DOCSLIB.ORG

Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters the GENERAL CONFERENCE of the UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters the GENERAL CONFERENCE of the UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 843504028428_008.qxp:QK001A.qxd 1/24/12 5:02 PM Page 1195 DCA Advance Edition Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Volume 2 Nashville, Tennessee Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters Report to the 2012 General Conference The Standing Committee on Central Conference be responsible for presenting legislation to the 2012 Matters was redesigned by the 2008 General General Conference. Conference. Par. 2201 of the 2008 United Methodist Much work was able to be achieved in the two Book of Discipline defines the standing committee. It meetings in Nashville and Kinshasa thanks to the allows the committee for the first time in its existence to prayerful and cooperative spirit among the members. meet not only during General Conference but also to The General Board of Global Ministries and the General hold two meetings during the quadrennium: “. The Council on Finance and Administration gave excellent standing committee shall meet twice within the quadren- staff support to the officers and the committee. The work nium in order to review, consider, and develop resolu- accomplished gives a much better overview of the very tions and petitions related to central conferences and diverse situations in the central conferences. Documen- may be called into session during General Conference tation with geographical maps, statistics on the countries as needed . .” (Par. 2201.2). Beside meetings at the and the ministry of The United Methodist Church in the 2008 General Conference, it met in October 2009 in central conferences, as well as short historical sum- Nashville, Tennessee, USA, and in February 2011 in maries, are available for all central conferences in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, each time for Africa, Asia, and Europe. They can be downloaded from 3-4 days. The 2008 General Conference referred several www.gcfa.org/gc2012. All delegates are encouraged to petitions concerning the creation of new episcopal areas review these very informative documents. in central conferences to the standing committee. The officers met regularly in order to prepare the meetings One of the main tasks given by the 2008 General and plan the process for moving forward. Conference to the standing committee related to peti- tions to establish new episcopal areas in central confer- In its meeting in October 2009, the members shared ences. In an effort to establish evaluation guidelines, the insights and challenges about the mission and ministry standing committee developed a policy with measurable of The United Methodist Church in each central confer- criteria adapted to the specific challenges in central con- ence. They collected concerns and tasks for the work of the committee and assigned them to three task groups: ferences. It did not simply adopt the criteria used in episcopal areas, central conferences, and General jurisdictional conferences in the United States, which Conference. Each group received tasks in preparation are based primarily on church membership. for the second meeting in February 2011 where deci- sions were made about the petitions referred from the The criteria, in order of importance, are proposed to 2008 General Conference and new petitions for submis- be as follows: sion to the 2012 General Conference. As par. 2201 is written in the current Book of Discipline, the standing (1) the number of charge conferences and the num- committee completed its work with its meeting in ber of active clergy in episcopal areas; February 2011. A standing committee with a new mem- (2) the geographic size of episcopal areas, meas- bership convenes immediately prior to the full session of ured by the square miles/square kilometers and the num- the 2012 General Conference. This new committee will ber of time zones and nations; 1195 843504028428_008.qxp:QK001A.qxd 1/24/12 5:02 PM Page 1196 1196 DCA Advance Edition (3) the structure of episcopal areas, measured by the the quadrennium and present and act on its own petitions number of annual conferences, and the overall church and recommendations to the following General membership in all annual, provisional annual, missionary Conference. This would allow for more continuity conferences, and missions in episcopal areas. between the work during the quadrennium and its pres- entation to the next General Conference. Following the application of these three criteria, the standing committee would then conduct a further analy- The standing committee also considered research sis of the context and missional potential of changes in and developed legislation concerning provisional annual episcopal areas. conferences. Provisional annual conferences are created within central conferences because of specific needs, but The report on criteria for the change in episcopal have not the size needed to be annual conferences. In the areas in central conferences (see Appendix, 1) explains past, they have sometimes been created by General the work of the standing committee in this regard in Conference and sometimes by central conferences greater detail. The standing committee submits the relat- because of conflicting language in the current Book of ed petition to change Par. 404.1 of the 2008 United Discipline. Following a decision of the Judicial Council Methodist Book of Discipline based on these proposed (Decision 1180), the standing committee developed leg- criteria. islation seeking to allow central conferences to create provisional annual conferences, and at the same time Using the criteria selected, the standing committee seeking to reduce the number of delegates to central unanimously voted to seek a fourth episcopal area in the conferences from