wfn.org | Methodist Church not consistently inclusive

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SEARCH:   inclusiveness, racial, ethnic, minorities, racism,
discrimination

Contact:  Joretta Purdue                       218(10-30-71){2864}
          Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722          April 11, 1996

Inconsistency characterizes United Methodist
practice of inclusiveness, commission finds

     WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- The United Methodist Church is not
consistent in its practice of racial and ethnic inclusiveness, the
staff of the denomination's Commission on Religion and Race has
concluded.
     The commission monitors the church's efforts to overcome
racism in annual (regional) conferences, general (churchwide)
agencies and theological seminaries.
     Reviews of these bodies are performed in cooperation with
representatives of affected racial-ethnic minority groups and
leaders of the institution being studied.
     For the past four years, the majority of the commission's
time was focused on the progress annual conferences are making in
overcoming racism and building an inclusive community of faith.
     During the 1993-96 quadrennium, the commission performed 21
on-site annual conference reviews and a review of one
jurisdiction. Because of budget and other resource constraints, 45
annual conferences completed desk audits -- a process that
includes data collection only.
     Annual conferences "are at different points along the journey
toward inclusiveness, and they require different strategies to
help them move to the next point," said Elaine Jenkins, an
associate general secretary, who has coordinated the annual
conference reviews this quadrennium.
     Each review is tailored to the conference or institution
being studied. "We can't do a generic package for annual
conferences," she said.  
     The definition of inclusiveness is dynamic and evolving,
added the Rev. James Taylor, an associate general secretary.  As a
result, he said, the concept is always moving and being redefined.
     "We use a lot of journey language, which is consistent with
John Wesley's challenge to move toward perfection," Taylor
observed.
     On-site reviews involve an extended process. Reports and
questionnaires from the conference are collated and analyzed by
the commission staff.
     A team of commission members and staff meet with racial-
ethnic minority people in the conference prior to dialogue with
conference officers and staff to assess the conference's progress.
     The team members gather after the visit to share their
impressions. From these impressions, the preliminary draft report
is written. Conferences have an opportunity to correct perceptions
before the team prepares a final report with recommendations for
approval by the general commission's board members.
     After all these visits, Jenkins has concluded that many
annual conferences tended to assign racial-ethnic minority people
to the conference commission on religion and race or the ethnic
local church concerns committee. Few are conference trustees,
members of the conference council on finance and administration or
participants on the board of ordained ministry, she said.
     "The church is most inclusive at the general (national)
agency level," Taylor reported.  
     With few exceptions, the employment of racial-ethnic minority
people by every general agency exceeds, in all categories, the
percentage of racial ethnic population of the locality, he said.
     During the 1993-96 quadrennium the commission has provided 63
consultations or training events requested by 10 of the 13 general
agencies, Taylor said. He has coordinated the reviews of general
agencies.
     Jenkins said resistance to inclusiveness is most evident in
the local church.
     "What are the implications for the denomination as it
grapples with the issue of greater autonomy for local churches?"
she asked.
     The Rev. Hidetoshi Tanaka, an associate general secretary who
coordinated the reviews of the denomination's theological schools,
expressed concern about the rarity of cross racial appointments.
     He said district and conference administrators frequently
fail adequately to prepare the congregation, the pastor and the
pastor's family to understand and respect a culture different from
their own.
     "Different" still is considered to be inferior, Tanaka said.
Congregations are anxious about how a minister with a different
background will fit into their traditions, but such a person can
contribute different things, he said. Tanaka suggested a change in
expectations. He also predicted that as progress brings new
challenges, the nature of the challenges will change.
     The Rev. Yolanda Pupo-Ortiz, an associate general secretary, 
said the commission hopes to help develop cross-cultural
resources. A series of study guides to address manifestations of
racism are being planned for next quadrennium in cooperation with
the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. 
     Tanaka cited the denomination's 13 theological seminaries,
from which data is collected annually, for "making every effort to
become inclusive," saying that he sees significant progress.
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