About the Connection

Preparing for Change at the 2012 General Conference

2012-01-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

During the next few weeks, I will be joining United Methodist General Conference delegation leaders and delegates around the world to prepare for the upcoming 2012 General Conference in Tampa, Florida April 24-May 4. I will participate in the US Pre-General Conference briefing in Tampa Jan. 19-21, as well as a briefing in Manila, Philippines and in Harare, Zimbabwe in the weeks that follow.

One major topic of conversation among delegates will be the Connectional Table’s proposed legislation, based on recommendations from the Call to Action Interim Operations Team. This has sparked conversation and debate across the denomination, which is very good. I have also noticed that some blogs and comments are raising several questions. I thought it might be helpful to share a summary of resources that we have prepared related to the proposed legislation.

All of the information regarding the Connectional Table legislation (PDF) is available online. The Connectional Table has worked to provide a wide variety of resources to help in this on-going discussion. Here's a list of resources:

Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
The Connectional Table has made available a FAQ regarding the process of developing the current legislation. The process includes the Call To Action research conducted in 2008, the work of the Interim Operations Team, and the proposed agency restructure.

Proposed UMC Governing Structure (PDF)
The proposed legislation calls for the creation of a Center for Connectional Mission & Ministry (CCMM) under one board of directors to combine the functions of nine general agencies. The essential functions of these entities will be organized into offices of shared services and congregational vitality, leadership excellence, missional engagement, and justice and reconciliation. It also proposes the creation of a General Council on Strategy and Oversight, a diverse, representative 45-member Council that serves the General Conference by electing board members for the CCMM and ensuring that the Board is carrying out the directives of the General Conference.

For the Sake of a New World, We See a New Church: A Call To Action (PDF)
The Council of Bishops wrote an open letter supporting the proposed changes by the Connectional Table. This statement has been endorsed to date by the Iowa, Louisiana and North Texas Conference delegations.

As we prepare to come together for General Conference, there is also a Call To Action Study Guide to help not only delegates, but also local churches understand the challenges and opportunities before The United Methodist Church. The guides are available in English, French and Portuguese. We will continue to post new information and resources online at www.umccalltoaction.org as they become available.

I do believe that we, as a worldwide church, are equipped with the tools and collective wisdom needed to address the adaptive challenge before us: to redirect our energy and resources toward increasing in the number of vital congregations effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I pray that together we will see the light of Christ showing us the best way forward as The United Methodist Church.

Building for the Future -- Steps To Realign the Work of the General Agencies of The United Methodist Church

2011-12-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

Four short months from now, the 2012 General Conference will be voting on legislation that will be the first step in moving the denomination toward a structure that realigns money and organizes the functions of the general agencies to better support annual conferences and local churches as they fulfill the goal of creating vital congregations. As the Council of Bishops has shared in an open letter, this legislation will lead us to a new church -- "one that is renewed and clear about its mission. A new church that is always reaching out, inviting, alive, agile, and resilient. We seek a church that is hope-filled, passionate, nimble, called of God, and courageous. This new church takes risks to reach new people for Jesus Christ, and it searches continuously for creative ways to help each person grow in grace, love, and holiness."

In order to bring us closer to the vision of this new church, here is a short list of what will be before delegates:

Give Annual Conferences freedom to organize their structures for greater fruitfulness.
Permit the mid-quadrennium reallocation of money from the general church funds for a sum up to $60 million for purposes related to the challenge of creating and sustaining an increase in the number of vital congregations.
Provide for the Council of Bishops to elect a non-residential bishop as President of the Council to help reform the Council and focus its energies on the core challenges.
Create a United Methodist Church Center for Connectional Mission & Ministry under one board of directors to combine the functions of the Connectional Table and nine general agencies. They will be organized into offices of shared services and offices of congregational vitality, leadership excellence, missional engagement, and justice and reconciliation. This will help us align resources for greater effectiveness and efficiency.
Move the functions of GCCUIC to an office of the Council of Bishops, clarifying what have been overlapping responsibilities and improving our ecumenical efforts.
Set aside United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men as self-funding official United Methodist membership-based organizations.
Provide a support system for collecting consistent information for all annual conferences about their financial practices and recommend to resident bishops and others strategies for reducing costs and increasing effectiveness.

While we are taking steps to reach the vision of the new United Methodist Church, we see signs of hope already in the radical hospitality greeting people in need; in the work of our youth and children engaging in communities to spread the gospel through their actions; in our missionaries who have left their families to serve God's family around the world. I also see glimpses of this new church in the UMC connection that gives us the ability to reach far beyond what a single church can do alone, particularly in the areas of social justice, evangelism and discipleship.

I want to take the opportunity to help clarify the future process should the General Conference vote to support the proposed changes by the Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops. A yes vote would set several things in motion.

90 Days
First, the existing Connectional Table will be called together immediately following General Conference to name 15 persons to the governing board of the newly created Center for Connectional Mission and Ministry. Let me be clear, this is not a "super board" to govern all things United Methodist. In fact, this board is solely responsible for overseeing that the functions of the current general agencies are aligned and carried out in a way that supports the mission to create vital congregations. The new Center is mandated to hold its first meeting on or before July 31, 2012.

Once these members are named, the Connectional Table will be replaced by a new governing body, the General Council for Strategy and Oversight, which will be composed of 45 people who represent the diversity and inclusiveness of The United Methodist Church and will have oversight of the Center. Twenty-eight members will be elected during Jurisdictional and Central Conference meetings. The process will remain the same as it was for membership on the Connectional Table: 21 members from the Jurisdictions, with the number from each determined by the secretary of the General Conference, and one member each from the seven Central Conferences. Five bishops will be appointed by the Council of Bishops, including one bishop to serve as chair of the Council. Within 90 days of General Conference, the five Racial Ethnic Caucuses will each select one representative. The Advisory Committee on Ministries with Young People will elect three persons from its 54-member committee to also serve. This body will be comprised of members representing UM Youth, UM Young Adults, UM Workers with Young People, and Central Conference and Racial Ethnic Caucus representatives.

The remaining members of the General Council for Strategy and Oversight are the chief executives of the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, United Methodist Publishing House, United Methodist Men and United Methodist Women.