provisional annual conferences by one Congo Central Conference. It clearly established the lay and one clergy delegate and seeking to give a provi- sional annual conference the right to elect one delegate greatest need in the present Central Congo Episcopal to a General Conference with all rights and privileges of Area. It also rejected all other requests for additional other delegates from annual conferences except the right episcopal areas referred to the standing committee from to vote. the 2008 General Conference or during the quadrenni- um. Those included requests for new episcopal areas in It is the information of the standing committee that, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, the Philippines, after intensive research, the secretary of General two in South Congo, and Burundi. All future requests for Conference, in cooperation with the officers of the a new episcopal area would be evaluated using the crite- standing committee, plans to submit a petition seeking ria and the analysis of the context and missional poten- to recognize all provisional annual conferences that sent tial of changes in episcopal areas. delegates to the 2008 General Conference, but had never been created by an act of a prior General Conference. The standing committee received and recommend- ed a discussion paper on the role of a bishop. It was In the deliberations of the standing committee in shared with the Council of Bishops, the Committee on Nashville and in Kinshasa, members highlighted a num- Faith and Order, the Study on Ministry, and the Study ber of issues around the structure and work of central Committee on the Worldwide Nature of the Church. It conferences. A careful examination of current practice can be downloaded at www.gcfa.org/gc2012. and conditions shows that some central conferences in many parts of the world lack the capacity to function The standing committee also dealt with a number of according to their intended mandate. Time did not allow issues related to the boundaries of central conferences, for deeper conversation about more effective and effi- and the number and status of annual and provisional cient structures, about numbers and boundaries of cen- annual conferences within central conferences. The tral conferences, and about new creative ways to standing committee is submitting petitions on these and structure the work of The United Methodist Church out- related topics to the General Conference. side the United States in order to fulfill its mission and ministry in ways that are the most efficient. The stand- The standing committee also evaluated its own effi- ing committee is willing to look at these issues in the ciencies and structure during the quadrennium. The new quadrennium, to open a conversation with the cen- standing committee proposes that its new membership tral conferences at standing committee meetings during be convened not immediately prior to the opening, but at the 2013-2016 quadrennium and to bring proposals to the close, of a General Conference and then act through the 2016 General Conference. 843504028428_008.qxp:QK001A.qxd 1/24/12 5:02 PM Page 1197 Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters 1197 Members of the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters Patrick Streiff, Chair Minerva Carcaño, Vice Chair Byrd Bonner, Secretary Istvan Ambrusz, Hungary Sergei Nikolaev, Russia Daniel Arichea, Jr., Philippines Margaret Novak, Montana Charlene Black, Georgia Marc Nussbaumer, Switzerland Charles Boayue, Michigan Solomon Olusiyi, Nigeria Benjamin Boni, Cote D’Ivoire Oystein Olsen, Sweden Byrd Bonner, Texas Johann Osias, Guam Minerva Carcaño, Arizona Bruce Ough, Ohio Phebe Crismo, Philippines Werner Philipp, Germany Emily DeSalvatore, New York Jose Quipungo, Angola Elisabeth Englund, Sweden John A. Redmond, South Carolina Christine Flick, Germany Ann B. Sherer-Simpson,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • European Central Conferences Plan for a New Future
    For immediate Release European Central Conferences plan for a new future The three European Central Conferences of The United Methodist Church covering 32 countries and 10 time-zones are making plans for a future that may include separation, re-organization and the re-drawing of the United Methodist map of Europe. As the church at its upcoming General Conference in late summer of 2022 will consider plans that open the door for central conferences, annual conferences and local churches to leave the denomination to form or to unite with a new Methodist denomination, the four bishops Eduard Khegay, Harald Rückert, Patrick Streiff and Christian Alsted have found it prudent to initiate conversations about potential implications of a separation and processes to lead the church through this time into a vital and sustainable future. Some annual conferences in Europe have already indicated that they plan to leave should the current polity on human sexuality change and open the door for same-sex marriages and the ordination of self-avowing practicing homosexuals. Some annual conferences are still considering their situation, awaiting the decisions by General Conference to have a fuller perspective to inform their decision. Several annual conferences have indicated that they wish to maintain the unity in a future United Methodist Church that will be composed of persons and conferences that wish to be inclusive of all people and remove restrictive language from the Discipline, as well as inclusive of those who will keep their traditional conviction. During the month of March each of the three European Central Conference executive committees have met with all four bishops to discuss a document outlining a process to study the future of the United Methodist Church in Europe as well as a document to prepare for an informed decision by the different levels of conferences on remaining or departing from The United Methodist Church.
