Section XV. General Commission on the Status and Role of Women
¶ 2101. Name—There shall be a General Commission on the Status and Role of Women in The United Methodist Church.
¶ 2102. Purpose—The primary purpose of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women shall be to challenge The United Methodist Church, including its general agencies, institutions, and connectional structures, to a continuing commitment to the full and equal responsibility and participation of women in the total life and mission of the Church, sharing fully in the power and in the policy-making at all levels of the Church's life.
Such commitment will confirm anew recognition of the fact that The United Methodist Church is part of the universal church, rooted in the liberating message of Jesus Christ, that recognizes every person, woman or man, as a full and equal part of God’s human family.
The general commission shall function as an advocate with and on behalf of women individually and collectively within The United Methodist Church; as a catalyst for the initiation of creative methods to redress inequities of the past and to prevent further inequities against women within The United Methodist Church; and as a monitor to ensure inclusiveness in the programmatic and administrative functioning of The United Methodist Church.
¶ 2103. Responsibility—The general commission shall be charged with the responsibility of fostering an awareness of issues, problems, and concerns related to the status and role of women, with special reference to their full participation in the total life of the Church at least commensurate with the total membership of women in The United Methodist Church.
1. In the fulfillment of its mandate, this commission shall have the authority to initiate and utilize such channels, develop such plans and strategies, and assign staff as may be required in the implementation of the following primary needs across The United Methodist Church: leadership enablement, resources and communication, affirmative action and advocacy roles, and interagency coordination.
Such plans and strategies related to these needs shall be directed toward the elimination of sexism in all its manifestations from the total life of The United Methodist Church, including general agencies as well as the various connectional channels and structures that reach the local church. The commission shall work with the respective agencies as needs may determine in achieving and safeguarding representation and participation of women, including racial and ethnic groups.
2. The commission, through its various research and monitoring processes, shall continue to gather data, make recommendations, and suggest guidelines for action as appropriate to eradicate discriminatory policies and practices in any form or discriminatory language and images wherever found in documents, pronouncements, publications, and general resources.
3. The commission shall stimulate ongoing evaluation procedures and receive progress reports toward the end of effecting the guidelines in § 2 above in all responsible bodies of the Church.
4. The commission shall establish and maintain a working relationship with annual conference commissions, taking into account the objectives and guidelines for conferences in ¶ 641.1 and seeking to develop and strengthen the leadership of the conference for the realization of these objectives within the general context of the responsibilities of the general commission (¶ 2103.1).
5. The commission shall recommend plans and curricula for new understanding of theology and biblical history affecting the status of women.
6. The commission shall create needed policies and recommendations and program for immediate and long-range implementation related to the enhancement of the role of women in professional and voluntary leadership in the Church.
7. The commission shall serve in an advocacy role to ensure openness and receptivity in matters related to women's role in the Church's life, with particular attention to the contributions of clergy and lay professional women, racial and ethnic women, and those experiencing changing lifestyles. The commission in its role as advocate shall assist the local church, annual conferences, the councils, boards, commissions, schools of theology, and other related institutions on eradicating the problems of sexual harassment by developing policies and procedures for addressing these problems.
8. The commission shall generate active concern and give full support toward immediate efforts in the fulfillment of the following directive: Councils, boards, commissions, committees, personnel recruitment agencies, schools of theology, and other related institutions are directed to establish guidelines and policies for specific recruitment, training, and full utilization of women in total employment, which includes but is not limited to pastoral and related ministries, health and welfare ministries, and faculties and staffs of seminaries and other educational institutions.
9. Advise the General Council on Finance and Administration (¶ 811.1) with regard to the policies and practices of agencies and Church-related institutions receiving general Church funds concerning their implementation of the denomination's policy of inclusiveness and nondiscrimination on the basis of gender. This shall be done by:
(1) consulting with the council in development, review, and maintenance of the certification form to be submitted to the council by agencies and institutions receiving general Church funds;
(2) reviewing annually the submissions of certifications of compliance with ¶ 811.1a, b, and c; and
(3) recommending to the council acceptance of the certifications, or other appropriate action, including withholding approval of the entire budget of an agency or institution because of noncompliance with ¶ 811.1a, b, or c.
10. The commission shall provide resources for the local church ministry group on the status and role of women.
¶ 2104. Membership—
1. The policies, plans, and administration of the work of the general commission shall be determined by its membership, which shall be composed of forty-three (43) persons in accord with the following guidelines:
a) Jurisdictional membership shall be nominated and elected by the jurisdictional conferences, ensuring that the pluralism and diversity of the Church's membership is reflected in the representation of racial and ethnic minorities and various age categories. Each jurisdiction shall elect persons for membership based on the following formula: North Central—5, Northeastern—5, South Central—7, Southeastern—7, Western—3. It is recommended that where possible, the members include at least one laywoman, one layman, one clergywoman, and one clergyman. Of the persons elected by each jurisdictional conference, at least one should be from a racial and ethnic group and at least one shall be under thirty-one years of age at the time of election.
b) There shall be ten additional members elected by the general commission, in accord with the provisions of ¶ 705.3e. The election of the additional members shall take into account the need to provide adequate representation of racial and ethnic groups and of the various age categories, and to include persons of special competence. It is recommended that the addition of the at-large membership ensure that the total membership maintains the one-third laymen, one-third laywomen, one-third clergy balance as well as majority membership of women. It is further recommended that such additional members shall maintain a membership total of at least 10 percent youth and/or young adults.
c) There shall be three women named by the Women's Division from its members or staff to serve as ex officio members with vote.
d) There shall be two bishops named by the Council of Bishops.
e) There shall be one member elected by Iglesia Metodista Autnoma Afiliada de Puerto Rico.
f) In the total membership: (1) Persons over sixty-five years of age shall be included. (2) There should be no less than four persons (two women and two men) from each of these five racial and ethnic groups: Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. (3) There shall be at least one member who is a diaconal minister.
g) The general commission shall be authorized to fill vacancies in its membership during the quadrennium.
¶ 2105. Officers—The president of the general commission shall be a woman elected by the total commission from its membership. Other officers shall be elected as the commission determines.
¶ 2106. Meetings—The general commission shall meet annually, with such additional meetings as needs demand.
¶ 2107. Funding—The funds for carrying out the general commission's purpose shall be authorized by the General Conference.
¶ 2108. Staff —The general commission shall nominate for election by the General Council on Ministries its general secretariat or general secretary who shall provide executive, administrative, and program staff leadership (¶ 713). The commission shall elect such other staff members as needs require within the General Conference mandates and the authority vested in the commission to develop policies and programs directed toward the realization of its purpose.
¶ 2109. Relationships—In order to fulfill its responsibilities and the directives of the General Conference, the general commission shall work with the Council of Bishops, the general agencies, institutions, and other appropriate structures and channels at all levels of the Church.