Also, within 90 days of the close of General Conference, the governing boards of the nine general agencies named in the legislation must meet to transfer responsibility and property to the Center. This includes: the General Council on Finance and Administration, the General Board of Global Ministries, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the Commission on Archives and History, the General Commission on Communications, the General Commission on Religion and Race, and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women.

24 Months
Once the governing boards are in place, the work of evaluating and aligning resources begins. The Center will consider how to redirect up to $60 million of World Service Funds to support development of young people's lay leadership; Central Conference theological education; the recruiting and training of United Methodist ministerial students under the age of 35; and creating vital congregations.

The 15-member board will also be working to align the functions of the general agencies into five areas: Offices of Shared Services; Offices of Congregational Development; Offices of Leadership Excellence; Offices of Missional Engagement; and Offices of Justice and Reconciliation. These five offices would report to an Executive General Secretary who would be appointed within the first 24 months.

Working for Results
In my conversations across the Church I have heard a wide variety of responses to this proposed plan to realign the agencies. "Isn't this sudden, even rushed?" asked a young adult church leader. The reality is that the Church has been at this realignment for years. We have been studying and evaluating different aspects of the church for the past three decades.

We can't deny the proof that change is needed. We have much to gain for making this transition now and empowering the annual conferences and local churches to create vital congregations through greater resources and coordinated efforts at all levels of the church.

As the research in the Call To Action Report tells us, "Part of John Wesley's genius in founding and leading the Methodist movement was his ability to focus on what worked. In his Explanatory Notes on the New Testament for 1 Corinthians 14:5, he made usefulness a primary virtue: 'By this alone are we to estimate all our gifts and talents.'" We know the functions that our boards and agencies provide are necessary for the task of creating vital congregations; however we have outgrown the structure itself. We have the opportunity now to focus on greater fruitfulness and to better evaluate what we need moving forward.

All of the legislation coming from the Connectional Table regarding agency realignment is available online.

A New Church
Even though General Conference legislation is important, we know that it is only one part of the bigger vision and the process to truly becoming a new church. As the Hymn number 87 in The United Methodist Hymnal asks us, "What Gift Can We Bring?"

I hope that we would bring our faith and willingness to be a part of God's new creation. I hope that we "give thanks for the past, for those who had vision, who planted and watered so dreams could come true. Give thanks for the now, for study, for worship, for mission that bids us turn prayer into deed."

Our resurrection faith calls us to a new future, a new church. May we turn our prayers into deeds!

Steps to Build a Vital Congregation

2011-10-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Major plans for congregational development are under way for the Goromonzi Township in Zimbabwe. The community is filled with couples below the age of 40 who are African and highly literate. Church leaders there say new residential construction in the area has great potential for membership growth. Energetic church members are considered one of the strengths in this area; lack of funds presents the biggest challenge. Leaders are clear that their mission in the Goromonzi Township is to create new disciples and equip them with knowledge to continue reaching new members. Leaders hope to nearly double their average worship attendance and the number of people joining by profession of faith by 2015.

This single assessment is only a small portion of the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference Vital Congregations Strategic Plan. The Conference, led by Bishop Eben Kanukai Nhiwatiwa, is among the first to submit their overall vision to the Council of Bishops. The plan outlines how they will work within the conference during next quadrennium to meet the denomination goal of fostering and sustaining an increase in vital congregations. This is something that every conference in the denomination is being asked to do through the Vital Congregations Project. The Zimbabwe East Annual Conference used a planning tool that can be found on the Vital Congregations web site. More than 20,000 people have visited the site to find tools on setting goals, to learn about the 16 ministry strategies of highly vital congregations; and resources to set, monitor and reach five goals - weekly attendance, new believers, mission engagement and benevolent giving. If you haven't had a chance to visit the site, I encourage you to take a look.

The Vital Congregations web site shows that much is already being done to implement the Call to Action that was supported by the Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops in November 2010. We agreed that focusing on creating vital congregations would be a denominational priority starting in January 2011. It's exciting to see the thoughtful vision developed out of the Call to Action Report begin to take shape in resources that will help our local congregations look to the future.

The Four Areas of Focus and Vital Congregations
The goal setting process for congregations and Annual Conferences builds on the UMC’s Four Areas of Focus – 1) new places for new people, 2) developing principled Christian leaders, 3) improving global health and 4) engaging in ministry with the poor. The Four Areas are reflected in the identified “drivers” or qualities found in vital congregations, such as engaged and competent clergy and lay leadership, disciples who are engaged in mission and who donate generously to missions. As described in the Vital Congregations Planning Guide, missional ministries are examples of Wesley’s “means of grace” – works of mercy and justice that include ministry with the poor and the marginalized and improving health globally, such as joining the Imagine No Malaria campaign. Missional justice ministries are those that seek to transform systems of injustice that create poverty and diminish people’s health around the globe. For Annual Conferences and local congregations, setting specific goals to start new vital congregations is the heart of the matter – creating new places of vitality where disciples of Jesus Christ are born and nurtured in the faith for the transformation of the world. As we move into a new quadrennium, our attention to increasing and sustaining vital congregations is a deepening of our commitment to the Four Areas of Focus. Measuring the fruits of our ministries in these areas helps us focus on bearing witness to God’s transforming love and grace through Jesus Christ in our own lives, our communities and world.

As we see in the work by the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference, the goals that are set give clarity and focus to ministry. It also has provided opportunity for church leaders to discuss the needs and kind of training they want to be successful in meeting their goals. In the Goromonzi Township, the pastors have identified the need for training on how to create new congregations and how to raise money for new places to worship as key to their success.

In the United States, most of the Annual Conferences have taken part in webinars about the Vital Congregations Project since April 2011. All of our Conferences are developing creative strategies to grow more vital congregations. This is a season of exploration and discovery for the church as we become the Church that is making disciples, growing vital congregations and transforming the world.

Conferences are demonstrating this effort to set goals and to put measurements in place regarding vital congregations is not just about numbers and denomination growth. This is about being good stewards and being effective at the call God has given us -- to be in ministry with the world.

For more information about the Call to Action and recommendations being made by the Connectional Table to the General Conference visit www.umccalltoaction .org.

