General Conference: 2008

General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. Church law provides for a maximum of 1,000 delegates--half clergy, half lay. Each annual conference must have at least one delegate from each order. Beyond that, each conference's representation is based on the number of lay members and clergy members in the conference.

The conference revises The Book of Discipline (book of church law) and Social Principles and adopts resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for churchwide programs for the next four years.