wfn.org | UMCom executive offers agency 'new way of thinking'

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

April 16, 2002  News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.  10-71B{160}

NOTE: A head-and-shoulders photograph of the Rev. Larry Hollon is available.
This report is accompanied by two sidebars, UMNS stories #161 and #162.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - A cultural change is under way at United Methodist
Communications, and at its heart is an understanding that the agency is
engaged in ministry to support local churches and share God's message with a
hurting world.

"I have begun to say that UMCom is engaged in ministry through
communications," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive, in an
April 12 address to the agency's governing commissioners.

"So this is not merely a new way of talking about what we've been doing all
along," he said. "It's a much deeper sense of mission ... and a much
different process of creating content that communicates. It is not a
rejection of who we are or have been in the past, but it is a new way of
thinking about ourselves and our tasks in a competitive, cynical and
searching environment."

Hollon's report set the tone for the Commission on Communications' April
12-13 meeting, where new agency initiatives were highlighted by a steady
flow of UMCom staff members. The initiatives coincide with an ongoing
redesign of the agency that began last fall, aimed at breaking down
decades-old divisional barriers and instituting a team-oriented approach
that more fully engages employees in working together.

In an interview after the meeting, Hollon elaborated on what it means for
UMCom to see itself as being in ministry.

"We have tended to see ourselves as a service and support function, and
those are two extremely important expressions of the work of UMCom," he
said. "But what we are claiming is the function that is somewhat broader ...
in the sense of attempting to find out how we can support ministry through
local churches and in collaboration with other boards and agencies."

He emphasized the importance of local churches in his remarks to the
commission. "We work in partnership with many audiences," he said. "But
fundamentally, we think ministry occurs in local worshipping congregations,
and our efforts must focus on supporting the ministry of congregations. We
are very clear about that. 

"Beyond local congregations, UMCom has a mandate to represent the church in
the public media." It must speak about faith in ways that make it accessible
to people who do not know the language of religion or who many be turned off
by it, he said.

Research for the church's Igniting Ministry advertising campaign has shown
that many Americans experience what one person called "a hole in my soul" -
a longing for meaning and connection with others, he said.

UMCom stakes "a bold claim," he said: "God's love embraces the whole of
creation, and we are never far from God."

"As the interpreters for the church in communications, I think our task is
to 'do' theology, that is, to understand Christian faith in the context of
living and, in understanding, to live out the faith," he said. That is a
fulfillment, he said, of the agency's mandate through the Book of
Discipline, the denomination's book of laws.

The Igniting Ministry campaign, managed by UMCom, is an example of how the
agency is "doing" theology, he said.

If UMCom is to engage its audiences meaningfully, it must approach them with
respect, listen to their concerns and be sensitive to how it can provide an
invitation into the faith community, Hollon said.

He outlined several operating principles for UMCom. The agency must:
7	Be a learning organization. With information more widely available
today, the agency must continue to learn in new ways.
7	See itself in a global environment. "There are no islands anymore,
only one world." The agency has held consultations with key church leaders
and people representing ethnic and cultural groups to which UMCom seeks to
relate. Those have included Korean-American, Native American and Hispanic
leaders, as well as representatives of the United Methodist Committee on
Relief. The agency seeks to have a culturally inclusive staff.
7	Be service oriented. Customers include local churches, annual
conferences, the Council of Bishops, partner agencies, denominational units
and others.
7	Develop "new competencies" and produce competitively. In a world
where new digital and electronic media are pervasive, UMCom must produce
quality communication, and information that is relevant and meaningful. It
also must maintain professional standards at every level. "This is an
ongoing process."
7	Build relationships with its audiences and colleagues. That entails
seeking partnerships with other agencies and units of the United Methodist
Church "because the knowledge and experience necessary to minister
effectively today do not reside in one place."
7	Be research driven. In the past, the agency could produce a video
and then seek an audience for it. "That does not cut it today." The process
must be reversed so that UMCom is discovering what audiences want and
producing to meet their needs, "while also remaining faithful to the task of
conveying faith with integrity."