Realizing the Future of The United Methodist Church

2011-08-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

Actions taken by the Connectional Table during its July 27-28, 2011 meeting in Nashville, Tenn. have sent a ripple across The United Methodist Church. Members voted to support recommendations made by the Call to Action - Interim Operations Team that put in place the first steps for changing denominational processes and structures. I believe when United Methodists look back in time at the 2008-2012 quadrennium, we will see it as one of the most pivotal moments in our denomination's history. Even if the plan is not fully supported by General Conference, the conversations that have erupted around clergy appointments, streamlining resources and focusing our efforts on creating vital congregations have changed us. We can no longer ignore the need for action. I believe these are very good developments.

We are no longer talking in hypothetical terms. The Connectional Table voted to recommend the following items (click here to see the full PowerPoint report):

Redirect Use of Apportionments - The General Conference shall authorize the Board of Directors of the United Methodist Center for Connectional Mission and Ministry to determine during the 2013-2016 quadrennium the most effective ways to fulfill the mission of the UMC including programs and spending at all levels of the church. The Board shall evaluate spending across the seven general church funds to assess work in order to identify significant opportunities for improved effectiveness and for achieving efficiencies and economies. Following this assessment and evaluation, the Board of Directors shall recommend for joint approval by the Advisory Board and the Council of Bishops a plan for reallocation of funding goals for each of the seven general church funds and for redirecting spending plans for a sum up to $60 million in the 2013- 2016 quadrennium for purposes related to the overall work of the UMC and the adaptive challenge. The first $5 million shall be allocated to young people’s lay leadership development, administered through the Division on Ministry with Young People or its successor body. The second $5 million shall be allocated to Central Conference theological education, administered through the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Global Theological Education Fund or its successor body.

Guaranteed Appointment of Clergy - Make necessary changes in policy and practice to allow for a just, reasonable, and compassionate process that provides for the transition of low performing clergy from the itinerancy. The Ministry Study Commission will be bringing legislation to this effect, which the Connectional Table affirmed.

General Agency Realignment - Realign most general agency functions with an emphasis on blending key competencies. Ten of the agencies would be consolidated as the Center for Connectional Mission and Ministry governed by a Board of Directors comprised of 15 people and elected by an Advisory Board (the name of the Advisory Board is not yet determined). The Advisory Board shall be composed of 45 people who represent the diversity and inclusiveness of the UMC. The Center for Connectional Mission & Ministry will be led by an Executive General Secretary elected by the Board of Directors.

United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) and the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits (GBOPHB) - Formation of a special study task group with expertise specifically related to the publishing and/or pension investment and health care industries appointed jointly by the Board of Directors and the Council of Bishops. Their assignment is to review the organizational structures and business models with the Boards of UMPH and GBOPHB to determine the optimal structures that will allow each to best serve the church and their respective missions while remaining viable and self-funding.

Denomination-Wide Financial Analysis - Designate a General Conference task force to focus on total spending across the whole of the United Methodist Church and begin with careful examination and comparison of annual conference fundraising and spending; analyzing allocations and areas of expense at all levels of the church, looking for best practices and potential for combining activity to reduce costs and giving high visibility to best practices.

These recommendations are meant to help us fulfill our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. They are not meant to throw the denomination into chaos, but to help us understand how we make changes to be more effective in ministry. I've read blogs and comments posted online that challenge every part of this plan from evaluating clergy performance and clergy compensation, to questioning how a board of directors could be diverse enough to represent the entire denomination. I've also seen questions about evaluating bishops and guaranteed appointments. I've heard the challenge of showing the theological underpinnings to these recommendations. I would like to thank each person who is making the effort to raise these important questions. While the Connectional Table, in collaboration with the Council of Bishops, has set the process in motion, it will take all of us in faithful conversation to discern where the Spirit of God is leading us.

The next steps for many of these recommendations will be legislative proposals for the 2012 General Conference to consider. Yet the signs of movement toward the adaptive challenge, “To redirect the flow of attention, energy, and resources to an intense concentration on fostering and sustaining an increase in the number of vital congregations effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” are many. There is indeed a fresh wind of the Spirit blowing across our church, generating changed hearts and minds.

As I have written in the past, these are on-going conversations and the Connectional Table welcomes your input and dialogue as we move through these uncharted waters.

Working Toward the 2012 General Conference

2011-06-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Connectional Table made important decisions during its May 9-11, 2011 meeting in Nashville, Tenn. that take us a step closer toward significant change in The United Methodist Church. We have been focused on laying the groundwork for implementing the Call to Action recommendations that will serve us well beyond the next quadrennium. This work centers on our collective adaptive challenge to focus resources, attention, and energy toward fostering vital congregations. It is a time of great excitement as well as anxiety since we do not know yet what the future holds. But we live in the faith that God is leading us to our future with hope.

World Service Budget

I want to share some highlights from the meeting. One of our main tasks this spring was to meet with members of the General Council on Finance and Administration to make decisions on The UMC’s 2013-2016 World Service budget. Thanks to the hard work and collaborative spirit of agency executives we reviewed a unified budget proposal. The budget affirmed by the CT and GCFA totaled $603 million; down more than 6% from the current quadrennium’s apportioned budget of $642 million. The figures were based on financial forecasts from the Economic Advisory Council. It is important to note that this was not a final decision on a proposed budget for General Conference. The CT and GCFA will reconvene at the end of July to finalize budget preparations, which will take into account financial considerations to further the Call to Action recommendations.

Proposed Changes

In addition to budget deliberations, the CT’s main function is as a leadership forum for the denomination, providing a much-needed space for information sharing and dialogue on the key issues before us. We heard a progress report from the Call to Action – Interim Operations Team (IOT) to affirm their direction. Neil Alexander, a member of the IOT and the CT, presented the proposed changes requiring legislation at General Conference. The current proposals being tested include:

Provide for a set-aside Bishop to serve as the President of the Council of Bishops
Combine general agency functions into fewer groups
Create a new 13-member Connectional Ministries Board to take place of the current agency boards of directors
Create a new functional area called the Connectional Support Services (CSS) with teams that provide networking, resources and support for work in the ACs on the adaptive challenge
Create a Nominating Committee – of 6 people with 3 each from the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table (later the Connectional Ministries Board)
Consider changes in the funding methods and formulas for the agencies receiving general church funds

He explained that the IOT will work with the Council of Bishops, the CT and GCFA on drafting legislation and will continue developing specific proposals for the above changes as well as other areas we asked them to address. The CT gave a cautious affirmation to the IOT to move ahead with this direction, and look forward to seeing more details as the team continues its work. We are blessed to partner with the IOT, a group of committed United Methodists who are contributing their time and talent to bringing specifics to our vision for adaptive change in The United Methodist Church.

