At Annual Conference 2022, two resolutions were passed by the Indiana Conference that were submitted to Judicial Council for a “rule of law” decision. They recently ruled on these resolutions.
The first was a review of a Bishop’s Ruling on Questions of Law in the Indiana Annual Conference regarding the legality of the resolution “A Commitment to Grace in the Indiana Conference.” The question of law submitted by Chris Gadlage about Resolution #5 was ruled null and void by the Judicial Council. It was determined that it contains prescriptive language that runs counter to The Discipline, so the decision of Bishop Trimble is reversed. This means that the Resolution is no longer contained as part of the INUMC proceedings. For more details on Decision Number 1468, click here.
The second was a review of a Bishop’s Report of questions submitted during the Indiana Annual Conference concerning unadopted legislation that was ruled out of order and in violation of the Discipline. The Judicial Council affirmed Bishop Trimble’s decision regarding the question of law submitted by Darren Cushman-Wood about Resolution #3. For more details on Decision Number 1456, click here.
The Judicial Council serves as the denomination’s highest judicial body and convenes to consider whether actions of the various church bodies adhere to the constitution and follow rules outlined in the Book of Discipline.