wfn.org | General Board affirms mission imperatives, discusses vital issues

["Office of Communications"<wshuffit@oc.disciples.org>]

Date: July 26, 2000
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

00b-41

	INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- General Board members of the Christian Church 
(Disciples of Christ), meeting here July 22-25, affirmed a revised set of 
mission imperatives, did additional planning around the six vital issues, 
and endorsed resolutions supporting the independence of East Timor and 
ending U.S. naval operations in Vieques, Puerto Rico. 

	The imperatives, due to expire this year, were initially endorsed by the 
board in 1994. Significant revisions included designating vision and 
mission statements in the document and developing a statement of 
covenant.

	The church's vision, according to the document is: "To be a faithful, 
growing church that demonstrates true community, deep spirituality and 
passion for justice." The denomination's mission is "to be and to share 
the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our 
doorsteps ‘to the ends of the earth.'"

	Specific imperatives, first identified in the 1994 process, remain 
unchanged. Those imperatives are to: "Become the Good News"; "Share the 
Good News," and "Serve from ‘our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.'"

	The statement of covenant affirms the Disciples of Christ's need to be an 
anti-racist/pro-reconciliation church; strengthen relationships among all 
expressions of the church; more fully share in the stewardship of God's 
gifts; embrace the church's growing diversity, and work with ecumenical 
and global partners "to heal the brokenness of the body of Christ and the 
human community." 

	A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to planning as the 
General Board revisited the six vital issues it identified two years ago. 
The aim was to get the issues into decision-making arenas in the Christian 
Church (Disciples of Christ).  

	A two-day process culminated as six groups, one for each vital issue, 
submitted "points of engagement" or approaches to addressing each topic. 
The work of the 2000 General Board will be forwarded to six soon-to-be 
appointed  working groups -- one for each vital issue.  

	The working groups will: "broadcast their particular vital issue; bring 
people of all three manifestations into transforming relationship around 
that issue; and exchange information regarding that issue across the life 
of the church."  The working groups will be funded out of the mission 
imperatives fund by the Mission Council, which reports to the General 
Board. 

	The pronouncements on East Timor and Vieques are emergency resolutions 
that were forwarded to the General Board by the 1999 General Assembly. The 
initiative on East Timor asks U.S. and Canada church and government bodies 
to support the country's efforts at self-determination and to ensure that 
Indonesia acknowledges and ratifies the election results.

	The Vieques resolution asks for the removal of U.S. Navy operations on 
the island, and the subsequent halt of bombing and shooting exercises that 
have damaged the environment and caused loss of life. The initiative also 
calls on U.S. assistance in environmental clean-up efforts on Vieques.

	The board also forwarded an executive search model to church-related 
organizations and endorsed decisions by the Commission on Mission Funding 
during its appeals session.

	The executive search model is designed to help eliminate practices and 
structures that perpetuate racism in the Christian Church (Disciples of 
Christ). Major provisions include ensuring that racial ethnic persons 
comprise half of all search committees; requiring open searches for vacant 
posts; and utilizing an independent application screening process. 

	The model policy will be forwarded to each general unit and regional body 
and to the Council of Colleges and Universities, and the Council on 
Theological Education. Each entity is asked to incorporate the model into 
current procedures or to develop policies that address issues related to 
open, more inclusive search processes.

	Eleven regions, and Disciples-related colleges and universities 
challenged 2001-2002 allocations designated by the COMF during its May 
meeting. Receiving adjustment increases or changes in percentage 
distribution were the Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, Northeast 
and Northwest regions.  Appeals were denied from the regions of Oklahoma, 
Tennessee, and Illinois-Wisconsin.  

	The Christian Church in Indiana received a $35,000 adjustment to fund a 
region-wide discernment process concerning the ordination of gay and 
lesbian persons. That process emerged when an openly gay ministry 
candidate requested ordination.

	Disciples higher education institutions, which questioned the 
redistribution of now-defunct Phillips University's allocation to the 
seminaries, retained their original allocation "The COMF shifted some 
funds from colleges and universities to theological institutions in light 
of the critical need for future ministerial leadership," said the Rev. C. 
Earl Gibbs, chairperson, Tyler, Texas.  

	In other action, the General Board Administrative Committee unanimously 
elected the Rev. William H. Edwards as associate general minister and vice 
president. Edwards is currently pastor of the Disciples Center, a joint 
ministry of Forest Park and St. John's Christian Churches in Cincinnati, 
Ohio.
	
	"I feel that Bill is really well-equipped to serve as a vice president, 
which means, in part, tracking all the various initiatives of the Office 
of General Minister and President in the life of the church," said the 
Rev. Richard L. Hamm, GMP. "I'm very excited about Bill's coming. I think 
he'll be a great partner in ministry," he added.

	The vice president-elect was previously executive pastor of Mississippi 
Boulevard Christian Church, Memphis, Tenn., and was a Homeland Ministries 
senior associate in the Center for Congregational Growth and Vitality.

                                     	-- end -- 

(Note to Regional Editors: photos to be mailed)