Study Group Updates

We also heard about the work from several groups and agencies working throughout the Church. Hearing these reports helps CT members stay focused on the whole, as questions of alignment arise throughout the UMC.

The Apportionment Structure Study Group updated the CT and GCFA on four concrete proposals that emerged from their work. They are to: 1) emphasize generous financial stewardship, 2) establish one general fund called “The United Methodist Fund”, 3) provide organizational and financial flexibility between General Conferences, and 4) adopt an income-based proportional giving system. These proposals will be shared with the IOT as well.

In March, the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits and GCFA held a joint Financial Summit with 400 participants to talk about the Church’s financial state and other current realities. They have been working collaboratively to provide direct support to annual conferences on long-range financial planning.

The CT has been supporting the Vital Congregations Project, an effort led by Bishop John Schol that will introduce a churchwide approach to employing metrics using five common goals. The project has developed a planning guide for annual conferences and will be working with conference staff this month and develop a website with resources allowing churches to connect with each other.

Bishop Scott Jones joined with CT members serving on the Committee to Study the Worldwide Nature of the UMC, explaining that they will present a covenant at General Conference and invite delegates to engage in conversation about visions for a worldwide denomination. Additional proposals include creating global Book of Discipline and examining the role and structure of general agencies.

We also heard from CT member Bishop Patrick Streiff who chairs the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters. He explained that the committee recommends adding a fourth bishop in the Central Congo episcopal area based on criteria they developed. Praise God for the vitality and growth of the church in the Democratic Republic of Congo! In other central conference news, a CT task force is working to organize pre-General Conference briefings in the Philippines, Africa and Europe. Modeled after the briefing that takes place in the US, it will prepare General Conference delegates on important issues that will come before the General Conference.

One of the ongoing issues that arises in a denomination the size of the UMC is a consistency of our message both internally and to the world at large. At the CT’s request, United Methodist Communications did an in-depth study on how our messages are perceived and what would be more effective ways of communicating the varied messages across the UMC. We are excited about the results of their work and look forward to coordinating our message so that it can be heard amongst the many competing messages in this new communications age.

“Justice and Joy”

Throughout our meeting we were led in worship by staff of the General Board of Discipleship’s Center for Worship Resourcing Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre and Safiyah Fosua. These sacred times “set the table” for our worshipful work together.

One of the songs we sang together was “A Place at the Table” (Worship & Song, #3149). Each time the CT gathers, this song is sung. The verses describe many aspects of the human condition, and the chorus brings a word of hope: “And God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy!”

My prayer is that our work at the Connectional Table be blessed by God as we focus on transforming The United Methodist Church to support vital congregations so that we all may be living examples of the justice and joy of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.

Making Disciples, Transforming Lives

2011-04-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

In his book Five Practices of Fruitful Living, Bishop Robert Schnase tells the story of a woman named Helen who had lived her entire life in a Christian community of faith. He invites the reader to envision who this woman would be if you could take out the role the church has played in her life.

“Imagine if we could extract from Helen’s life all the formative worship experiences that impacted her,” he writes. He then lists in detail the many faith experiences and practices that composed her life. “We would not recognize her as the same person,” he concludes.

These words had a physical impact on me. In thinking over everything that takes place over the course of a Christian disciple’s life, and imagining it disappearing -- I felt as if I would shrivel up and blow away.

The Church has formed everything I am.

Holy Week begins for me with the reminder of my confirmation on Palm Sunday, the day that, at age 9, I claimed for myself the promises made at my baptism. Since that time, I have been blessed to be a member of 10 United Methodist congregations. I give thanks for each one of these faith communities, for all the many persons who have lived before me a life that becomes the Gospel.

Faithful Christians throughout the centuries have reached out to others with the good news of Jesus Christ in innovative ways, in order “to serve the present age.” The United Methodist Church, with its distinctly Wesleyan heritage, is now looking anew at this calling.

Since the Connectional Table and Council of Bishops adopted the Call to Action last fall, conversations across the church are increasingly focused on the adaptive challenge: “To redirect the flow of attention, energy, and resources to an intense concentration on fostering and sustaining an increase in the number of vital congregations effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

On April 6, the Council of Bishops, in collaboration with The Connectional Table, hosted a three-hour Leadership Summit via webcast. Bishops invited annual conference leaders to gather at different sites to view the summit together and respond to questions in small group settings. The event linked annual conferences from across the world together in worship and “holy conferencing “in an unprecedented endeavor. The Summit can be viewed at www.umcleadershipsummit.org.

To date, with 148 out of 243 sites reporting, 3,928 participants joined in the Summit at annual conference settings. Thirty of these sites were in Central Conferences (outside the U.S.); 16 of them have reported 756 participants.

Filipino United Methodists gather in the Davao Episcopal Area to participate in the UMC Leadership Summit on April 6. Photo courtesy of Bishop Leo Soriano.

Over 1,000 participants completed the survey following the Summit; results are available at www.umcleadershipsummit.org. Summit presenters received over 500 questions via email and answered many of them during the webcast; a list of frequently asked questions will be posted on the website by May 1.

Additionally, the information gathered at the sites was sent to episcopal leaders in each area, and will be shared at the spring meeting of the Council of Bishops and Connectional Table.

Since the Summit could be viewed on live stream, we know people viewed it individually and in other small group settings. Not only did they watch it, but they participated in dialogue through Twitter making it one of the top trends during the Summit time period. Those conversations can be found by searching #UMCLead on Twitter. Thanks also to the many United Methodists who have posted thoughts on blogs and through commentaries.

This outpouring of prayerful thought and reflection on the adaptive challenge is helping to shape next steps for our denomination. For me, all of this points to a movement within our church of concerned disciples who yearn for the United Methodist Church to truly live out its mission. While the Summit was an important venue for leaders to converse about future directions, the charge is to each one of us to live and lead as a disciple of Jesus Christ, wherever we may be.

“The local church provides the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs.” (¶201, 2008 Book of Discipline.)

Vital congregations form disciples and transform lives.

What is the story of your discipleship? Who are the disciples and the faith communities who have helped shape your faith? How are you and the members of your congregation engaged in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?

As the Body of Christ focuses this week on the passion of Our Lord and the true cost of discipleship, I pray that we would all be strengthened for greater service and devotion to His Church.