    [Show full text]
  • 2012 English Indep Commissions
    843504028428_005.qxp:QK005.qxd 1/24/12 4:51 PM Page 1272 1272 DCA Advance Edition Summary Report to General Conference from the Study Committee on the Worldwide Nature of The United Methodist Church From August, 2009 to July, 2011, the Study annual conference members: increased financial burdens Committee on the Worldwide Nature of The United due to an added layer of bureaucracy; weakening of the Methodist Church held six meetings to fulfill its man- denomination’s connectional unity; and relativization of date. It spent significant time in listening sessions in the the Social Principles. United States, the Philippines, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Europe. What the Since the earliest forms of central conferences in Study Committee heard was both a deep commitment to 1884 there have only been slow modifications with addi- the worldwide unity of The UMC and a deep yearning tional powers given to them up to the union of 1968. for change. All over the world people wanted to be part Despite repeated calls for changes, the denomination’s of one global church and yet there were many ideas for worldwide structure remained the same, mainly due to how to live more fully into our worldwide nature. the US church’s preoccupation with its own local con- cerns and interests. It is now imperative for The United The requests for change were many: greater equality Methodist Church to reconsider the global realities of its among the parts of the church; less United States domi- connection, as its parts outside the bounds of the United nance of General Conference; locating General Confer- States, in particular in Asia and Africa, rapidly grow as ence in countries besides the United States; moving never before.
    [Show full text]
  • Christmas Gifts
    Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church Volume 9 Number 10 December 2009/January 2010 NEW Making Disciples of Jesus Christ Christmas Gifts What is your Christmas gift to Christ? How will you choose to share your life? Sharing bread For life instead Choosing to live as Jesus said? What is your gift for Mary’s babe To celebrate the love God gave? Forgiving grace, Mercy’s embrace, Sharing peace with the human race? What will be your holy present For the God who now is present? Obedience, Your repentance, Your prayers as fragrant frankincense? The gift that I bring at Christmas Will cost me more as time will pass. Down on my knees God only sees Giving Christ whatever He needs. (Words: Michael C. Johnson 2009; Meter: 88.44.8) ichael and I hope that this How much joy will you see on Christ’s Is scholarship aid for a seminarian desires for our world. What is your gift Christmas will be a sacred time face when he opens that gift on Christ- on Christ’s Christmas list this year? for Christ? What is your gift for Mary’s Mfor you and your family. A time mas morning? How many babies will Christ is worried about the financial babe? What will be your present? May of spiritual renewal as you celebrate the you save from death so they might burden carried by those answering the Jesus just love the birthday gifts YOU gift that God has given you in his son grow up strong to serve the Lord? call to pastoral ministry.
    [Show full text]
  • December 2019
    First Friday Letter The World Methodist Council December 2019 You will notice a new format this time as the WMC wants the translation to be available in your language. Greetings from the Vice President ‘Great Lectionary readings for tomorrow!’ emailed the General Secretary, persuading me to reflect on Advent, and, looking at those readings for the first Sunday in Advent, I must agree. Particularly compelling are verses from Isaiah of Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-5) where the prophet shares his vision of how it will be when the peoples of all nations unite in pilgrimage to the mountain of the Lord. For the people of Israel, mountains were significant. In the majesty and beauty and severity of the mountain, God was present. Abraham, Moses and Elijah experienced God in the mountains – El Shadd- ai, God of the mountains; the Psalmist lifted his eyes to the mountains; for Jesus too, mountains were significant – the mountain of the Beatitudes, the Mount of Transfiguration, the Mount of Olives. Isaiah’s vision of the mountain of the Lord is of a place of peace, shalom, a place where all may flourish and live in security. It is a vision shared by Third Isaiah as he, in turn, reflects on what makes for true well-being – read Isaiah 65:17-25 Recently, I represented the World Methodist Council at the 25th Conference of EcoPeace in Jordan. Pri- or to the conference, a number of us had a tour of the Jordan Valley from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, or the Salt Sea as some call it.
