Section #___. Ecumenical Shared Ministries.
¶ ___. Local churches, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may respond to opportunities for ecumenical resource sharing in their communities by creating ecumenical shared ministries, working with local congregations of other Christian churches to enhance ministry, make wise stewardship of limited resources, and live out the ecumenical spirit in creative ways responsive to the needs of God's peoples as well as to opportunities for expanded mission and ministry.
¶ ___. Ecumenical shared ministries are ecumenical congregations formed by a local United Methodist church and one or more local congregations of other Christian traditions. Forms of ecumenical shared ministries include a) a federated church, in which one congregation is related to two or more denominations, with persons choosing to hold membership in one or the other of the denominations; b) a union church, in which a congregation with one unified membership role is related to two denominations; c) a merged church, in which two or more congregations of different denominations form one congregation which relates to only one of the constituent denominations; d) a yoked parish, in which congregations of different denominations share a pastor.
¶ ___. Congregations entering into an ecumenical shared ministry shall develop a clear covenant of mission, set of bylaws, or articles of agreement which addresses financial and property matters, church membership, denominational askings and apportionments, committee structure and election procedures, terms and provisions of the pastorate, reporting procedures, relationship with the parent denominations, and matters related to amending or dissolving the agreement. In the formation of an ecumenical shared ministry, ¶ 244 and ¶ 248.2 shall be followed in its organization. In an interdenominational local church merger, ¶¶ 2547 and 2548 shall be followed. In the case of federated and union churches, ¶ 2548 shall be followed.
¶ ___. Cabinets, Conference staff and other leaders shall be expected to work with ecumenical shared ministries at their inception, as well as in maintaining avenues of vital relationship and connection to The United Methodist Church, while recognizing that such avenues must also be maintained with the denominational partners in ministry.
¶ ___. Cabinets shall be urged to give priority, in the appointment process, to the providing of ecumenical shared ministries with pastoral leaders who have demonstrated commitment to ecumenism and who exhibit a clear appreciation for a variety of denominational expressions and polities.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21083-LC-207-D
1996 United Methodist General Conference