wfn.org | Board Seeks Baptism Amendment

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CONTACT: 	Tim Tanton
(10-32-35-71B){158}
		Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5473		March 18, 1998

Board of Discipleship approves
partnerships, seeks amendment

	NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- Moves aimed at expanding the United
Methodist Church's work worldwide, along with a proposal to amend the
denomination's constitution, were approved by governing members of the
Board of Discipleship at their March 12-14 meeting.
	The decision to seek an amendment centers on the relationship
between baptism and membership. The amendment would pave the way for
membership legislation that would be consistent with the recommendations
of a paper called "By Water and the Spirit: A United Methodist
Understanding of Baptism."
The denomination's 1996 General Conference adopted the document, which
states that God's action in baptism makes a person a member of the
church, regardless of age.
The paper affirms both sacramental and evangelical understandings of
baptism, said the Rev. Dan Benedict, worship resources director for the
Board of Discipleship. The sacramental reflects the belief that God
makes an initiative toward us in baptism, and the evangelical holds that
we as human beings must profess the faith and affirm what God has done
for us in baptism.
"Salvation included both God's initiating activity of grace and a
willing, human response," according to "By Water and the Spirit."
"Hence," Benedict said, "the paper affirms that baptism is both this
blend of sacramental and evangelical aspects of our understanding of
God's grace."
The General Conference also adopted legislation that would implement the
theological understandings of the paper into the Book of Discipline, the
church's book of rules and procedures.
	Last October, the Judicial Council ruled that the membership
legislation was unconstitutional. The council, which serves as the
church's "Supreme Court," based its ruling on the fact that the
legislation deems all baptized people members, even infants and others
unable to speak for themselves.
	The council said the legislation's language conflicted with the
Book of Discipline, which states that all people "when they take the
appropriate vows" shall be eligible for church membership.
As a result, the church's official theology of membership and baptism in
"By Water and the Spirit" remained at odds with existing church law in
the 1992 Book of Discipline. By invalidating the membership legislation,
the council effectively cut the cord between "By Water and the Spirit"
and the actual law governing membership in the church.
		The Board of Discipleship voted March 14 to:
*	petition the 2000 General Conference for a constitutional
amendment consistent with "By Water and the Spirit"; and
		*	petition the Judicial Council for a decision
this year on whether the General Conference could adopt the amendment
and, at the same time, adopt the enabling membership legislation. If so,
the conference would be able to enact the change in 2000 rather than
wait until the next quadrennium.
The proposed amendment was one of a host of items approved by members of
the Board of Discipleship on the last day of their meeting. Several
steps were aimed at addressing the needs of diverse groups, with
initiatives focusing on Latin Americans, Korean-Americans and
non-English-speaking people.
The board approved entering into a partnership with the Evangelical
Seminary of Puerto Rico and the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico. As part
of the three- to five-year partnership, the  Board of Discipleship will
provide a staff person in Latin America.
The staff person will lead the church's growing Spanish-language
program, according to the proposal from the board's executive committee.
The creation of that position is the next step in the church's efforts
to meet the needs of Hispanics.
"The reason we need to take a next step is that our current resources in
Spanish are not good enough," according to the resolution.
All parties to the partnership will contribute total funding of $100,000
to $125,000.
Board members also approved entering into a partnership with Drew
University Theological University in Madison, N.J., to offer an
educational program for spiritual leaders of United Methodist
camp/retreat ministries.
	The three-year partnership, dubbed "Common Ground," will begin
this fall and will represent a financial commitment of $114,275. Of
that, the Board of Discipleship will contribute $64,275 and Drew will
provide the rest.
The board has not received any further information about the
much-publicized promise of a $90 million gift from an anonymous donor
for denominational camper retreats and a national conference center,
according to General Secretary Ezra Earl Jones.
	"We do not have evidence at this point that the money is there,"
he said, repeating an advisory that he issued in February regarding the
money. The board was finding that a number of annual conferences were
already designating the dollars, he said.
	He added that he wasn't saying the money doesn't exist, just
that the board doesn't have evidence of it.
	In other business, the board:
*	 Approved the publication of a Korean-English United
		  Methodist hymnal. It will be published by October
2001, 
		  Benedict said.
		  "There is a great need for a hymnal that meets the
needs  
		  of United Methodist Korean-Americans," he said.
*	Voted to explore translating its resources into any needed
language -- such as French, a key language in the fast-growing church
region of the Congo.
		*	Approved seven proposals from the Curriculum
Resources Committee involving new publications. One of those centered
around the recently announced partnership between the United Methodist
Publishing House and the independent Bristol House Ltd. The two
publishers will operate essentially a third imprint, with its first
titles ready for fall 1999. The resources will be strongly evangelical
and United Methodist, and will be designed particularly for Sunday
school classes and also small-group use.
	  "This is to be tried for one year to see how the 
       cooperation works out and also the kinds of  
		  responses we get from the churches throughout the 
		  denomination," board member Wayne Reece said.
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