    [Show full text]
  • May 2020 Newsletter
    Council of Bishops United Methodist Church Communion APRIL 2020 Ecumenical and Interreligious News Promoting unity and peace through strengthening ecumenical and interreligious relations worldwide Council of Bishops’ Ecumenical/ “On Ecumenical Day” opening worship in the Interreligious Ministry General Conference plenary will focus on our com- mitment to church unity and interreligious engage- at General Conference 2021 ment. “On Methodist Family Day” our Autonomous Affiliated, Autonomous United and Concordat church partners will be introduced, along with several other Methodist and Wesleyan leaders who will be present with us. For the first time, the Council of Bishops will have their own booth in the exhibit hall. This will be a place to learn about the Council of Bishops in gen- eral and about their ecumenical and interreligious engagements specifically. And, several important pieces of legislation Ecumenical and interreligious engagement will be brought forward for consideration by the del- are core to the beliefs of The United Methodist egates. A full communion relationship with The Epis- Church. Our Constitution boldly claims:“ The copal Church will be considered. And, the new Faith United Methodist Church is a part of the church and Order document “Sent in Love” will also be con- universal, which is one Body in Christ.” (Article IV, Book of Discipline 2016, ¶4, p. 26). Colossians 3:13-14 Whenever we have the opportunity, Unit- ed Methodists do our best to give visible witness (13)Bear with one another and forgive one another to this foundational commitment to unity.So, if you have any grievance against someone. For- when the General Conference takes place in 2021, the Council of Bishops will be taking the give as God forgave you.
    [Show full text]
  • Monthly Update July 2017 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
    Monthly Update July 2017 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This Monthly Update covers the first of the annual conference reports from meetings across our Methodist connection. If you want more complete information on your particular annual conference, please call, write, or e-mail us and we will be glad to send it to you. We are also including some issues of interest in our country during these turbulent times. Of especial interest are what we believe are attempts to undermine our country and our orthodox Wesleyan Christian faith. Here are just a few: 1. Over the matter of protecting our borders/unlimited immigration; the Old Testament in the Bible is replete about the need for Israel to protect its borders against its enemies. Some leaders in the United Methodist Church have filed “charges” against Attorney General Jeff Sessions for enforcing the law against illegal aliens. This is extreme with all the un-Christian actions our leadership has tolerated. 2. In reference to gun control and enacting stricter regulations, some of our church leaders are becoming active in pushing this issue. The reality is that mass shooters like “gun free zones” because they know that they will not meet armed resistance until the police arrive – and that would be too late for some people who have been killed. We need to remember, especially as we celebrate the 4th of July, that it was the attempt at “gun control” that started our fight for independence with the British on their way to seize the peoples’ weapons when they were confronted – and defeated with guns by the patriots.
