Remit 1: Amendment to Article 10.0
The 43rd General Council held its annual meeting virtually on October 19, 2019.
At that meeting, the General Council approved a change to the Basis of Union to make Article 10.0 inclusive of persons of all gender identities. It also authorized a Category 1 Remit to test the will of the church with respect to this change.
The General Council’s decision was in response to the proposal entitled Amendment to the Basis of Union’s Article 10.0 on Ministry Personnel, which was unfinished business from the 43rd General Council’s 2018 meeting in Oshawa.
This is a Category 1 Remit, and so requires a vote by the regional councils. If approved by a two-thirds majority of regional councils, the Executive of the General Council may declare that the remit has passed and, if so, the policy change will automatically come into effect as of March 1, 2021.
The original response date for regional council votes has been extended because of the pandemic.
The new response date for regional council votes is December 31, 2020.
Below are the remit and response forms. The response form must be signed by the presiding officer or elected equivalent of the regional council and returned to the General Council Office to the address set out on the form.
Thank you for your participation in this important work of the church.
Nora Sanders
General Secretary, General Council