Hollon underscored the need for working with other agencies and church
units. "Our program responsibilities intersect with and support the work of
other commissions, boards and agencies of the church," he said. "We are not
in competition; we are in collaboration."

A recent visit to a newsstand turned up some religious-oriented magazines
that had been produced not by a church but by "parachurch" organizations -
entities not affiliated with a denomination. "Our competition is not the
Board of Discipleship," he said. "Our competition is those folks."

In fact, the Board of Discipleship has worked with UMCom in training local
churches to be welcoming, as part of the Igniting Ministry media campaign.
That was one of several examples that Hollon or other staff members cited to
show how UMCom collaborates across agency lines.

UMCom seeks to deliver information that informs daily decisions and impacts
quality of life, Hollon said. The agency's values stand in contrast with the
prevailing "marketplace culture," where consumption, competition and
experiences are emphasized. "Our starting point is the continuing activity
of God in spirit transforming human life," he said.

Within hours of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the church's bishops
approved a statement that was released through UMCom, and they authorized
the agency to do a television spot calling the nation to prayer, Hollon
said. Later, UMCom bought a billboard one block from Ground Zero that was
seen by an estimated 680,000 people daily from late November until its
removal April 7. The message, given with an image of hands folded in prayer,
said simply that a force greater than fear is at work in the world today.

The agency wants to help the church "have a voice in the public dialogue,"
Hollon continued. "We value justice and we seek justice, and especially when
human rights are violated or the sacredness of creation is exploited or
destroyed, or when quality of life is harmed, and we seek to bring these
values into the public conversation.

"We seek to minister to people who face hard times and live in hard places,"
he said. "When popular media give expression to harmful words of violence,
we are attempting to provide an alternative language that speaks to people
where they are."

As he laid out the agency's goals, Hollon gave examples of work that the
agency is already doing through its new initiatives, such as a television ad
offering spiritual support, a radio spot addressing rage, video footage
depicting the impact of violence on a Palestinian school, and an in-depth
story on the church's campaign for tobacco taxes. 

Communicating with multiple audiences is expensive, so the agency is
considering ways to develop new sources of revenue, Hollon said. 

"We are exploring renewing Kingswood Studios, which was once a significant
source of income for UMCom through production services. We are also
exploring partnerships with other United Methodist boards and agencies such
as the Publishing House to jointly produce interpretive and educational
products that will be competitive in the marketplace." The next project will
be an adult Bible study series for women, he added. 

The agency's foundation has a role to play in developing new partnerships
with donors, he said. The commissioners had an opportunity to affirm that
following Hollon's remarks, when they received a resolution authorizing the
creation of UMCom staff positions to carry out foundation work. They voiced
support for the resolution, which had been enacted by the United Methodist
Communications Foundation trustees April 11.

In the resolution, the foundation trustees committed a total of $600,000 for
three years to developing a fund-raising program. Two staff positions, one
full time and the other part time, will be created to work on that effort. 

After Hollon spoke, Bishop Ray Chamberlain affirmed him for the authenticity
and integrity of his theological statement. "This church is so blessed to
have you in this position," he said. 

Chamberlain, who leads the church's Holston Area, attended the meeting as
part of a General Council on Ministries (GCOM) team doing a routine
evaluation of UMCom. The team, led by Mary Silva of San Marcos, Texas,
participated in the meeting and also engaged the commission in an informal
discussion about a proposal that could change how the denomination's
agencies operate in the future.

GCOM's top staff executive, Dan Church, has proposed the creation of a
single governing board for 12 of the church's 14 general agencies. The idea,
which has not been adopted by GCOM or any other unit of the church, would
result in the dissolution of the agencies' individual boards and
commissions, with exceptions only for the United Methodist Publishing House
and the Board of Pension and Health Benefits.

Members of the UMCom commission voiced initial reactions to the Church
proposal. The commission will develop a detailed response at its fall
meeting, said Bishop William Oden of Dallas, president.
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United Methodist News Service
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