wfn.org | Division of Ordained Ministry sees past changes shaping future

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

March 24, 2000 News media contact: Joretta Purdue ·(202) 546-8722·Washington
10-71B{166}

SILVER SPRING, Md. (UMNS) - Change has permeated much of the agency that
deals with the United Methodist Church's pastors in recent years, and it's
not over yet.

Staff restructuring in the Division of Ordained Ministry of the United
Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry is expected to be complete
by Jan.1, 2001, voting directors of the division were told at a meeting
March 20-22.

The 1996 General Conference, the denomination's highest legislative body,
took action that changed the church's basic understanding of the ordained
minister. This entailed the redefinition of elder and deacon, and a
rethinking of how the division was structured.

Three former divisions have been wrapped into one Division of Ordained
Ministry, which has three sections. Board members reviewed a job description
for the newly created position of associate general secretary for the
division. They also were reminded of the other executive openings that exist
in the division as the result of resignations and promotions that will be
effective this summer.

Even before the 1996 General Conference redefined the orders of elder and
deacon, two forces were at work for monumental change. Educational and
ministerial needs in other parts of the world had led the board to present a
funding proposal to the 1988 General Conference for establishing Africa
University, and during the following years to provide encouragement,
consultation and sometimes funds to seminaries in former Soviet bloc
countries. The board has become more global in its thinking.

At the same time, U.S. clergy retirements continue to exceed ordinations,
and a fourth of all United Methodist churches in the United States are now
served by local pastors. The church currently has 893 deacons in full
connection and 600 candidates.

Board members were also informed at their meeting that five of the 13 United
Methodist seminaries in the United States are in the process of selecting
new presidents, and three more top-level changes are probable during the
next five years.

Also in the United States, work with the Hispanic Plan over the last eight
years has led to the establishment of Hispanic ministry programs in some
seminaries and the development of Spanish-language resources related to
ministry.

In other business, the division's directors learned that:

·	A new logo and promotional materials for the Ministerial Education
Fund will be introduced at General Conference, which meets May 2-12 in
Cleveland.
·	The biennial convocation of the Christian Educators Fellowship will
be in 2003 to avoid conflicts with other events planned for 2002. The
fellowship and the Section on Deacons and Diaconal Ministries have raised
$300,000 of the $500,000 needed to establish a chair in Christian education
at Africa University.
·	The church's new seminary in Moscow has obtained a building, which
is to be remodeled, and the board's divisions of Ordained Ministry and
Higher Education have made a $250,000 grant to that effort.
·	The eighth regional school offering the course of study for local
pastors is being called the Ohio Valley school and is being established on
the campus of the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

The directors also committed to planning "Exploration" of ministry events
for both 2002 and 2004 to provide adequate time for site selection and
preparation. 

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United Methodist News Service
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