• John Wesley had a commitment to accountability and commended his societies and class meetings to watch over one another with love.

• Since accountability in our denominational structure is set up within each geographical jurisdiction, there is frustration over bishops and annual conferences not holding to doctrinal standards in those jurisdictions and without experiencing any consequences.

• Though the Judicial Council ruled that the election of Karen Oliveto as a bishop in 2016 violated our Book of Discipline, the bishops in the western jurisdiction have not reviewed her election and are still standing in defiance of the Judicial Council’s ruling.

• Twelve UMC annual conferences and many bishops have vowed to not follow the standards for pastoral candidates in the Book of Discipline.

• Following the vote at the 2019 General Conference, 26 of the 53 UMC annual conferences condemned the voting for its strong accountability and the passage of the Traditional Plan.

• Many feel that the June 25, 2022, letter from the new president of the Council of Bishops about the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision from the U.S. Supreme Court (which overturned Roe v. Wade) reveals the disconnection that exists with UMC bishops from many people in our denomination and from the Book of Discipline. The president did not mention the impact on children at all in his letter, and his words certainly frustrated many and did not present the whole understanding of UMC doctrine on this issue.

• Almost half of the annual conferences in the USA are placing additional monetary burdens over and above the Discipline’s established costs for disaffiliation. That number includes some annual conferences in the South. One annual conference in the South just reversed its policy on unfunded liability pension requirements and are now demanding three times the amount of money for any church seeking disaffiliation in the future. There are annual conferences in the South as well that are not allowing any church to disaffiliate even though the Book of Discipline clearly allows for that.