Local Congregations as the Focus of Mission
The understanding of mission envisioned in the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry is that mission begins at the local level. Therefore, all congregations, Hispanic or not, should assess their communities in order to identify needs for ministry with specific Hispanic groups. Based on the assessment, they should develop an action plan to respond to the needs that are identified. Drawing on the support of the appropriate annual conference committee, their action plan should include:
1. Identification of leadership including the possible recruitment of lay missioners and pastor/mentors as well as other volunteers and/or paid personnel.
2. A training program.
3. An inventory of the necessary resources.
4. A plan for ongoing financial support.
5. Participation in ecumenical efforts for community and justice ministry.
Annual Conferences as Agencies of Empowerment
While the goal of the National Plan is to empower the creation and strengthening of faith communities and local congregations, the annual conference is the context in which Hispanic ministry develops and grows strong, in which leadership is discovered and developed, in which new opportunities for outreach and witness become evident.
Therefore, the Annual Conference shall organize a conference Committee on Hispanic Ministries, or its equivalent, which will relate to all conference agencies for the implementation of the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry as it may be adapted to meet the specific needs of the conference. It is recommended that this committee be composed of persons representing local Hispanic ministries; representatives of those districts where there is a significant Hispanic population; and a district superintendent who provides linkage to the Cabinet. The committee membership should reflect the diversity of the conference.
The task of the conference Committee on Hispanic Ministries shall focus on five specific tasks:
(1) interpreting and advocating for Hispanic ministries
(2) planning
(3) training
(4) securing and providing resources
(5) supporting, monitoring, and evaluating the implementation of its various Hispanic ministries
(1) Interpretation and advocacy include:
a. Securing information about the Plan and its resources and sharing it with key conference leaders and local leaders involved in Hispanic ministries.
b. Promoting the General Advance National Hispanic Ministries Challenge Fund to all local churches.
c. Finding stories that illustrate various aspects of the Plan being implemented and sharing these with local, conference, and national media.
d. Advocating for appropriate responses to issues and concerns affecting Hispanics and Hispanic ministries.
(2) Planning includes:
a. Assessing the Hispanic population growth trends, or continuing to update the data that had previously been secured, to develop or strengthen new or existing Hispanic ministries.
b. Formulating a conference-wide plan (or re-examining and adjusting an approved plan) on Hispanic ministries for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic congregations, based on the assessment and review recommended above (item a.).
c. Identifying the human and financial resources needed for the successful implementation of the Plan.
(3) Training includes:
a. Providing training opportunities for lay missioner and pastor teams utilizing the developed curriculum resources (Modules I, II, and III).
b. Training Hispanic and non-Hispanic local church leaders to develop Hispanic ministries or to assist them in strengthening and expanding Hispanic ministries (utilizing developed resources as necessary).
c. Identifying and enlisting Hispanic and non-Hispanic candidates interested in the ordained or diaconal ministry and in becoming lay missioners and referring them to the appropriate conference agencies for follow-up.
(4) Resources include:
a. Securing and providing needed printed and audio-visual resources for leaders.
b. Placing the necessary personnel.
c. Providing the necessary financial resources to support needed personnel for specific Hispanic ministries.
(5) Monitoring, supporting, and evaluating include:
a. Providing a support system for leaders involved in Hispanic ministries, including networking, crisis management, recognition and affirmation.
b. Annually monitoring and evaluating the progress of each specific Hispanic ministry by the Hispanic Ministries Committee or its equivalent. Part of the process includes evaluating where sufficient and/or appropriate resources have been assigned to it.
Resources for Annual Conferences
In many annual conferences, the need for Hispanic ministry is evident and the desire to initiate ministry is real, but the resources (personnel with appropriate skills and training, finances, models for ministry, etc.) are few. A major new feature of the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry shall be the availability of grants for strategic missional opportunities within the bounds of an annual conference. Such grants are intended to mobilize an annual conference toward the development and utilization of its own resources for Hispanic ministry now and into the future. Specific guidelines for grant application shall be developed by The General Board of Global Ministries in collaboration with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries. These grants will normally require matching funds as well as a considered commitment on the part of an annual conference.
The Plan also envisions continuing to develop and produce various types of resources, including training opportunities for leaders, curriculum, media and printed resources, and grants, to support and assist the Annual Conference.
With a view to this task, we recommend the use of:
* the curriculum for lay missioner/pastor teams Modules I-II, Training Program for the Development of Hispanic Ministries; and
* a curriculum for non-Hispanic congregations, Assisting Local Churches for Hispanic Ministry Development.
A complete list of other items is available from the Office of Hispanic Ministries.