Understanding The Call To Action

2011-02-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

November 2010 proved to be an inspirational month for the leadership of The United Methodist Church. Both the Council of Bishops and the members of the Connectional Table received and endorsed the Call To Action Report. The report was assigned by the Council of Bishops in 2009 and funded through the Connectional Table.

The study reveals God at work in transformational ways through The United Methodist Church. Opportunities for increasing our effectiveness and fruitfulness lie in the development and emphasis on increasing vital congregations.

The report calls for widespread reform and greater accountability at all levels of the church. The findings and recommendations are meant to guide and inspire the leadership of the denomination over the next decade. The question of "how" to increase vital congregations is still being formulated in this process. The question of "why" increase vital congregations has evolved over the past two quadrennia.

Following the 2004 General Conference leaders across the denomination were engaged in discussions around what God is calling us to do and to be today, individually and as a people called United Methodist. We have been seeking answers to the questions: What is faithful discipleship in our time? How do we as a community of faith fulfill the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?

The process that unfolded leading up to the 2008 General Conference led us to clarify our mission and center our ministry on the Four Areas of Focus:

Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world.
Creating new places for new people and renewing existing congregations.
Engaging in ministry with the poor.
Stamping out the killer diseases of poverty by improving health globally.

We've learned many lessons through the work of aligning mission and ministry with the Four Areas of Focus. We have also seen and studied the impact of current realities on the life of the church, such as the difficult economy and changing attitudes toward religion.

Even now, the newly released figures from the General Council on Finance and Administration show in the United States both professing membership and the average worship attendance continue on a downward trend (note: full details will be made available in the State of the Church Report due in early May).

These realities led to the creation of the Call To Action Steering Team by the Council of Bishops and The Connectional Table, a group developed to implement an independent study to inform and recommend changes to The United Methodist Church processes and structure, so that it may be more successful in fulfilling the denomination’s mission.

This evolution has taught us that more work is to be done to live out our mission and to be faithful stewards.

We do see positive signs of hope. This week, GCFA released the 2009 statistics from United Methodist churches throughout the connection. We learned that US congregations reported nearly 280,000 persons enrolled in covenant discipleship groups, more than 1 million children participated in vacation bible schools, over 800,000 persons served by daycare or community education ministries, and over 15 million persons impacted by community ministries for outreach, justice, or mercy.

We want to build on what is working.

The Call To Action report offers recommendations to jump start the process which includes reforming the clergy leadership development, deployment, evaluation, and accountability systems, reforming the Council of Bishops, and aligning the work of program agencies with the Church priority of building vital congregations. You can read the full details online.

The Connectional Table leadership wants you to know that we have been listening and reviewing online conversations. One writer on Bishop Schnase's Five Practices blog wants to hear more about how the Call to Action will impact pastors. "It seems to describe a type of pastor leader that many don't see in themselves. If I don't fit this particular description, what happens to me?"
Another blogger writes on United Methodeviations "How is this different?" The writer makes the case that similar studies were done in the '80s and '90s. He questions whether this is about missional transformation or institutional preservation.

From being a part of this process, I can say that the intention of this report is grounded in the Wesleyan tradition and is intended to start a process to allow the Church to fulfill its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

I think the questions and dialogue on the process before us are good. We need to challenge and engage each other in order to make sure that, together, we build a strong United Methodist Church; one that is forward thinking while still holding on to the very things that make us who we are.

The first step will be to affirm and live into the "adaptive challenge” model. This is the time for leaders with questions and ideas, such as the ones already mentioned, to get involved and participate in this building process. As the Interim Operations Team is named and begins it work this month, the Connectional Table will remain engaged to make sure a process exists for input across the church.

It sounds cliché to say "change is hard" and "change is messy." Or, even "change is difficult." So I will end with these words, attributed to Goethe: “The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves as well…Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” Let us begin this bold process now and allow for Providence to move among us so that we are fulfilling the Church’s mission.

Beginning Our Journey on Uncharted Paths

2010-11-30T07:23:00.000-08:00

This past July, my husband Vic and I led a group from Christ UMC Farmers Branch, where Vic is pastor, to the Passion Play at Oberammergau, Germany. The play was first performed in a little Bavarian village in 1633 as a thanksgiving to God for being spared from the plague. Produced only once a decade, the entire community participates in this six-hour drama. It is indeed inspiring and I was deeply moved.

One segment of the play lifted up the Old Testament story of Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt and into the wilderness as a parallel to Jesus’ journey through the Passion. Two lines translated from German to English in my program especially spoke to me, and today are my fervent prayer for The United Methodist Church:

“When you lead us on uncharted paths, let us believe in your grace!

When we cannot see your goals, let us have faith in your guidance!”

At its fall meeting in November, The Connectional Table gave its full support to the recommendations of the Call to Action Steering Team. Earlier in the month, the Council of Bishops did the same. Most importantly, both the CT and the COB affirmed and embraced what the CTA Team calls our “essential adaptive challenge.” That is, the essence of how we believe God is calling us as a church to change our behaviors and begin to do things differently for the sake of God’s reign on earth.

We agreed that as a Church we need to redirect the flow of attention, energy and resources to an intense concentration on fostering and sustaining an increase in the number of vital congregations effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

This challenge is not just for members of the CT or bishops. It is for United Methodist leaders around the world in every local church and annual conference. And we ask for your support in realizing this challenge before us. The CT, in consultation with the COB, is entrusted by the General Conference to coordinate the mission, ministries and resources of The United Methodist Church on behalf of the whole denomination. The CT and COB commissioned the Call to Action Steering Team and, with much discernment, dialogue, research and prayer, they have fulfilled their task. We are grateful for their dedication and commitment to the difficult task which they have completed. We will be establishing an Interim Operations Team to provide leadership for the challenges ahead, but it will take all of us to participate as faithfully as we can to embody the vision of a renewed United Methodist Church.

In April 2011, annual conference leaders in all jurisdictions and central conferences are invited to participate in a leadership summit led by the Council of Bishops to discuss our essential challenge and what this means for each of us and for our denomination. The conversation is just beginning and we pray that we will have deep and meaningful dialogue about how God is moving the people of The United Methodist Church to reorder the life of the church so that we can fulfill our mission.

I truly believe that God is calling us to do a new thing in the UMC and for this vision to be made manifest, we must trust in God’s grace and have faith in God’s guidance.

