General Council’s Learning Sessions, a time for Commissioners and the public to learn more about GC44 proposals, concluded last month. Session recordings are available on our YouTube channel.

Recently, Commissioners were asked to prioritize the many proposals to determine which ones require further discussion and which ones do not. This prioritization will guide the next phase of the process, the Discussion Sessions.

Taking place on June 17, 18, and 19, Discussion Sessions will be a chance for Commissioners to come together in small groups to discuss the proposals that they feel require more time in order to make good decisions in July. All sessions will be held in worship, similar to the Learning Sessions. While the opening of the Discussion Session on Friday, June 17, and the closing on Sunday, June 19, will be open to the public via PheedLoop or YouTube, most of the time will be Commissioner discussion only. Moderator nominations will close on June 17.

The discussions will be supported by facilitators and note-takers, who will capture the essence of each discussion group. Notes will be given to the Facilitation Team, who will read all the summaries and then reflect to the Council what they heard from all the discussions. Following this, at the end of June, a suggested Ways Forward proposal will be presented in response to the proposals and discussions.

Once the Discussion Sessions conclude, General Council will break until July 21‒25 for the Decision Sessions, which will include the Moderator’s election.