The Impact of Judicial Council Decision 1514 on Retired Clergy
The United Methodist Judicial Council issued Decision 1514 on October 26, 2024. In it, the council nullified a bishop’s ruling of law, one which restricted the freedom of retired clergy to conduct ministry without an appointment. The decision effectively maintains the status quo in church law. A minority concurrence attached to the decision does not change its impact. Background In its statement of facts, the Judicial Council wrote: On April 22, 2024, the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference sent a letter to five clergy members who it determined had voluntarily withdrawn from The United Methodist Church (The UMC) by serving a church that had disaffiliated from the UMC beyond the date of disaffiliation. The minutes of the clergy session of the annual conference on June 6, 2024, state that Question 42 was read regarding clergy who have had their conference membership terminated by withdrawal to unite with another denomination. The mi...