This article is the eighth in a series of Interpreter features designed to help United Methodists understand the issues, people and planning for the denomination's international legislative body, the General Conference. The quadrennial assembly of 1,000 delegates will be held April 16-26 in Denver.
J. Richard Peck is a clergy member of the New York Conference and editor of the Daily Christian Advocate and Newscope.
by J. Richard Peck
Such petitions are expected to receive a warm reception by delegates to the upcoming Denver assembly. For example, the Connectional Issues study group, sponsored by the General Council on Ministries, is suggesting three "interactive" ministry areas: 1) Outreach, Nurture and Mission Ministries; 2) Leadership Ministries; and 3) Administrative and Fiscal Ministries.
The group also proposes that congregations be guided by a single council composed of representatives from the three areas, plus at-large members. This would replace the council on ministries and administrative board/council in local churches, and the council on ministries at the annual conference and churchwide levels.
Churchwide Mission Support by Choice?
The Western North Carolina Conference has perhaps the most extensive set of proposals about local church structure and organization for mission. Notable among these is a call to give local churches the right to make line-item decisions about which general church agencies they will support.
Under the plan, the only apportionments a local church would be required to pay would be clergy-support items, the General Administrative Fund and the Conference Administration Fund. Each congregation would also be responsible for the salary, pension and insurance of every pastor on its staff, except in the case of "significant missional needs."
Interviewing Potential Pastors
The Western North Carolina Conference also proposes allowing local churches to interview several candidates before a pastor is assigned to them. Each congregation requesting a new pastor would receive the names of three candidates. Pastors would also be allowed to request that their names be included on interview lists for specific churches.
After interviews, the committee and the potential pastors would express their preferences to the superintendent and the bishop. The bishop would not, however, be obligated to follow the wishes of committees or pastors.
The Wisconsin Conference has a petition that would provide pastors being considered for an appointment with a profile and a history of the church's ministry. The congregation's pastorparish relations committee, in turn, would receive a profile of the pastor's history of ministry. Both the committee and the pastor would be given time for prayerful consideration of that proposed appointment.
South Georgia Conference wants to delay guaranteed appointments for clergy until they have served the denomination effectively for six years. Central Pennsylvania and South Carolina conferences simply wish to drop guaranteed appointments entirely.
New Lay Ministry Office Suggested
A new local office of "lay ministry steward" is being proposed by a Ministry Study Committee of the Council of Bishops. These would be laity who feel called by God to local-church ministry, but who are not interested in the ordained ministry. Such individuals might teach adult study groups, spearhead evangelism or social justice efforts, or serve on conference committees.
The Council of Bishops is also proposing newly defined functions and responsibilities for the two clergy orders--deacon and elder (see JulyAugust 1995 Interpreter, p. 24).
Covenant With Other Christian Churches
If General Conference approves a covenant with eight other Christian denominations in the Consultation on Church Union, your church will have a subtitle--"The Church of Christ Uniting"--in addition to your present name.
More significantly your church will work cooperatively with members of the Presbyterian Church USA, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ Church, Disciples of Christ (Christian) Church and the International Council of Community Churches.
When inaugurated, member communions will: 1) gather at least annually to celebrate Communion; 2) ordain ministers together; 3) engage in mission together; and 4) form local covenanting forums.
There may be a special urgency about meeting with the three historically Black Methodist denominations, as General Conference could authorize a commission to draw up a plan of union with these colleague churches. Bishops of the four denominations are suggesting the possibility of holding all four General Conferences in the same site in the year 2004.
New Baptism Statement
If General Conference approves a proposed new baptism statement, you will have two categories of members: "baptized and professing."
Apportionments would be based on professing members, resulting in no change to your church (see January 1996 Interpreter, p. 27).
Other petitions to watch:
* reducing the amount of time it takes to remove names from church rolls (from the Rocky Mountain and Wisconsin conferences);
* allowing laity to chair the
local-church committee on nominations and personnel, a position currently reserved for pastors (from the General Board of Discipleship, the National Association of Conference Lay Leaders, and Minnesota);
* establishing an optional position of chairperson of prayer advocacy or a work area for prayer in local churches (from the Detroit and Kentucky conferences, respectively);
* asking local churches to develop specific programs to counter racism (from the Northern Illinois Conference);
* declaring that churches are open to all people, especially those who cannot verbalize vows for baptism and membership (from the National Association of Physically Challenged Ministers);
and
* changing the mandatory retirement for clergy from 70 to 75 years of age (from the Wisconsin conference).
In 1992, the United Methodist General Conference directed that the Board of Global Ministries headquarters be moved from New York and established a task force to select a new site.
That 13-member task force has forwarded its recommendation and funding plans for a vote by the 1996 General Conference delegates.
Main points of the recommendation include:
The site: a building to be constructed at the Town Center in Reston, Va., a planned suburban community outside Washington D.C.
The timeline: Completion of relocation is planned for January, 1998. The estimated pricetag: $42 million, plus another $30 million in interest if money for relocation is borrowed over a 15-year period.
The financing: An additional $5 million a year would be needed through apportionments to pay back the loan.
With an evaluation of work space needs and list of criteria, the task force whittled its base of 23 possible metropolitan areas to five: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Washington, D.C. The selection of Reston, Va.--a suburb of Washington, D.C.--was announced last July.
--Linda Bloom, United Methodist News Service, New York