| |
 |
|
|
Religion Forum Index » Christian Methodist Forum » UMNS: Restructure plan
Page 1 of 1
|
| Author |
Message |
| UM News |
 Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:45 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
Restructure plan aims to improve work of church
Apr. 8, 2004
A UMNS Report
By John A. Lovelace*
As it did four years ago, the United Methodist Church's top legislative
assembly will once again consider a proposal for reordering the work of
the denomination when delegates meet April 27-May 7 in Pittsburgh.
General Conference all but gutted the earlier proposal, brought by a
Connectional Process Team, but it salvaged pieces of the plan and passed
them on to the church's program-coordinating agency for more work. The
resulting "Living Into the Future" plan proposes merging the work of the
denomination's program-coordinating and finance agencies into a
"Connectional Table," which would oversee ministries budgeted at more
than $500 million per quadrennium.
Advocates say the proposal would bring the widespread denomination
together. United Methodists have congregations and other ministries on
four continents - Africa, Asia, Europe and North America (primarily the
United States). All regions would be represented at the table, along
with the Council of Bishops and officials from the churchwide general
agencies.
Critics say the proposal would weaken the fiscal accountability and
auditing function performed since 1972 by the denomination's finance and
administration agency. Some opponents also take issue with the size of
the table.
Even the document's proponents anticipate that it will be revised, which
is standard procedure for United Methodist General Conferences. The
assembly meets once every four years.
The document, as presented, would fold the two top-tier coordinating
agencies into the Connectional Table as of Jan. 1, 2007. Those agencies
are the General Council on Finance and Administration, with a 41-member
governing board, and the General Council on Ministries, governed by 78
members. Ten other agencies accountable to the General Council on
Ministries would retain their free-standing boards, with about 500
directors, but be accountable to and represented at the Connectional
Table.
"Living Into the Future" is the General Council on Ministries' response
to a mandate given to it by the General Conference four years ago to
create "the most effective design for the work of the general agencies."
The mandate is the latest in a series of efforts by General Conference
over the years to improve the operation and coordination of churchwide
ministries.
The council's conciliar officer, Cecelia M. Long, explained that in
fulfilling this assignment, input was sought from annual conferences,
central conferences, general agencies and others from across the church.
The council has offices in Dayton, Ohio.
"GCOM believes 'Living Into the Future' provides the most effective
setting for visioning, discernment and decision-making by members with a
holistic view of the church," Long said.
"This proposal is an initial step, not the final step. The Connectional
Table would determine what further changes are needed," she said. The
table would recommend any such changes to the General Conference for
approval.
The document is closer to current structure than were several proposals
that surfaced within the General Council on Ministries in 2000, soon
after the agency began working on the assignment. One idea called for
dissolving the boards of most of the denomination's 14 agencies into one
"General Board of the United Methodist Church." Council directors also
discussed and set aside the idea of proposing a bicameral (two-part)
legislative structure with a lay/clergy "house" and a "House of
Bishops."
"Living Into the Future" evolved through several council meetings,
regional hearings and drafts by a writing team. The council adopted it
in September 2003 for referral to the General Conference.
One of the document's most insistent critics is the council's own
elected secretary. The Rev. Andy Langford, senior pastor of Central
United Methodist Church in Concord, N.C., acknowledges that the proposal
"suggests a closer relationship between finances and ministry" but
leaves a group of general agencies "even more distant from people in the
pew and (leaves) even more distrust and inertia throughout the (whole
church) connection."
In a 4,500-word written response, Langford said he hopes that the
Pittsburgh gathering "will set aside 'Living Into the Future' and make
the serious reforms that our denomination so badly needs." He indicated
that the preferred model would be "smaller, less expensive and less
centralized."
The Advance Daily Christian Advocate, a compilation of all the
legislation going to General Conference, includes at least two proposals
labeled as alternative Connectional Table plans. One calls for a smaller
table - with 29 members instead of the 131 to 134 possible under "Living
Into the Future" - with no budgetary authority. The other emphasizes
evangelism and social action as key areas of focus and proposes that the
new entity plan an annual convocation "where all United Methodists are
invited to conduct the business" of the table.
Like all proposals for changes in United Methodist Church law, "Living
Into the Future" will go first to the appropriate legislative committee,
in this instance the 95-member General Conference Committee on General
Administration. The committee could decide to accept "Living Into the
Future," develop a different restructure proposal or retain the status
quo.
*Lovelace is a writer and editor in Dallas. He has covered eight United
Methodist General Conferences.
********************
Connectional Table would have maximum of 131 members
Apr. 8, 2004
A UMNS Report
By John A. Lovelace*
The United Methodist Connectional Table, as proposed by the church's
General Council on Ministries, would comprise between 131 and 134
members as follows:
ˇ One from each of the 63 U.S. annual conferences.
ˇ Three from each of seven central conferences outside the United
States.
ˇ Up to 12 members-at-large for a balance of laity-clergy,
racial-ethnic background, geographic origin and gender.
ˇ Up to 14 bishops.
ˇ Top staff executives and presidents of the following 10 general
agencies accountable to the Connectional Table: Board of Church and
Society, Board of Discipleship, Board of Global Ministries, Board of
Higher Education and Ministry, Commission on Christian Unity and
Interreligious Concerns, Commission on Religion and Race, Commission on
the Status and Role of Women, Commission on Archives and History,
Commission on United Methodist Men and Commission on Communication.
The top staff executives and presidents of the United Methodist
Publishing House and the Board of Pension and Health Benefits would have
voice without vote at the table.
*Lovelace is a writer and editor in Dallas. He has covered eight United
Methodist General Conferences.
********************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| |
|
Page 1 of 1
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
The time now is Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:00 pm
|
|