The Commission on the General Conference announced yesterday evening, March 3, 2022, that the 2020 General Conference gathering scheduled for August this year cannot be held in 2022 due to COVID-related and governmental policies/constraints. It will be postponed to 2024 because the Commission has already secured a venue for what would have been the regularly scheduled quadrennial event. Specific dates for 2024 have not been announced.
The Commission received reports based on conversations with multiple officials of the US Department of State outlining the massive backlog of visa applications in some areas. The chairperson, Kim Simpson, said the decision to postpone included visas and passports, the health and safety of delegates, volunteers, and other attendees, vaccination rates, and the need for provisions for quarantine or medical care should any delegates contract COVID-19.
The Commission will meet again on March 28 to continue preparing for the postponed 2020 General Conference and looking ahead for possible solutions that may help avoid delays in future meetings. To read the complete statement from the Commission, click here.
In response to the decision, Council of Bishops President Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey thanked the Commission for their work and issued a statement on behalf of the Council. To read Bishop Harvey’s response, click here.
We know that for some of our churches in NWTX, this announcement yesterday caused great grief and frustration. Bishop Nunn and the NWTX cabinet are working on a plan to see our conference through this season. Along with appointment making, they will focus on these changes, the impact on our churches, and clarify ways to move forward. They will have more information available soon.
The Conference Staff is working on updating the Transition Team website as well. Over the next couple of weeks, we will have more resources available for your local churches there. We encourage you to reach out to Mike Schafer at the NWTX Conference office, at 806-762-0201, or schafer@nwtxconf.org for questions.
Articles Released on the Postponement of General Conference:
The Commission on the General Conference Announcement
Response from the Council of Bishops on 2020 General Conference Postponement