    [Show full text]
  • To Help One Another – to Learn from One Another
    To help one another – To learn from one another Fund for Mission in Europe Project List 2019 Bank Information EmK-Weltmission Account Nr. 401 773 BLZ 520 604 10 Evangelische Bank IBAN: DE65520604100000401773 BIC: GENODEF1EK1 Verein Hilfe im Sprengel Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche Badenerstrasse 69 / Postfach 2111 CH-8021 Zurich 1 (SWitzerland) Bank: UBS AG, Albisriederplatz 8, CH-8004 Zurich (SWitzerland) IBAN: CH570026726784963360F (EUR-Account!) CH830026726784963361T (USD-Account!) BIC: UBSWCHZH80K Mission in Europe 2 Dear Friends The praying mantis in the car park We had some Wonderful days in Croatia – Warm sunshine, really clear Water in the sea, a lot of time to discover a Whole neW World. One day We Went on an excursion to a nature park. The fascinating coast invited us to jump from one stone slab to another. The trees looked as if they had Withstood many a storm, and then came open spaces With a su- perb panoramic vieW toWards the sea, Which sent Wave after Wave to the land. We had parked our car on a graveled car park. No sooner had We got out of the car, then We had a very special encounter: there Was a praying mantis Walking around on the car park. There Was something strange about it: for the first time I Was seeing one of these fasci- nating insects With its very distinctive appearance – in an ordinary car park, of all places. But it may be that this is a good symbol. In German, these insects are called «Gottesanbeterin», Which means «Wor- shiper of God». Perhaps What our World needs most is not more people Who go to church once a Week to pray and then, during the rest of the Week, think, speak and act as if they had never been in the church.
    [Show full text]
  • 2.2 Episcopal Address
    2.2 Episcopal Address Knowing that “in God we all live, move and exist”, we welcome delegates and guests to the 2016 Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference in Fredrikstad, Norway. We come together as United Methodists across 11 time zones representing a rich diversity of cultures and ministry contexts, bound together in connectional relationship eager to share Christ with the purpose of making disciples, through which the world may be transformed. We particularly welcome bishop John Yambasu from Sierra Leone, who is representing the Council of Bishops. We welcome other bishops from Europe, Rosemarie Wenner from Germany and Patrick Streiff from Central and Southern Europe. We welcome our retired bishops, who have previously served in the Central Conference, Øystein Olsen and Hans Växby, while Rüdiger Minor is unable to be here due to prior commitments. We also welcome ecumenical friends, representatives from the Uniting Church in Sweden, as well as representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norway, the Baptist Union in Norway and the Norway Council of Churches. The theme of our conference “In God we all live, move and exist” is a short sentence in a longer speech given to an assembly of philosophers and politicians in Athens. When Paul arrived in the city after a long voyage he walked into a religious, philosophical and political marketplace, where people not unlike many Northern Europeans and Eurasians today were hungry for the next new thing. While Paul was well acquainted with Greek culture and religion, he was not prepared for what he experienced in Athens, and he was, as we can be in our context, deeply distressed by a city flooded with idols.
    [Show full text]
  • Act for Peace a Message from Bishop Marcus Matthews Violent Crime Plagues Our Com- PRAY Munities - Urban, Suburban, and Please Pray Daily with Me, Now Rural Alike
    Volume 7 Number 8 OCTOBER 07 A Call to End Violence: Act for Peace A Message from Bishop Marcus Matthews Violent crime plagues our com- PRAY munities - urban, suburban, and Please pray daily with me, now rural alike. Children going back to through the end of October, specifi- school are no longer assured of a cally for peace in our communities. safe place, as seen in the Amish • Pray for our young people. school house and Virginia Tech • Pray for the victims of crime shootings, and the recent murder and violence. in Kutztown, PA. Murder rates are • Pray for those caught in a cycle the highest ever seen in Philadel- of poverty, crime, and prison. phia. • Pray for our elected officials, Issues such as poverty, inequi- peacekeepers, and workers in the table education, proliferation of justice system. handguns, drugs, and gambling all • Pray that God will speak to us contribute to the increase in vio- and through us to be His witness in lent crime. It is time for the Body a hurting world. of Christ to make a transforming • Put the power of prayer to difference in the world! work, that lasting change will We, United Methodists - nearly transform our world. Remember 225,000 of us in about 1,000 when you pray: “All things are churches in The Philadelphia Area possible with God.” of The United Methodist Church - are called to be a prophetic voice ACT for God’s Kingdom. And we are Find creative ways to be in minis- called to be Christ’s hands and feet try in the heart of your neighbor- that help to make God’s will a real- hood that will help love your com- ity.
