People in 48 countries view General Conference online
United Methodists around the world watched the proceedings online as delegates to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference meet in Fort Worth, Texas. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)—The number of people experiencing The United Methodist Church’s top legislative assembly goes far beyond a few thousand people in the heart of Texas.

People in 48 countries have been going online to watch the business sessions, worship services and special events of the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth. The proceedings are being streamed live on the assembly’s Web site, http://www.gc2008.umc.org/.

“This General Conference represents a shift of the general church and of General Conference into the digital age,” said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive of United Methodist Communications, which manages the Web site. “We’ve passed through a time when technology was secondary to a time when technology is enabling us to do our work and to stay in touch with each other globally.”

The broadcasts are being picked up in 26 different languages on five continents.

One delegate told Hollon of receiving a text message regarding the conference from her daughter, who lives in another country and was watching it online. “We are being connected globally in a way that was not possible ever before,” Hollon said.

The General Conference Web site had been viewed 487,890 times between opening day on April 23 and April 29, according to United Methodist Communications data. General Conference continues through May 2.

The site has had 53,033 viewings of the live streaming video as of the end of the day April 29.

In addition to streaming, the site is offering news stories, video coverage and audio reports. Visitors to the site can also track legislation and obtain resources such as a logo and a General Conference primer.

For future General Conferences, Hollon foresees using technology to share information earlier and more widely, and enhancing the streaming to enable people to experience the conference wherever they are. “And I would see the possibility of greater interactivity,” he said. He doesn’t know how that would take shape, “but that would be the next logical step.”

General Conference is meeting through May 2. The quadrennial gathering has brought 992 delegates from around the world together to make decisions on the church’s direction.