A New Verse in a Timeless Song

2010-10-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

by Mary Brooke Casad

The people of The United Methodist Church are in the midst of crafting a pivotal stanza that will shape the future of our denomination.

We are seeking to write a verse that is grand in vision and unifying in power. One that will help us fulfill our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. One that will help us fully align with and reflect God’s work in the world.

Several groups mandated by the 2008 General Conference or convened by agencies have been studying different aspects of church life. This fall, those groups are bringing their mid-quadrennium findings to the Connectional Table. The groups submitting reports include the Call to Action Steering Committee, the Committee to Study the Worldwide Nature of The United Methodist Church, the Sustainability Advisory Group, the Church Systems Task Force, the Apportionment Structure Study Group, the Committee to Study the Ministry, the Committee on Faith and Order, the Council of Bishops Task Force on Theological Education and Leadership Formation and the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters.

The role of the Connectional Table in the coming months will be to help find the commonalities in all of their work. These efforts will be in collaboration with the Council of Bishops. It is likely the common or corresponding themes will become a central part of the discussions at General Conference in 2012.

The value of the Connectional Table will be to bring together ideas from each report for evaluation and discussion. Recommendations span a wide range of topics, from changing the clergy appointment system to establishing a global Book of Discipline to revamping our system of connectional giving. Common to all is a faith-filled hope to improve and reorder the life of the Church to meet the needs of our changing world. The Connectional Table will seek to identify common themes and points of convergence within these multi-faceted proposals.

The current process of collaboration is building on work that began after the 2004 General Conference. At that time, it was clear the denomination needed to make adjustments to remain relevant in a world that was changing daily.

From the Council of Bishops and the Table of General Secretaries, to annual conferences and local churches, leaders were working to address a number of factors such as declining membership, rising health care costs and improving efficiencies across the life of the church. Out of this body of work emerged the Four Areas of Focus: creating new places for new people and revitalizing existing congregations; developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world; engaging in ministry with the poor; and combating the diseases of poverty by improving health globally. Major strides have already been made in these areas.

The efforts made last quadrennium were also about framing a vision of hope and unity. The leadership for General Conference messaging in 2008 set out two priorities: 1) build unity at General Conference and 2) create hope for the future of The United Methodist Church. These priorities became the overarching theme woven through each presentation. A vision was cast with high expectations that would hold all of us accountable to make changes.

This quadrennium has been about discernment. In the short time since General Conference 2008, a lot of change has already taken place. Many difficult conversations and evaluations have been conducted. The new verse being crafted now, in this great concerto of The United Methodist Church, must be reflective of this era of change. The words that will define this time should express momentum, accountability, vision and hope. It is an exciting time to be a part of a people who are working so hard to fulfill Christ's calling around the world.

As we move towards General Conference, we want input from across the denomination on the study findings. As always, the Connectional Table invites you to take part in this process to help us craft the very best vision for our Church and write a new verse in our timeless song.

UMs ‘Strongly Desire’ Worldwide Ministry; Seek Greater Equality, Power-Sharing and Freedom Outside US

2010-09-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Rev. Forbes Matonga, Zimbabwe West Annual Conference
Connectional Table member and member of the Committee to Study the Worldwide UMC

As we come to the end of our listening process as the Worldwide Nature of the UMC Study Committee, and as we approach the most critical phase of writing the report, we believe we have listened carefully to the voices of the United Methodists across the connection as well as from those to whom we relate in the larger Methodist Family.

We have listened to organized United Methodist groups in the United States and the general agencies, we have held listening posts in the Philippines, Liberia, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and Côte d’Ivoire and we have heard from the central conferences and the annual conferences through the vote on the constitutional amendments. We believe we have heard.

Brothers and sisters, your committee is at this point where wisdom to guide our denomination is critical especially from the Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops. At its fourth meeting held in Côte d’Ivoire, the Study Committee has identified the following four areas where we will focus our work:

1. A churchwide covenant
2. Global models
3. A global Book of Discipline
4. General Agencies

We believe these have the potential to help us achieve our missional mandate as a Church as well as help us all to live together as the Church in such a way that will help us share our mission, resources and power equitably.

To read more about these four areas of our work, visit the Study Committee Goals document below:

Goals of the Committee to Study the Worldwide Nature of The United Methodist Church

Study Committee website address: www.worldwideumc.org

Call to Action Team Releases Findings of Two Important Studies

2010-07-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Colleagues in Ministry,

The Call to Action Steering Team has recently released the findings of two independent studies of The United Methodist Church: (1) a Congregational Vitality Research Project and (2) an Operational Assessment Project. These studies can be found at www.umc.org/ctaresearch.

The first study used a rigorous and comprehensive regression analysis to identify statistically significant “drivers” of local church vitality. The second study employed proven methods for in-depth interviews and surveys in a careful review of the mission, culture, values, structure, and processes of our church leading to a reliable report about the perceived state of the UMC connection.

Since these important projects produced findings that should inform our choices about future actions, we invite you to carefully read and reflect on this research and share a few recommendations that you believe emerge from the data and will advance the mission of the church. We are looking for a few key, strategic; “game changing” recommendations in light of this research that will lead to needed change to help the church be more effective in the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We welcome you to post your reflections and recommendations on this blog.

In late August 2010, the Call to Action Steering Team will formulate recommendations that will be shared with the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table. Keep this group in your prayers as they help us all discern God’s direction for the future of our church.

As you may recall, the Call To Action Steering Team was created in the spring of 2009 by the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table to guide our denominational response to the urgent opportunity for further alignment of the mission of the church, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, and the four areas of focus: global health; ministry with the poor; growing congregations and developing leaders, and to refashion and reposition the church for the 21st century. To read more about their work, visit: www.umc.org/calltoaction.

We look forward to your input on these important findings.

Blessings,
Mary Brooke Casad

2010 State of the Church Report

2010-06-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2010

Contact:
Cynthia Dopke
The Connectional Table
Tele: 773-777-7133
Cell: 773-301-0857
cdopke@umc.org
www.umc.org/connectionaltable
www.facebook.com/connectionaltable

The 2010 State of the Church Report Now Available

Dallas, Texas -- The median age of United Methodists, the number of professing members around the world and our current giving trends are among the topics found in the newly released 2010 State of The Church report. The report is now available online at www.umc.org/sotc2010.

