wfn.org | Group proposing 'common table' for future decision making

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

July 28, 1998	Contact: Thomas S. McAnally*(615)742-5470*Nashville,
Tenn.       {449}

PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS) - The value of having representatives from across
the United Methodist Church sit at a "common table" to explore a
missional direction and an organizational framework for the denomination
has been affirmed by an arm of the General Council on Ministries (GCOM).

During their July 23-25 meeting, 28 members of the Conciliar Forum,
chaired by Bishop Woodrow Hearn of Houston, evaluated two consultations
sponsored in recent months by GCOM. In those consultations, people from
across the denomination, including representatives from all general
agencies, gathered to explore a common vision for the church. 

Using the evaluations from those events and their own experience as a
GCOM governing body with an "interactive organizational process,"  forum
members affirmed a common table that would routinely bring together
people responsible for basic functions of the church such as mission,
leadership, administration and finance.

A concept document prepared by GCOM staff and affirmed by the Conciliar
Forum acknowledged that other conversations are in process across the
church related to a common vision for the future.

"Our concern," the document explained, "is for those conversations to
focus on ministry and mission. The interactive organizational model that
our council is now using is worthy of consideration in all of these
conversations."

The document, affirmed by the forum members, concludes that within any
new organizational design for the denomination,  there must be a place
"where all the church's vast programs and ministries can be known and
information about them known and obtained."

"This place of  'common knowledge' would be a place for telling and
retelling the biblical stories, and allow for the collaborative
development of the church's missional direction in response to clearly
focused and articulated goals."

The paper also proposed that the communication function for the
denomination be located and act as an integral part of the place of
common knowledge.

"This design would be in contrast to what appears to be the current
reality, where various groups separately develop and implement programs,
initiatives and emphases (albeit very valid in themselves)," the paper
stated. "Present circumstances do not appear to occur in a collaborative
style and in many cases result in competition with one another and
confusion about the church's priorities."

In other actions, forum members released the working draft of an
"emerging missional direction" for the United Methodist Church. The
document will be considered further by the entire GCOM governing body in
October, but the forum released the draft now to help churchwide
agencies as they work on program and budget projections for the years
2001-2004. Those plans will be considered at a meeting of all churchwide
agencies in February. 

The General Conference, which meets next in the year 2000, approves
churchwide programs and budgets. Four-year plans are developed by the
denomination's agencies for consideration by the General Conference
delegates. As the plans are developed, the General Council on Finance
and Administration (GCFA) estimates the amount of churchwide funding
that may be available, and the GCOM is then responsible for allocating
the amount among the denomination's eight program-related agencies.

"As we work with annual conferences, we are finding an increased hunger
among United Methodists to focus attention and resources on mission and
ministry," said C. David Lundquist, top executive of the Dayton,
Ohio,-based GCOM staff. "Efforts of GCOM, working in collaboration with
others across the church, to identify an emerging missional direction
for the church are aimed at responding to this desire to be in ministry
with all of God's people." 

During their three-day meeting in Portland, the Conciliar Forum also:

*	made detailed plans for a "global experience" for GCOM members
this fall; 
*	worked on special financial needs related to a churchwide
initiative on young people;
*	heard a report on giving to The Advance for Christ and His
Church; and
*	affirmed the continuation within the church program of six
special Sundays with churchwide offerings.

Before the GCOM's next regular annual meeting, Oct. 27-30, at a United
Methodist-related facility in Switzerland, 23 teams of three or four
members each will visit sites of ministry and mission in the conferences
(regions) of the church in Africa, Europe, the Philippines and Eurasia
(Russia). The purpose of the visits is to give GCOM members direct
exposure to United Methodism outside the United States. One issue before
the denomination is the global nature of the church, particularly the
relationship of U.S. conferences, which have a total membership of 8.5
million, to the Central Conferences, which have a total membership of
more than 1 million.

A Connectional Process Team (CPT), created by the 1996 General
Conference, is working on a "transformational direction" for the church
and is looking at issues related to the global nature of the
denomination. The emerging missional direction of the church developed
in Portland by the Conciliar Forum will be forwarded to the CPT for
consideration.

Forum members voted to provide some funds for administrative support
from the GCOM budget  during 1998 and 1999 to help the "Shared Mission
Focus on Young People," an initiative authorized by the 1996 General
Conference. To stay within its budget, the initiative has made a 75
percent cut in mini-grants to local churches and a 5 percent cut in
other programs over the quadrennium. The Shared Mission Focus on Young
People was to receive $3 million during the 1998-2000 quadrennium, but
funds requested of local churches for such churchwide efforts do not
usually come in at 100 percent. 

Bishop Ed Paup of Portland, chairman of the Advance, reported that $12.9
million was contributed during the first six months of this year. The
fund has received $700 million in voluntary giving during its 50-year
history. 

Hearn reported that the Texas Conference over which he presides will
have all of its congregations contributing to the Advance this
anniversary year. To ensure that, he and his wife have given a $2 bill
to each local church in the area. The money will be delivered by the
district superintendents to each  local church conference this fall,
along with a video about the Advance and a new catalogue containing more
than 1,900 worldwide projects that have been approved for Advance
support. The Advance is related jointly to the GCOM and the Board of
Global Ministries, and its director is the Rev. William Carter.

Following an update on a task force studying the special Sundays
observed by churches throughout the denomination, the forum asked that
the practice of receiving offerings for six special Sundays be
continued.  They are: Human Relations Day, One Great Hour of Sharing,
World Communion Sunday, United Methodist Student Day Peace with Justice
Sunday and Native American Awareness Sunday. Special Sundays without
churchwide offerings are Heritage Sunday and Laity Sunday.

The forum also asked that the GCOM be in dialogue with the Connectional
Ministries Funding Patterns Task Force, a body created by the GCFA, in
response to action by the 1996 General Conference.

# # #

NOTE:  Full text of the working draft on emerging missional direction
for the church follows:

As part of God's movement in the world, United Methodists are sent into
the world to make disciples by forming a vital relationship with Jesus
Christ and with one another, receiving and sharing God's love for every
person and all creation. Grounded in the biblical witness and with the
guidance of the Holy Spirit, we manifest our Wesleyan heritage by works
of piety through acts of devotion and worship, works of mercy through
acts of compassion and justice, and works of witness through acts of
going, baptizing, and teaching.  As we move into the twenty-first
century, crucial areas of ministry are emerging:

1. 	Center on Jesus Christ as the foundation.

2. 	Develop spiritual leaders, both lay and clergy, who lead with
boldness and courage - filled with the love of God, demonstrated in
works of piety and love of neighbors, demonstrated by works of mercy.

3. 	Nurture people in the faith, feeding their hunger for God, in a
caring fellowship that supports growth in grace and preparation for
seasoned, mature discipleship (perfection).

4. 	Focus on relationships with people through worshiping with,
listening to, teaching and loving others. Our task is not to save the
church, but to be faithful to proclaim and live the Gospel to save the
world.

5. 	Tear down the walls.

6. 	Use non-traditional methods and technology to share God's grace
with all people, young and old, rich and poor, all races and nations and
those who stand outside the church.

7. 	Be a global church.

8. 	Be the hands, the voice, and the love of Jesus Christ in the
world through mission and ministry in all areas of human need, both body
and spirit, especially in such areas as racism, greed and violence.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/