Jurisdictions
A jurisdiction, through its Council on Ministries or other appropriate structure, may organize and fund a Committee on Hispanic Ministries to serve as a channel of communications between annual conferences in a geographical region and to assist in the development of Hispanic ministries and training institutes among local churches and annual conferences.
General Agencies
The National Plan for Hispanic Ministry continues to be a ministry of the whole Church. The representatives of general boards and agencies who have worked on various elements of the Plan over the past quadrennium affirm the creativity and effectiveness of the collaborative process. Under the guidance of the Committee on Hispanic Ministry, each will continue to fulfill a unique responsibility to the overall plan as described in the following paragraphs.
The General Board of Church and Society will:
* Provide its expertise in the training of lay missioners/pastor-mentor teams for Hispanic Ministries, so that they may see the intimate connection between the proclamation of the Gospel and the justice issues of our day.
* Identify those issues at which advocacy on behalf of the Hispanic population, or of particular sectors of that population, is required, and develop materials for such advocacy, in collaboration with other appropriate agencies.
* Communicate and assist annual conferences, and subsequently local congregations, to discover the most pressing issues among Hispanics within the bounds of the conference so that all may become advocates for the poor, the oppressed, and for justice.
* Develop continuing education events for lay missioners/pastor-mentor teams focused on specific justice or community issues and type of outreach ministries.
* Design and produce materials and training programs to assist non-Hispanics to start and strengthen Hispanic ministries, in collaboration with the Committee and other general program agencies.
* Collaborate with the Committee and other program agencies in the design, testing, and perfecting of model programs and resources for the training, support, and continuing education of lay missioner/pastor-mentor teams for Hispanic ministry.
* Report annually to the Committee on Hispanic Ministries.
The General Board of Discipleship will:
* Develop and produce the necessary materials and training so that faith communities and local congregations may become centers of mission. These materials will include Bible studies and guides to assist unchurched persons to receive and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the basic tenets of the Christian faith and our Wesleyan tradition. These materials and training will also be related to evangelization, worship, Christian education, spiritual formation, outreach, church school extension programs, and ministry with men, children and youth. All these shall be done in collaboration with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries and the three other general program agencies.
* Design and produce stewardship resources, trainers, and training programs to assist annual conferences to work with local congregations engaged in Hispanic ministries, in collaboration with the Committee and the General Board of Global Ministries.
* Design and produce materials and training programs to assist non-Hispanics to start and strengthen Hispanic ministries, in collaboration with the Committee and other general program agencies.
* Develop guidelines and support for Hispanic Ministry Institutes in collaboration with the Committee.
* Provide annual conferences with guidelines and resources for the recruitment, training, assignment, and support of lay missioner/pastor teams for Hispanic ministries, with the advice of the Committee on Hispanic Ministries.
* Offer the necessary research, consultation, planning, and funding assistance to develop liturgical resources for Hispanic and for bilingual and bicultural churches.
* Collaborate with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries and other program agencies in the design, testing, and perfecting of model programs and resources for the training, support, and continuing education of lay missioner/pastor-mentor teams for Hispanic ministry.
* Assist the General Board of Global Ministries in preparing the materials necessary to guide those involved in congregational development, church revitalization, and community ministries to assess their local communities in order to identify needs as well as resources in Hispanic ministries.
The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry will:
* Design, test, and promote an intensified comprehensive recruitment program for ordained and diaconal ministers, Hispanic and non-Hispanic, committed to serve in Hispanic ministries. This program will be designed and implemented in collaboration with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries, appropriate agencies of the annual conferences, and United Methodist seminaries. Records of those persons recruited shall be maintained to assist both annual conferences and seminaries. Annual reports regarding the number of persons recruited and their progress or status shall be made to the Committee on Hispanic Ministries.
* Develop strategies and programs to strengthen the recruitment and retention of Hispanic students in both United Methodist and non-United Methodist institutions of higher education.
* Seek ways to expand scholarship programs and report to the Committee annually the number of Hispanics funded through the various scholarship programs.
* Encourage seminaries, in consultation with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries, to develop programs enabling seminarians and those following the Course of Study to relate their studies to the specific issues involved in Hispanic ministries.
* Design, test, and produce a program of study for ordained and diaconal Hispanic ministers who have recently come from other denominations and/or other countries. This program will enable such persons to understand and appropriate United Methodist history, polity, and theology; and to understand the church's mission within the Hispanic reality in the United States and Puerto Rico. The program will be implemented through the Course of Study schools; and will be in a form usable by annual conferences.
* Collaborate with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries and the Council of Bishops on the task of developing and suggesting structures for the more efficient recruitment, assignment, and support of pastors engaged in Hispanic ministry, including cross-conference appointments.