The report is an annual look at where The United Methodist Church stands statistically in membership, giving and church growth. This year's report also offers key findings from the United States Congregational Life Survey and resources to help United Methodists stay up-to-date with important conversations taking place across the denomination that could impact church structure and processes in the future.

"In this annual report, we see signs of hope," said Bishop John Hopkins of the Ohio East Episcopal Area and chairperson of the Connectional Table. "United Methodists are making great strides in the Four Areas of Focus of the denomination. Also, this report captures how the Church is making changes to address the declining membership trend we have witnessed in the US and Europe."

The Four Areas of Focus include: Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world; Creating new places for new people and revitalizing existing congregations; Engaging in ministry with the poor; and Combating the diseases of poverty by improving health globally.

The 2010 State of the Church report is available online and through the July/August edition of the Interpreter magazine published by United Methodist Communications. The report is available in English, French and Portuguese.

The State of The Church report was first commissioned by the Connectional Table, the leadership entity that coordinates mission, ministries and resources for the denomination. The 2007 report was the first time the church produced a comprehensive overview of the life of the church. It has been used to stimulate dialogue across the denomination on how to carry out the mission of making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The 2010 State of The Church report is a collaborative effort with data provided by the General Council on Finance and Administration and production support from United Methodist Communications. Additional information in the report was taken from the Four Areas of Focus Report from the General Secretaries and Agency Presidents’ Table.

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Reflections on Worship at Puno UMC, Manila, Philippines

2010-05-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

By Stefany Simmons, Office Manager
The Connectional Table of The United Methodist Church.

I recently had the amazing opportunity to travel to Manila, The Philippines, with The Connectional Table of The United Methodist Church and the Study Committee on the Worldwide Nature of the United Methodist Church. I consider my job as office manager of The Connectional Table an honor, and I am blessed and humbled to have been given the opportunity to serve these groups of leaders in the Church.

On Thursday, April 15, I left my home near Corpus Christi, Texas to spend 10 days in Manila providing administrative and logistical support for their spring meetings. I was filled with excitement and anticipation at the experiences this international trip would inevitably entail. While there were indeed countless wonderful experiences, the highlight of my trip was on Sunday, April 18, when I had the opportunity to worship at Puno United Methodist in Quezon City. Here are some highlights…

Passionate Worship
I can honestly say that this worship service was probably the best I’ve experienced in my life thus far. It was life-changing. It lasted two and a half hours! (I wondered what people would say at my congregation at home if the service lasted that long…) There were 300-400 people in the congregation that morning, and I really believe that every single person was genuinely present and truly enjoying the presence of God in that sacred place. They sang; they danced; they prayed; they cried; they sang some more. This was real, passionate worship. I cried, because I was overwhelmed by it.

The Youth
Of the 300-400 people who were there, at least half of them were children, youth, and young adults. The youth had a passion that was energetic and so refreshing! The youth band got to lead a significant portion of the service, and they clearly enjoyed it, as did everyone. The band sang passionate songs of praise, and the dancers danced beautifully in their dresses. At one point, Bishop Christian Alsted of Denmark, a member of the Study Committee on the Worldwide Nature of the UMC, invited all of the youth to come to the front of the church so he could offer a prayer for them. It was incredible to see so many young people crowded into the aisles! All of the adults in the congregation raised their hands as they joined in praying for these young people. Talk about powerful.

Real Mission
Pastor David informed us of the many ministries in which Puno is currently involved. We learned that Puno has a daughter church, a Mission Church located in the midst of a very poor community near a dumpsite where families scavenge through garbage to find plastics that they can sell to earn enough food to eat that day. Once a month the people in the poor community come to worship at Puno. Puno is making intentional efforts to break down barriers between the rich and the poor. Puno is also known as a “MODEL” church, which stands for Medical, Ophthalmic, Dental, Educational, and Legal. Once a month, Puno offers free clinics providing people from the poor community with free medical exams, medications, dental care, legal advice, and other services. Doctors, lawyers, dentists, and other professionals from the congregation openly and lovingly share their time and talents for the good of the poor. Wow… I have never seen or heard of anything like that in any of the churches I’ve ever visited in the U.S.! We (myself included) tend to be so selfish with our time and talents. We worry about not “over-committing ourselves.”

I could honestly go on for pages and pages writing about my reflections on this trip. I was deeply humbled to see the ways in which the people of the United Methodist Church in The Philippines are unselfishly serving each other in Christian love.

Lord, forgive me for my sins and deliver me from my selfish ways. Help me to serve others the way these people do. Amen.

Keeping Current Across the Connection

2010-05-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

April was a busy month this year, with several significant meetings taking place across the denomination. United Methodist groups are on the move as they begin their work in preparation of General Conference 2012.

Here is a recap of action items United Methodists will not want to miss:

Planting Seeds – Celebrating the Harvest

During its April 21-23 meeting in Manila, Philippines, the 60-member Connectional Table (CT) approved an exciting plan to measure local church contributions of making disciples of Jesus Christ in The United Methodist Church. The plan titled “Planting Seeds – Celebrating the Harvest” calls United Methodist congregations to set annual goals for 2012-2015. The five measurable areas include: worship attendance, disciples engaged in mission, professions of faith, mission giving, and spiritual/discipleship formation groups. The vision for this plan was inspired by Bishop Robert Schnase’s book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.

In addition, annual conferences will be invited to make specific and measurable commitments in the Four Areas of Focus. The Four Areas of Focus are: Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world; Creating new places for new people and revitalizing existing congregations; Engaging in ministry with the poor; and combating the diseases of poverty by improving health globally.

Annual conferences are called to gather their 2012 – 2015 congregational and conference goals a as a gift to the ministry of Jesus Christ and present them as a covenant to the 2012 General Conference.

In presentations to both the Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops, Bishop John Schol said, “Bishops and general secretaries are called to lead their conferences and general agencies to resource congregations to reach these goals. Bishops will gather and report quarterly the progress toward the goals and evaluate what helps and hinders achieving the results we desire. The 2016 General Conference is called to celebrate the fruit of our church through United Methodist congregations and annual conferences around the world.”

The Council of Bishops voted to support further development of this plan during its May 2-7 meeting in Columbus, Ohio.

