For United Methodist general boards, agencies and institutions, including Wespath, Paragraph 717 of The Book of Discipline (Discipline) serves as the primary governing text for sustainable and socially responsible investing. Over the years, Paragraph 717 has also been the source of numerous debates and legislative contests at General Conferences, especially regarding divestment petitions related to fossil fuels and issues concerning Israel and Palestine.
At last year’s General Conference, a petition concerning Paragraph 717 was referred to the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) for further review and consideration. Following General Conference, the GCFA Board referred the petition to Wespath, recognizing our long history working on sustainable investing and our capacity to support in-depth discussion.
Wespath is committed to listening, engaging and collaborating with The United Methodist Church (Church) to discern a thoughtful path forward on Paragraph 717. As an initial step in this process, Wespath is organizing a two-day gathering in September dedicated to discussion around Paragraph 717. Wespath wants to hear from multiple perspectives, so attendees will include General Agency representatives, divestment proponents from several organizations, Annual Conference representatives (including from areas focused on financial and benefits plan management), Bishops, leaders of Annual Conference foundations, Central Conference representatives, and others. A full list of organizations represented is available here.
By convening this gathering outside the high-pressure environment of General Conference, Wespath hopes it will provide space for attendees with differing viewpoints to engage in open, candid conversations, foster strong relationships, and explore common areas of understanding.
Following the gathering, Wespath will share a recap and outline next steps on its website, including opportunities for the broader Church to provide feedback. As part of this ongoing process, Wespath is exploring options for additional interested parties to dialogue on this topic—attendees at the September gathering will dedicate time to consider the best ways to facilitate this. If you would like to receive information about these future virtual sessions, please complete this form.
Throughout this gathering and subsequent discussions, Wespath will adhere to Paragraph 717 of the Discipline, which calls on Wespath to “make a conscious effort to invest … with the goals outlined in the Social Principles.”
Through the September gathering and virtual engagement sessions, Wespath seeks to gather meaningful insights that will inform its Paragraph 717 legislation for the 2028 General Conference. Wespath’s goal is to craft widely supported Paragraph 717 legislation that reflects the diverse perspectives of the Church and is thoughtful, balanced and ambitious in how it calls investors to live into United Methodist Church values.
This content was originally published by Wespath; republished with permission by ResourceUMC on September 3, 2025.