* Consult with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries regarding the specific curricular needs of Hispanic students within their particular context, including internships in Hispanic settings, as well as the establishment of new Spanish-language Course of Study settings, in appropriate locations.
* Collaborate with the Committee and other program agencies in the design, testing, and perfecting of model programs and resources for the training, support, and continuing education of lay missioner/pastor-mentor teams and other pastors and diaconal ministers engaged in Hispanic ministries.
The General Board of Global Ministries will:
* Produce resources and training for congregational development, church revitalization, community ministries, for Hispanics and non-Hispanic persons and congregations interested in Hispanic ministries.[1]
* Prepare materials, consultants, and trainers necessary to guide and assist those involved in congregational development and community ministries to assess their local communities and develop plans or programs to respond to such assessments. Collaboration with the General Board of Church and Society and the General Board of Discipleship will take place as needed to fulfill this task.
* Seek continuation and promotion of the Advance for the National Hispanic Ministries Challenge Fund, and then continue to manage it in collaboration with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries.
* Provide resources, consultants, expertise, and training to assist conferences and local church leaders to address issues and concerns affecting Hispanic women.
* Provide grants to annual conferences for strategic missional opportunities based on guidelines developed in collaboration with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries.
* Identify, support and help deploy persons who specialize in the development of new Hispanic congregations and faith communities.
* Following its guidelines and procedures, work with annual conferences and jurisdictions to recruit, train, seek financial support for, and place missionary personnel in situations of Hispanic ministry, with an expectation of 25 full-time commissioned and non-commissioned persons during the quadrennium.
* Design and produce materials and train persons to assist conferences strengthen existing congregations to become centers of mission and revitalized ministry.
* Provide materials and expertise to help Annual Conferences and congregations deal with issues arising out of the sharing of facilities, new congregational development, revitalization of existing congregations, and community ministries.
* Design and produce materials and training programs to assist non-Hispanic persons and congregations to start and strengthen Hispanic ministries, in collaboration with the Committee and other general program agencies.
* Collaborate with the General Board of Discipleship, under the guidance of the Committee on Hispanic Ministries, to provide stewardship development and training and financial planning to annual conferences and local congregations, Hispanic and non-Hispanic, engaged in Hispanic ministries.
* Collaborate with the Committee and other program agencies in the design, testing, and perfecting of model programs and resources for the training, support, and continuing education of lay missioner/pastor-mentor teams for Hispanic ministry.
* Report annually to the Committee on Hispanic Ministries.
The General Commission on Religion and Race, and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women will advocate and monitor the implementation of the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry, consistent with their disciplinary obligations.
The United Methodist Publishing House will continue to provide the necessary Spanish and bilingual curriculum resources for existing and developing faith communities, local congregations, and church schools. These shall be done in collaboration with the Board of Discipleship and the Committee on Hispanic Ministries.
The Commission on Communications will continue providing interpretive resources to enable existing and developing Hispanic congregations and faith communities to share in the understanding and support of all the connectional system. El Intérprete, as well as other publications and audio-visuals, will be required to support and interpret the Plan in local churches.
The General Board of Pensions and the General Council on Finance and Administration will respond to the Plan as it affects their mission as an agency of The United Methodist Church.
The General Council on Ministries will coordinate and evaluate the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry, consistent with its disciplinary responsibilities.
Council of Bishops
It is also recommended that the Council of Bishops:
* Develop guidelines for cross-conference/jurisdiction appointments for Hispanic Ministries to facilitate leadership development and utilization across the entire church.
* Review recruitment and appointment processes with their Cabinets so that issues of legal status, benefits and pensions, and continuing support and nurture of pastors from outside the United States are addressed in consultation with churches and/or conferences in their countries of origin.
National Structure
An essential component of the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry approved in 1992 is a National Committee and an Office headed by a Coordinator. The Coordinator is to resource the components of the National Plan for Hispanic Ministry among all the agencies and annual conferences of the Church, under the direction of the Committee on Hispanic Ministries. We recommend the continuation of the Office and the Coordinator.
We recommend that for the next quadrennium the membership of the Committee on Hispanic Ministries be reduced from the current 29 to 18, as follows:
* Two bishops named by the Council of Bishops, attending with funds from the Episcopal Fund
* One representative named by MARCHA (Metodistas Asociados Representando la Causa Hispano-Americana)
* One representative named by CIEMAL (Consejo de Iglesias Evangélicas Metodistas de América Latina y el Caribe)
* One representative named by the Rio Grande Conference
* One representative named by the Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Rico
* One representative each, selected by their respective agencies and attending meetings at the expense of their respective agencies, from the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Board of Global Ministries, and the General Council on Ministries
* Up to seven at-large members selected by the Committee on Hispanic Ministries, including at least one lay missioner and one pastor-mentor. In the selection of these members, care should be taken to insure that the Committee as a whole is representative of The United Methodist Church, including gender, laity and clergy, Hispanic and non-Hispanic, and jurisdictional inclusiveness.
