortunately, this term continues to be used and creates confusion on a massive scale. All clergy delegates are defined by the Book of Discipline. All lay delegates are defined in the Rio Texas Conference Standing Rules and Book of Discipline. They are elected by their Local Church or District. Each local church and district is assigned the number of lay delegate seats that they can fill in order to meet the requirements of the Standing Rules and Book of Discipline.

6. So, if I am elected at my church’s Church/Charge Conference in October of 2021, when do I represent my church?
   
   A delegate’s term runs from June 1 following the election through May 31 of the next year. In this case, June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023.

7. I provided a new email address last year but the Annual Conference information was still emailed to my old email address! Why?
   
   Email addresses are an ongoing challenge. Especially in this time of Internet attacks, email addresses are changed frequently. Remember to update your email address!  
   
   Laity: The church or district that elected you as Lay Delegate provided your name and contact information. If that contact information is different than the contact information in the conference database, the conference assumes that you moved or changed your email address or telephone number. Please make sure that your church has your current information.
   
   Clergy: Please update email and phone number changes with the conference office as they happen. Also, when you change appointments and are not living in a parsonage, remember to update your home address.
   
   

8. I called the conference office to ask why I had not received an email about registration as a Lay Delegate from my church and was told I wasn’t my church’s Lay Delegate. How did that happen?
   
   There are so many reasons…

   You were not elected as delegate for this year (see #6)

   Your email address is incorrect in our system (see #7)

   We do not have an email address for you.

   When you called, you asked about being Lay Delegate from First UMC. I looked up First UMC and you are not listed as the delegate. If you had asked about being an At Large District Lay Delegate, I would have found you and we would have worked through the issue together.
   Your church did not email, FAX, or snail mail a signed copy of your church’s Lay Delegate form to the Conference Secretary. 

   Remember to follow the directions on the Lay Delegate form.

If you have a question or need assistance with your Lay Delegate procedure or form, please contact Nan Pyle. See you at Annual Conference 2022 in McAllen, June 8 through June 11!

Written By Nan Pyle