Six program areas shall be assigned responsibilities within the General Board of Global Ministries as it seeks to enhance the involvement of all United Methodists in mission and develop ways to facilitate their mission involvement. The membership of the program areas shall be constituted in accord with the bylaws of the General Board of Global Ministries.
1. The Evangelization and Church Growth Program Area exists to facilitate the proclamation and witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ through word, deed and sacrament in every sphere of human existence, the establishment of faith communities or new churches, and the strengthening of existing congregations. The responsibilities of Evangelization and Church Growth shall be:
a) To support evangelization among people who have not heard or heeded the Gospel.
b) To undertake strategic new mission initiatives and to establish new congregations where United Methodism and/or cooperative church relationships do not exist.
c) To identify, prepare, train and empower persons for leadership in the church and community so that vital mission oriented congregations may be developed.
d) To prepare persons to share their Christian faith and witness among persons of other faiths.
e) To revitalize existing congregations and faith communities.
f) To provide technical and architectural services to support mission programs and church extension.
g) To assist congregations with the development of financial stewardship.
h) To work with the General Board of Discipleship for the extension of the Church through a Joint Committee on Congregational Development composed of equal representation from the General Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Discipleship which shall meet at least annually to expedite cooperation between these two boards in the field of congregational development of both new congregations as well as the revitalization of existing congregations.
i) To administer the United Methodist Development Fund in accord with policies set by the General Board of Global Ministries for the purpose of making first mortgage loans to United Methodist Churches, districts, city societies, district unions, or conference church extension agencies for the purchase of sites, and for the purchase, construction, expansion, or major improvement of churches, parsonages, or mission buildings.
2. The Community and Institutional Ministries Program Area exists to facilitate, resource and support missional outreach to meet human needs, with special emphasis on ministries with women, children, youth and older adults through the following: direct services; specialized ministries; community organizing and development, including economic development; and community justice advocacy. The responsibilities of Community and Institutional Ministries shall be:
a) To develop strategies for church and community development including grants, loans and technical assistance for programs of self-development and self-determination pertaining to social needs arising from concerns for ethnic and cultural pluralism, economic and sexual exploitation, and political/racial oppression.
b) To develop community-based programs in areas such as agricultural mission, communications, student and youth ministries.
c) To provide funding, consultation, training, resources and coordinated mission strategy to new and historically related community centers, residences, health-care agencies, multi-service mission complexes, child-care institutions, schools and other educational institutions.
d) To use institutions as places to develop new models of community transformation.
e) To develop strong local and regional organizations and capacity to network and become part of an internationally-related program.
f) To foster and facilitate cooperative patterns of ministry such as cooperative parishes, metropolitan ministries, rural and town and country ministries; work with denominational, ecumenical and secular coalitions; and, as appropriate, to develop new patterns of joint mission.
g) To facilitate and coordinate program relationships of other agencies of The United Methodist Church with community and institutional ministries.
3. The Mission Contexts and Relationships Program Area exists to analyze and evaluate the context in which the Church is called to ministry, including factors such as culture, religion, history, politics, economics, environment, and demographics; to develop and sustain covenant relationships and mission partnerships; to explore dialogues with persons of other faiths and engage in ecumenical cooperation; and to develop concerted actions and advocacy for global justice, peace and freedom. The responsibilities of Mission Contexts and Relationships shall be:
a) To identify and analyze the missional concerns that shape the conditions under which the Church is called to minister.
b) To develop and sustain covenant relationships and mission partnerships that include sharing of opportunities and resources, networking, and cooperation. This includes maintaining and fulfilling the connectional relationships with annual and central conferences; autonomous, affiliated autonomous, and united churches; and ecumenical church bodies.
c) To develop missional relationships in countries and communities where The United Methodist Church has no commitments by pursuing a working agreement with the church, churches, a united mission organization or ecumenical bodies related to the area. If these approaches are not available, the board may participate in the formation of a new United Methodist denominational structure, in which case it may request the Council of Bishops to provide any necessary episcopal oversight.
d) To request each Central Conference and its conferences, both annual and provisional, each Affiliated Autonomous Methodist Church or United Church, where applicable, to make provision for liaison functions with the board.
e) To provide information and assist in developing action and advocacy for global justice, peace, and freedom through working cooperatively with other agencies of the Church, other denominations, and ecumenical, interfaith, and secular coalitions.
f) To foster interaction of churches and ecumenical groups for the purpose of mutuality in the definition and implementation of Christian mission and international concerns.
g) To administer funding and other forms of resource sharing for projects and programs, especially those serving women, children and youth, of partner churches and ecumenical bodies.
h) To relate to persons in mission of partner churches.
i) To resource leadership training programs and administer scholarships, including the Crusade Scholarship Program.