In addition to the membership of the Committee, a representative each from the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and the General Commission on Religion and Race will be invited to attend meetings of the Committee in order to fulfill their monitoring roles. Likewise, to facilitate communications, a representative of the United Methodist Commission on Communications, and another of the General Board of Publications, will be invited to attend. These four persons will also attend at the expense of their respective agencies.
The functions of the Committee on Hispanic Ministries will be:
1) To set policy and direction for the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Hispanic Plan.
2) To collaborate on development of Hispanic ministries with general agencies, seminaries, annual conferences, and others.
3) To provide guidelines for the Hispanic Ministries Institutes with the general agencies, theological seminaries, Annual Conferences, and other bodies (as listed elsewhere in this document) in the implementation of the Plan.
4) To coordinate the response of all general agencies and annual conferences to the National Hispanic Plan.
5) To monitor and assist the evaluation of program in Hispanic ministries by general agencies and annual conferences.
6) To give support and direction to the Office of Hispanic Ministries.
7) To undertake program initiatives in the development of the community and lay missioner program in collaboration with general agencies, seminaries, and annual conferences.
8) To promote and support the necessary research on issues affecting the Hispanic community, and the mission of the church in that community.
9) To report to the 2000 General Conference.
General Church Support for the Plan
We recommend and request that the 1996 General Conference approve $3,100,000 for the implementation of this Plan during the 1997-2000 quadrennium, allocating it to the general program boards in consultation with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries. The funds allocated to the agencies through this Plan, except those designated for the Office of the Coordinator of Hispanic Ministries and the Committee on Hispanic Ministries, shall be used for program initiatives to strengthen and support local churches and annual conference Hispanic ministries.
In order to fulfill the functions of the Committee on Hispanic Ministries, an Office of Hispanic Ministries shall be continued with one full-time unencumbered executive staff person, administratively placed within the General Board of Global Ministries under the direction of the Committee on Hispanic Ministries. The executive staff is selected by the General Board of Global Ministries in consultation with the Committee, and functions within the personnel policies of that board.
A portion of the program initiatives outlined in the National Plan shall be funded through the budgets of the various program agencies and governing bodies of The United Methodist Church, including local congregations, Annual Conferences, and others. This contribution and full participation by all is essential to this Plan.
The following quadrennial budget reflects the major program initiatives of the Plan for next quadrennium:
Proposed Budget - 1997-2000
I. Program Implementation $ 1,900,000 (61.3%)
A. Lay Missioners Training
B. Pastors and Mentors Training
C. Mission Initiatives grants
D. Deployment of National Missionaries
II. Development of Resources $ 600,000 (19.3%)
A. Curriculum
B. Congregational Development
C. Community Ministries
III. Program Support Services and Administration $ 600,000 (19.3%)
Total $ 3,100,000 (100%)
We recommend that these funds be allocated to the general program boards approximately as follows, with final allocations to be determined by the Committee on Hispanic Ministries through the General Council on Ministries in consultation with the program boards:
I. General Board of Church and Society $ 375,000 (12.1%)
II. General Board of Discipleship $ 375,000 (12.1%)
III. General Board of Higher Education and Ministry $375,000 (12.1%)
IV. General Board of Global Ministries
A. Annual Conference Mission Initiative Grants $ 1,000,000 (32.3%)
B. Program $ 375,000 (12.1%)
C. Program Support and Administration $ 600,000 (19.3%)
Subtotal for GBGM $ 1,975,000
Total $3,100,000 (100%)
All the allocated funds through the Plan shall be designated as separate line items within the general agencies.
We recommend that the Plan be supplemented with the renewal and continuation of the General Advance Special, the National Hispanic Ministries Challenge Fund. The purpose of the Fund will be to support the development of congregational and community ministries in Hispanic communities in the United States and Puerto Rico. Its goal will be a total of $4,000,000 for the quadrennium, or an average of $1,000,000 per year. The guidelines developed by the General Board of Global Ministries with the Committee on Hispanic Ministries this quadrennium shall be continued and shall be revised as needed.
A Final Recommendation
Finally, we request General Conference and The United Methodist Church at large to join us in thanksgiving for what God is doing in our midst, and in prayer that we may all be equal to the task set before us. To God be all praise and glory!
Endnote
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21343-GM-NonDis-O$
1996 United Methodist General Conference