wfn.org | Council wants functions continued, regardless of reorganization

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

April 29, 1999  Contact: Thomas S. McAnally*(615) 742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{239}

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) - Members of the United Methodist General
Council on Ministries (GCOM) met here April 23-27, keenly aware that their
meeting this fall may be the last for the organization.

No final decisions about future structure in the denomination have been made
but a Connectional Process Team is proposing that  functions now being
performed by the GCOM be transferred to a new Covenant Council for a
proposed U.S. Central Conference.

"What if that (November 1999) meeting becomes the last ever of the GCOM as
we know it,"  the agency's top executive, C. David Lundquist, asked in his
address at the semi-annual meeting.  "I declare to you that I am firmly
convinced that it should be!"

The time has come, he said, to:
*	"affirm the significant work this council has done since its
creation in 1972,
*	"identify and proclaim the absolute necessity to continue into the
future those necessary responsibilities or functions that this body now
performs;
*	"develop an appropriate design for how what this council has done so
well can become the way in which mission and ministry is expressed in the
future."

The Connectional Process Team was created by the 1996 General Conference to
lead the church in a "transformational direction" and to consider new
organizations for church life in the new century. The first draft of its
report was released in February.  After revision this fall, it will be sent
to the General Conference May 2-12, 2000 in Cleveland.

Before the next GCOM meeting in November,  Lundquist urged the members to
further develop a plan around the concept of what they have called a "common
table."  The key point of the concept is that decisions about mission and
ministry in the church should be made with all parties involved.  

Members have also identified at least a dozen functions they believe should
be carried over into the future. Among these is "conferencing," defined as
connecting in "covenant connection" the "whole and the parts, the places
distant and near to us." Another  calls for a discernment process long
enough so that clear, ambitious goals can be determined and articulated. 

Following a series  of  consultations, hearings  and a "global experience"
with visits to Central Conferences outside the United States, GCOM members
have developed a statement titled, "Fulfilling Christ's Mission in The
United Methodist Church" which it is offering the church as a guide and
resource.  Members voted to include the "Fulfilling" document on GCOM's Web
site  in such a way that examples of ministry and mission across the
denomination could be identified under each point. They also voted to
develop resources so that the statement can be used as an "envisioning and
discernment tool" throughout the church. 

At several points during their meeting, GCOM members chose a supportive,
indirect approach over against traditional models of the past.  One example
was a decision not to propose to the 2000 General Conference a  missional
priority or quadrennial theme.  In the past, these have included such
concerns as world hunger and the ethnic minority local church.

Chris Harman, Louisville, Ky, chairperson of the agency's vision team, said
missional priorities and quadrennial themes "have served the church well in
the past but we are not convinced they would serve the church well in the
future."  The voting members agreed.

In a continuing process related to the program budget needs of the eight
churchwide program agencies for the 2001-2004 quadrennium, GCOM members
voted to recommend to the General Council on Finance and Administration
(GCFA) that World Service funding be provided in an amount not to exceed
$198,300,000 compared to $183,429,000 in the present quadrennium.  The
agencies had requested a total of $212,189,000.  Action taken by the GCOM
noted that a policy under consideration by the GCFA  related to agency
reserves could mean that less World Service dollars might be needed through
World Service apportionments. 

GCFA will establish the total sum of World Service it proposes for the
program agencies at a meeting May 18-20.  GCOM will then communicate that
action to the program agencies and invite them to provide further
information and suggestions.  A second consultation on program and budget is
scheduled with GCFA and GCOM representatives and representatives of all
eight program agencies Sept. 9-11.  Based on those conversations, GCOM and
GCFA representatives will come to a mutual agreement on allocation of World
Service Funds to each program agency.  Both councils must agree on the
recommended allocation. Those recommendations will go the General Conference
for final action.  

GCOM members took action regarding special Sunday observances in the church
calling for continuing two Sundays without offerings (Heritage and Laity
Sundays); four Sundays with opportunities for annual conference offerings
(Christian Education, Golden Cross, Rural Life and Disability Awareness
Sunday) and four Sundays with churchwide offering (One Great Hour of
Sharing, Native American Ministry Sunday, World Communion Sunday, and
Justice, Love and Mercy Sunday).  

The latter two proposed observances combine four previous special Sunday
offerings (World Communion and United Methodist Student Day, and Human
Relations Day and Peace with Justice Sunday. )

In other business,  GCOM members:  

*	recommended that top executives of each of the eight program
agencies be elected every four years rather than annually;
*	participated in a forum focused on spiritual leadership in the
denomination.
*	recommended continuation of two initiatives during the 2001-2004
quadrennium: Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century and Shared
Mission Focus on Young People; 
*	authorized a grant of $23,000 for the first of two leadership
training video series proposed by the General Commission on United Methodist
Men;
*	authorized the General Board of Church and Society to raise $50,000
per year for two years through World Service Special Gifts to support the
ministry of the Rev. Tom Grey, a recognized national leader against
gambling;
*	agreed, in its role as coordinator for interagency support of the
National United Methodist Native American Center, to request a total of
$957,480 to support the Claremont, Calif.-based agency during the 2001-2004
quadrennium: $224,000 from the General Board of Higher Education and
Ministry; $160,000 from the General Board of Global Ministry; and $553,480
from World Service.
*	agreed to a one-day meeting prior to the fall meeting for
representatives of GCOM, the Board of Global Ministries, and the Commission
on Religion and Race to discuss "the need to increase the awareness of
missionaries about local culture and the issues of cultural, ethnic, racial
and tribal differences";
*	learned that The Advance program of the church received $30,748,889
in 1998,  with 49 percent of all congregations participating, and an
increase of per capita giving form $2.97 to $3.65;
*	affirmed  continuation of initiatives  involving five major ethnic
groups in the United States and agreed to convene a meeting of
representatives of the initiatives at least annually during the next
quadrennium; 
*	affirmed a request by the new autonomous Methodist Church of Puerto
Rico going to the General Conference asking for an additional four-year
transitional period with the same level of financial support from the
churchwide agencies as at present;
*	heard a report and interacted with members of the Connectional
Process Team;
*	agreed to request a  GCOM budget of $8,162,696 from World Service
fund for the 2001-2004 quadrennium,  which represents 1.75 percent annual
increase;
*	recommended that any unexpended funds on hand at the end of 2000, up
to $100,000, be set aside for another "Global Experience" during the next
quadrennium where teams of GCOM members would visit Central Conferences
outside the United States.  Such an event was held in October 1998;
*	took an offering of $1,400 for relief in Kosovo;
*	discussed institutional racism and heard an passionate appeal by
GCOM member Marilina de Carvalho called for help in stopping the war in her
home country of Angola.  "The U.S. could stop this war," she declared.
"Please help us."    Racism is evident, some members said, when worldwide
relief in major conflicts is more readily available in Europe than in
Africa.  

Full text of the "Fulfilling Christ's Mission" statement is available  at
http://www.umc.org/umns/98/nov/647.htm.  Full text of the first draft of
recommendations from the Connectional Process Team is available at
http://www.umc.org/CPT.
#  #  #

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