4. The Mission Education Program Area exists to develop a mission education philosophy for the General Board of Global Ministries that is rooted in a biblical and theological understanding of Christian global mission and to undergird the total program of the Board through mission education. The responsibilities of Mission Education shall be:
a) To provide opportunities for United Methodists to understand the global mission of The United Methodist Church and for personal and corporate witness through involvement in and support of the mission.
b) To initiate and develop, in consultation with appropriate units of the Board, programs and resources that will encourage persons of particular cultures to become receivers and bearers of
the gospel across boundaries and to live faithfully within a multicultural world.
c) To provide for mission interpreters a specific period of training and assistance in effective communication, including audiovisual techniques, public speaking, briefings on current issues, and an overview of the Board's work.
d) To tell the story of global mission throughout the church including its relationship to the World Service funds and other apportioned funds and special offerings.
e) To train mission leaders, in cooperation with other units of the Board and others in the Church, to fulfill their responsibilities.
f) To work with schools of theology and professors of mission in providing an emphasis on education for mission, in cooperation with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
g) To cooperate with the General Board of Discipleship, especially the Curriculum Resources Committee, in providing opportunities for mission involvement and understanding of all age levels.
h) To initiate and develop special programs and resources through which children and youth may understand the mission of the Church.
i) To work with ecumenical agencies in fulfilling mission education responsibilities.
j) To provide opportunities for United Methodists to gather and witness as a global church.
5. The Mission Volunteers Program Area exists to enable the participation of persons from throughout the world in global mission volunteer programs and projects so that affirming, empowering and trusting relationships are established. The responsibilities of the program area, Mission Volunteers, shall be:
a) To plan for and develop a broad range of mission volunteer opportunities for short-term assignments.
b) To promote and interpret the need for volunteers with a variety of skills and abilities.
c) To work in close relationship with conference and jurisdictional officers to assist in identifying, developing and supporting opportunities for mission volunteer service (i.e., Volunteers in Mission, disaster response volunteers, and special volunteer programs).
d) To provide information enabling the relationship between volunteers and projects.
e) To provide guidelines and procedures for participation and training of mission volunteers.
f) To develop standards by which projects qualify for mission volunteers and to evaluate a project upon request.
g) To encourage local churches, districts, central conferences and annual conferences to provide funds and/or materials and spiritual support for those who offer their skills, talents and commitment.
h) To work cooperatively with agencies of the Church, other denominations and coalitions, both ecumenical and secular.
6. The Mission Personnel Program Area exists to serve the Church in the identification, recruitment, selection, preparation, training, assignment, supervision and support of mission personnel for short and long term assignments. It also exists to assist in the identification of opportunities for Christian service in representing mission personnel concerns before the General Board of Global Ministries. The responsibilities of Mission Personnel shall be:
a) To promote the opportunities for mission service related to the General Board of Global Ministries throughout the constituencies of the Church.
b) To recruit, select, prepare and assign mission personnel including, but not limited to, missionaries, deaconesses, US-2s, Mission Interns and Church and Community Workers.
c) To provide all mission personnel with preparation and training for effective service in mission.
d) To evaluate mission personnel for appropriate placement.
e) To recommend persons as candidates for commissioning as deaconesses and missionaries, and to supervise and confirm the completion of all requirements for commissioning.
f) To engage in supervision and support of mission personnel through referral, transfer procedures, career counseling, missionary wellness and personnel development, assisting them in the fulfillment of their missional vocation.
g) To administer a diverse program of remuneration and benefits for personnel service.
h) To offer training for mission service throughout the global church.
i) To work with ecumenical agencies in fulfilling mission personnel responsibilities.
j) To facilitate the receiving and assigning of missionaries, lay and clergy, from Central Conferences, autonomous, affiliated autonomous, and united churches in cooperation with other boards and agencies, and with Annual Conferences.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21331-GM-1413-D
1996 United Methodist General Conference