The 1992 General Conference approved Calendar Item 209 as amended from page 237 in the Daily Christian Advocate following a quadrennial study of churches with small membership. Several recommendations were made to ten groups, providing strategies for their implementation. The groups were Council of Bishops, annual conference cabinets, annual conferences, annual conference councils on ministries, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, General Council on Finance and Administration, United Methodist Communications, General Board of Global Ministries and General Council on Ministries.
The responsibility of the General Council on Ministries was to receive progress reports "on how the strategies and recommendations of the Study on Strengthen- ing the Small Membership Church are being implemented."
Process and Implementation
At its fall meeting in 1993, the General Council on Ministries approved a process for receiving reports on the implementation of the strategies and recommendations to strengthen the small membership church. The Council, through its Division on Research, Planning and Futuring sent letters to each of the ten groups involved requesting a report for the calendar years of 1993, 1994 and 1995. Those reports were returned to the General Council on Ministries by March 1 following each year of implementation.
A task force of General Council on Ministries assessed the annual reports and cited numerous achievements toward the recommendations and strategies of the report. The reports were also distributed to persons and groups interested in ministry to small membership churches.
During 1995, the task force also conducted a comparative analysis of the annual reports of 1993 and 1994. The findings of that analysis were:
Attention to the recommendations and strategies of the report to Strengthen the Small Membership Church are observed throughout the reports.
In several instances, agencies and annual conferences appear to be reporting what they have been doing over a period of time, rather than new initiatives based on the recommendations and strategies of the report.
A sense of independence in responding to the actions of the General Conference. It was clear that groups were indicating that they were setting their own agenda and priorities without regard for General Conference action.
In the fall of 1994 four representatives of the Small Membership Study Task Force met with a committee of the Council of Bishops to develop greater awareness of the report. The 1993 reports were received from 47 annual conferences and seven general agencies. In 1994, the report was received from 42 annual conferences and seven general agencies. This was a complete report from all agencies involved in the report.
The General Council on Ministries believes it has completed its assignment on this referral.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21701-GJ-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference