wfn.org | GMP calls for policy review aimed at eliminating racism and sexism

["Disciples Off. of Communication"<wshuffit@oc.disciples.org>]

Date: August 26, 1999
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Clifford L. Willis
E-mail: CWillis@oc.disciples.org
on the Web: http://www.disciples.org

99a-57
	
	INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) – The executive leaders of the three racial/ethnic 
groups of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) say they are in 
"stern and united opposition to the recent election of a new president of 
the Disciples Seminary Foundation (DSF)." The Disciples-related 
institution, founded in 1960, serves Disciples seminarians, clergy and lay 
persons with theological and continuing education programs and resources 
in the western United States.

	In an "open letter" to general minister and president Dr. Richard Hamm, 
the Revs. Geunhee Yu, Lucas Torres and John Foulkes express grave 
misgivings over the process that led to the May election of Mary Anne 
Parrott to succeed retiring foundation President Don Reisinger. Yu is 
executive pastor for North American Asian ministries. Torres is the 
Disciples national Hispanic pastor. Foulkes is administrative secretary of 
the National Convocation, the church's African American fellowship. 

	According to Hamm, two years ago the DSF executive committee started a 
selection process for president that provided for consideration of current 
executive staff members only. Those three staff members are white. "While 
I do not believe the executive committee was motivated by bigotry, such an 
internal selection process does unwittingly participate in the patterns of 
institutional racism that are so rampant across the life of our church," 
Hamm wrote in a response to the open letter. 

	Hamm and Dennis Landon, president of the Division of Higher Education, 
traveled to Los Angeles Aug. 13 to speak with Reisinger, Parrott and DSF 
board members. Hamm proposed that: 

	-- The DSF board needs perhaps six racial/ethnic minority members on the 
18-member body, up from the current three.
	-- The board's executive committee should include racial/ethnic minority 
members.
	-- Future search committees should include representatives of 
racial/ethnic minorities.
	-- The board needs to provide for some kind of dialogue with and 
racial/ethnic minority leaders in order to understand their concerns and 
needs.

	A week later, the same topics were further discussed when Reisinger 
traveled to Indianapolis for a conference with Yu, Foulkes, Torres and 
Hamm. 

	The original open letter called on Hamm to denounce the closed process 
employed in Parrott's election. 

	In his response, Hamm pledged that he will send pastoral letters to all 
boards of all general units, regions, institutions of higher education and 
Disciples-related organizations to "reaffirm that closed search processes 
are inappropriate." 

	The open letter also called for rescission of Parrott's election and the 
immediate appointment of a "five member nominating and search committee 
... to find the best candidates for the position of president of DSF, no 
less than two of which will be affiliated with an ethnic minority group, 
and none of which can be current members of the DSF board." 

	The general minister pointed out that Disciples institutions, as well as 
congregations, operate under the direction of their own boards. "It is not 
within my power to command the DSF board," Hamm said. 

	At the time of this writing, there's no word on whether or how the DSF 
board will respond to the criticism of its search process. "I feel it's 
basically inappropriate for me to make comments until after a meeting with 
the chair of the board of trustees," said DSF President Reisinger. 

	Finally, the open letter demanded that a "complete redrafting of the 
election procedures be undertaken for all Disciples-related institutions 
to ensure that such a situation never arises again." 

	In response Hamm said, "I believe that the time has come for the church 
to review its policies and procedures with an eye to eliminating all 
expressions of institutional racism and sexism." Acting on that belief, he 
committed to the following actions: 

	-- sending the letter reaffirming that closed search processes are 
inappropriate;
	-- making institutional racism the educational theme at the July 2000 
meeting of the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of 
Christ); 
	-- directing that the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Renewal 
and Structural Reform consider: ways to ensure diversity on boards and 
committees across the church; policies and procedures that will guarantee 
that all people have equal opportunity in the Christian Church (Disciples 
of Christ); how to develop in the next two years a written policy calling 
for open executive search processes;
	-- being alert for executive transitions across the church and giving 
advice and counsel that will foster open and fair search processes;
	-- consulting with the General Anti-Racism/Pro-reconciliation Team and 
racial/ethnic Disciples groups, asking for specific proposals for 
preparing and recruiting a broader selection of racial/ethnic minority 
persons to serve on boards and committees;
	-- arranging a consultation between racial/ethnic minority leadership and 
the Council on Theological Education of the Division of Higher Education 
to develop ways to increase outreach to minority persons and to include 
them fully within the life of Disciples theological institutions and;
	-- convening a consultation including general, regional and educational 
leadership in early 2000 regarding "these and related issues." The 
consultation will include a majority of African American, American Asian 
and Hispanic Disciples.

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