The 46th General Conference will not bring in a female Bishop by special ressolution.
Such a ressolution was defeated Saturday afternoon during a spirited session in the Convention Center in Cincinnati. The defeated ressolution would have assured that the 46th General Conference would not have concluded without the African Methodist Episcopal Church having a female bishop.
The defeat of the ressolution does not mean there will not be a female Bishop this Conference, it means if there will be a female Bishop she will win her spot on merit, that it will not be allocated to her.
There still is a question as to exactly how many Bishops will be elected this Conference. Currently the number is set at three, but that number could change by the time of the Episcopal Committee's next report.
The Episcopal Committee's report was one of the most contested parts of Saturday's business session.
Rumors had abounded that several Bishops might be located due to pending charges. The Episcopal Committee outlined that they had received complaints against several Bishops, but in each of the cases, the charges were dismissed due to the fact they were not filed in a timely manor.
The uproar came when the question of retirement arose. The Episcopal Committeee announced that there were two retirements. Bishop Harold B. Senatle and Bishop Robert Thomas Jr. were the announced retirees. The Episcopal Committe said it also had entertained a request from Bishop Vernon R. Byrd Sr. to be located for health reasons.
The contention did not come from who was retiring, rather from who wasn't. The delegates debated that Bishops are supposed to retire at the General Conference closest to their 75th birthday. Many claimed there were more Bishops, who due to their birthdates, should be on the retirement list.
Bishop John Bryant presided over this sometimes spirited debate and managed it to keep it under control despite the volatile nature of the debate.
The General Conference voted to send the retirement section of the report back to the Episcopal Committeee and it urged the Committee to re-study the issue of retirement keeping in mind the fact that Bishops retire at the Conference closest to their 75th birthday.
The evening session, presided over by Bishop Thomas saw the Revisions Commitee presenting the second reading of proposed legislation. There was no one point of controversy, rather a growing concern by all in attendence, that there is a lack of time to complete the massive work of the conference.
There are no work sessions scheduled for Sunday. A lot now hinges on the return of the Episcopal Committee and whether more Bishops will be retired. This will determine the nature of the election of Bishops set for Monday afternoon.
