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Religion Forum Index » Christian Methodist Forum » The Real Competition for Youth Ministry: A Response to UMR
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| UM News |
 Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2004 5:32 am |
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Guest
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Friends,
An article by The Rev. Ken Beddell, editor-at-large at UMR
Communications, that appeared on March 31, 2004, in print and on the UMR
Website, makes an unsubstantiated and completely inaccurate claim that
United Methodist Communications and the General Board of Discipleship
have not collaborated on youth proposals that both agencies are sending
to General Conference for consideration.
In addition, the article contends that the proposals are competitive and
illustrate the failure of the General Council on Ministries to
coordinate the work of general agencies.
The article so grossly mischaracterizes the working relationship between
UMCom and the General Board of Discipleship I felt it necessary to
respond. I am sharing my response with you in this e-mail.
Should you have questions please feel free to contact me by e-mail or by
telephone at (615) 742-5410.
Larry Hollon
General Secretary
United Methodist Communications
--
April 6, 2004
The Rev. Kenneth B. Bedell
401 Ditto Street
Archbold, OH 43502
Dear Ken,
I read with amazement your assessment that two proposals for youth
ministry being submitted to General Conference, one by United Methodist
Communications and the other by the General Board of Discipleship, were
developed independently and are competing.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
These complementary proposals resulted from frequent staff team meetings
within both agencies during the past several months, discussing how to
move each forward. Both proposals reflect a level of organizational
sophistication and potential for delivering ministry that General
Conference has a right to expect from the general agencies of the
church.
Each proposal was developed and is being presented appropriately through
the procedures available to the respective agencies.
The proposal from the General Board of Discipleship will create a more
functional and effective infrastructure for ongoing youth ministry
within the denomination. This proposal integrates disparate structures
and focuses leadership for youth ministry, both of which are necessary
if we are to carry out effective ministry in partnership with youth in
local churches.
The proposal by United Methodist Communications provides the means for
the church to reach out to youth who are not engaged in or being reached
by existing youth ministry programs. This program will seed creative
new models of peer-to-peer evangelism using digital and electronic
media. Local church youth and their adult leaders, annual conference
youth ministry staff, and staff of the General Board of Discipleship and
United Methodist Communications will collaborate to develop and
implement new models. The proposal is lodged within UMCom because it is
rooted in the outreach ministry of the denomination, known as The people
of The United Methodist Church. Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.
(for which UMCom is responsible) and it requires both the strategic
communications and marketing skills of UMCom staff and the programmatic
design skills of GBOD staff.
To realize consistency in presenting the face of the denomination to
youth, and to the world, it is clearly desirable to integrate this
outreach effort with the larger ³branding² campaign.
Therefore, contrary to your position, this is not competition; it is the
appropriate and effective deployment of staff to utilize their skills
effectively. I believe these two proposals reflect collaboration,
complementarity, consistency and brand extension that the General
Conference should appreciate, regardless of how it votes on funding.
While we as agencies are not competing with each other, we as a church
are competing with video games, television, the Internet, and
advertisers for the attention of young people. And, frankly, if we do
not recognize that this is the competition, we will have no future
because we will become so marginalized we will be passed by.
Consider this: The average youth in the United States watches 1,500
hours of television and spends 900 hours in school each year (Sourcebook
for Teaching Science, www.csun.edu). Advertising aimed at children came
to $5 billion in 2000 (Lifestyle Spending, www.Emptytomb.org). The
alcoholic beverage industry spends almost $100 million per year on
advertising; half targeted toward sports programming that captures 93
percent of youth, ages 8-17 (The Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth,
www.camy.org). According to Jonathan Dee, writing in The New York Times
Magazine on Dec. 21, 2003, video games have replaced movies and
television as the defining medium for popular culture. And they rely on
a heavy dose of violent action‹122 murders per hour according to a
recent study‹that builds layer upon violent layer to maintain player
interest (www.medscape.com).
So, while you advise General Conference to look internally at
organizational issues, these media deliver messages incessantly and
effectively, often to the detriment of the church and the culture. The
point is, while you propose we debate how we organize to work with each
other, the culture is sending messages antithetical to Christian
community and ultimately toxic to our young people.
These proposals offer the church the opportunity to express ministry in
partnership with youth in a sophisticated approach. This approach takes
into account the complex realities of communicating with different youth
in a media-saturated electronic culture that sends conflicting messages
and makes competing claims upon them for their values. One supports
ongoing ministry with youth who are already engaged. The other seeks to
equip local churches to extend an invitation to youth not involved
through new models of outreach and offer them Christian community.
Equally important, each proposal reflects the recognition that the needs
of youth cannot be addressed with one-size-fits-all ministry. The youth
collaborators and staff who have put these proposals together are
adapting youth ministry to the realities of a complex world.
It is a common refrain, and a rather tired and belabored one, that the
general boards and agencies don¹t cooperate and are competitive and
inefficient. These proposals have benefited from collaboration with
youth panels, adult youth leaders, theologians, marketing specialists
and interagency staff conversations. Neither agency worked
independently and neither views its contribution to the whole as
competitive with the other.
Moreover, this is but one significant collaboration by the general
agencies. In addition to this, a four-agency working group is
identifying the needs for resources for the central conferences in
Africa, working in partnership with African church leaders to develop
culturally and technologically appropriate training materials for
Christian growth and leadership. A five-agency collaboration is working
on a pension initiative that will provide retirement security for
central conference pastors and other church workers for the first time
ever. Four agencies are collaborating around stewardship and the
promotion of giving. I could cite additional examples of collaboration
around joint training, communications strategies, the production of
print and electronic materials for Christian growth and development, and
many more.
It is regrettable that you did not call me or any other staff persons at
UMCom as you wrote your article. Had you done so, we would have
informed you of the misperception that is reflected in your assessment
of our work.
The challenge we face is not as simplistic as how we are organized. We
face a much deeper and significant challenge. Are we providing the
necessary support to people who seek to live authentic lives under God?
In a world that offers short-term analgesic for pain, and shallow
entertainment to distract us from loss of community, how will we offer
Christian faith to people who are searching for meaning and purpose?
Our challenge is to carry out this mission. These proposals focus on
that.
Sincerely,
Larry Hollon
General Secretary
United Methodist Communications |
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