    [Show full text]
  • The Social Soteriology of John Wesley and Its Communitarian, Arminian and Public Elements
    The social soteriology of John Wesley and its comuni- tarian, arminian and public elements: comments on its development, purpose, inspirations, and spirituality Helmut Renders 1 The intention of using the term social soteriology is an attempt to combine a common concept in Wesleyan studies – that John Wesley is best understood as primarily con- cerned with soteriology – with a fresh look at the wide range of the meaning of the word “social”. This is done because the major agreement regarding the centrality of soteriology in Wesley has been unable to relate the different perspectives toward a united effort to promote and proclaim salvation in an integral way. Without a doubt, for many the use of the adjective “social” may simply indicate that the author of this article is putting empha- sis on diacony or public religion. Although the word “social” includes these meanings, it is much richer than this and has been used in Wesleyan and Methodist history in different moments to mark a certain type of Wesleyan imagery.2 As such, it seems appropriate to rethink this tradition and offer a re-reading of those aspects that we can easily combine with the metaphor of “social” and study their contributions to Wesleyan soteriology. 3 To do so, we shall challenge some customary reading of Wesleyan, in the first place, the popular biographic method of periodization which emerges more from a type of bio- graphic reinterpretation and reconfirmation of contemporary theologies than from a his- toric hermeneutic. Differently we shall re-link certain periods of his life by its under- standing as sedimentation of experience as a more appropriate way to understand the con- tinuous construction of Wesleyan soteriology as social soteriology.
    [Show full text]
  • A News Release
    Office for Communications Germany Central Conference Rev. Klaus U. Ruof Press Officer Dielmannstrasse 26 Press Release 60599 Frankfurt am Main Germany Frankfurt/Main (Germany), November 26, 2020 Phone +49 69 242521-152 Cell phone +49 176 83110293 For immediate use Fax +49 69 242521-129 [email protected] www.emk.de Germany UMC preserves unity by respectful coexistence as a way forward FRANKFURT (Germany) –November 26, 2020 – Last weekend, the Executive Committee of the United Methodist Church (UMC) in Germany agreed to become more open and inclusive on matters relating to human sexuality. The decision was also made to create a new association – a “Community Covenant” – within its structures, aimed at accommodating those members and congregations from a more traditional, conservative perspective. The Committee met by video conference on Friday and Saturday November 20 and 21. Large degree of consent at the round table and on the Executive Committee On the one hand, the decision suspends the few passages of the German version of The Book of Discipline (BOD) containing negative statements on the subject of homosexuality, and the associated prohibitions on ceremonies. On the other hand, a new “Community Covenant” will be incorporated within the structure of the UMC in Germany, which will have an explicitly conservative profile, especially on matters of human sexuality and marriage. Thus it seems possible to stay together as church in the spirit of “convicted humility”. Over a period of 18 months the 21-person “Round Table“ with Bishop Harald Rückert as chair has prepared the proposal for the decisions now adopted at the Executive Committee’s session.
    [Show full text]
  • Spirit and Truth
    Spirit and Truth A Study of Susanna Wesley, John Wesley, and John Fletcher as Participants in the Stream of the Spirit’s Work Patrick Oden June 11, 2010 CH872: Readings in Church History Dr. James Bradley In the days when I still hated Christianity, I learned to recognize, like some all too familiar smell, that almost unvarying something which met me, now in Puritan Bunyan, now in Anglican Hooker, now in Thomist Dante. It was there (honeyed and florid) in François de Sales; it was there (grave and homely) in Spenser and Walton; it was there (grim but manful) in Pascal and Johnson; there again, with a mild frightening, Paradisial flavor, in Vaughan and Boehme and Traherne. In the urban sobriety of the eighteenth century one was not safe—Law and Butler were two lions in the path. The supposed ‘Paganism’ of the Elizabethans could not keep it out; it lay in wait where a man might have supposed himself safest, in the very centre of The Faerie Queene and the Arcadia. It was, of course, varied; and yet—after all—so unmistakably the same; recognizable, not to be evaded, the odour which is death to us until we allow it to become life: an air that kills From yon far country blows. (C.S. Lewis, On the Reading of Old Books) Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 2 The Stream of the Spirit in History .................................................................................................. 6 Luther, Protestants, and Protestants
    [Show full text]