Four Areas of Focus update

Also during the CT meeting in Manila, the Table of General Secretaries presented a report on the collective work of boards and agencies in the Four Areas of Focus. The report shows denomination-wide collaboration and new partnerships. It can be found at www.umc.org/focusareas under "resources". General Secretaries are asking for input from readers about the report and current work.

Worldwide Nature of the UMC and Other Working Groups

On Wednesday, April 21 the Connectional Table met jointly with the 20-member Committee to Study the Worldwide Nature of The United Methodist Church. Six members of the Connectional Table serve on the study committee chaired by Kansas Area Bishop Scott Jones. CT members learned about the committee’s plan to conduct additional listening posts in Europe, Africa and North America before making recommendations to the 2012 General Conference on structural change to reflect The United Methodist Church’s global nature.

The study committee is one of several groups studying denominational issues that may lead to proposals for change at the 2012 General Conference. The Connectional Table will seek reports from each of the ten entities by October 1, 2010 in advance of its fall meeting. Groups include: the Call to Action Steering Team, the Committee to Study the Worldwide Nature of The UMC, the Study of Ministry Commission, the Commission on Faith and Order, the Sustainability Advisory Group, the Council of Bishops Task Force on Theological Education and Leadership Formation, the Church Systems Task Force, the Connectional Funding Task Force, the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, and the Table of General Secretaries and Agency Presidents.

Philippines Ministries Worth Noting

On April 19, CT members visited four mission sites in the Manila area that represented examples of the four areas of focus at work in the Philippines. The sites were: Smokey Mountain UMC located at a dumpsite where more than 1,000 urban poor families live on scavenging; Baseco, an urban poor community where the families of street children are jointly served by the social agencies of the UMC in the Philippines including UMCOR Philippines; Kapatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation, Inc., a social development institution of the UMC; and Mary Johnston Hospital, the first UMC owned hospital in the Philippines.

CT Chair Bishop John Hopkins and Bishop Daniel Arichea (retired) led a delegation on April 20 with CT members Rev. Lynn Scott and Ben Boruff, and Mervin Toquero, Human Rights Officer for the National Council of Churches in The Philippines, to meet with the Honorable Leila M. de Lima, chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines to express concern about the continued reports of extrajudicial killings. Bishop Hopkins led a CT delegation with similar concerns in 2006.

The CT heard from several Filipino leaders on April 22 who gave an overview of the current political, economic and ecumenical climate in the Philippines. Speakers included Dr. Edith Burgos, chairperson of Desaparecidos; Mr. Jigs Clamor, deputy general secretary of KARAPATAN; Mr. Sonny Africa, research head of the IBON Foundation, Inc. and Rev. Father Rex RB. Reyes, Jr., general secretary of National Council of Churches in the Philippines. Dr. Burgos’s son Jonas was abducted three years ago and is still missing. Mr. Clamor’s wife is one of 43 health workers currently held in detention. As a result of learning about the current conditions, the Connectional Table issued a statement in response to human rights abuses in the Philippines and on May 4, sent a delegation to Washington, DC to meet with the US White House and State Department. We ask for your continued prayers and faithful actions on behalf of our Filipino sisters and brothers.

As summer approaches, we look forward to a fruitful season as United Methodist leaders work together throughout the denomination to discern God’s vision for The United Methodist Church.

Connectional Table Prepares for Meeting in Manila

2010-04-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

United Methodist News Service published a commentary by Connectional Table Chairperson Bishop John Hopkins and members of the CT prepare to go to Manila, Philippines for their spring meeting.

When the Connectional Table (CT) meets in Manila, Philippines the third week of April, it will address the growing momentum for change that is rapidly building across The United Methodist Church. Fueled by a passion to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, we are looking at major denominational change for the first time in over forty years. Most people believe it is long overdue...

To read the full commentary, click here.

Holy Week - Then and Now

2010-03-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

It came as a slow realization, then quickly doing the math in my head, I gasped...okay, today is Palm Sunday, and 45 years ago, I joined the Church on Palm Sunday.

I still remember processing from the back of St. Paul’s Methodist Church, Monroe, Louisiana, that spring morning, singing “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus.” I was wearing a new navy blue nautical dress and a white hat. I stood between Peggy Clay and Kay Bershen; we had been friends since infancy, attending Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and confirmation classes together, not to mention kindergarten, elementary school, birthday parties, play dates, etc. Now as fourth-graders we were being confirmed and joining the church.

My parents, Ben and Nancy Oliphint and my brothers Clayton (holding my dad’s hand) and Stuart and me in front of St. Paul’s Methodist Church, Monroe, Louisiana, circa 1964-65.

I stood in front of the same altar where my parents had presented me for baptism 9 years earlier as a 3- month- old baby. Now, my fellow confirmands and I took the vows and then my father, the pastor, moved down the line of children, stopping in front of each one to recognize them by name and say a word of blessing. When he reached me, his voice cracked with emotion and he hesitated. The congregation laughed nervously. I smiled and looked up at him as he struggled to regain control, his eyes moist with tears.

After the church service, my mother hosted one of her famous home-cooked meals at the parsonage, two blocks down the street from the church. Our district superintendent and wife, Ed and Hallie Hauk, were present. I still remember Hallie’s warm smile and words of encouragement and grace as she spoke of the significance of this day in my life. Then she gave me a beautiful mother-of-pearl heart locket with an over-laid gold cross, a cherished gift I later passed on to my niece and namesake, Erin Brooke, on her confirmation day.

Forty-five years as a member of The United Methodist Church! Taking time to recall those memories of that very special Palm Sunday caused me to reflect further on what church membership has meant to me. And I was overwhelmed as I thought of the joy and privilege of being a member of the Body of Christ, the love and support that has undergirded me in good times and bad, the opportunities for service the Church has graciously given me, the study of God’s word which has both nurtured and challenged my spirit. Can there be anything greater than the Body of Christ loving us on behalf of Christ?

The United Methodist Church has indeed nurtured and shaped me in the faith. I have come to realize that through these 45 years, my understanding of church membership has grown and changed. I no longer think so much in terms of being a member of a church, but of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. As we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Crucifixion and joyous Resurrection of Easter Sunday, we remember the most dramatic and powerful part of the Jesus story. We remember the saving grace of our Lord, His tremendous sacrifice, His amazing gift of life abundant and life eternal. We remember...and like the crucified thief, ask to be remembered. And in the remembering, we wrestle with the true cost of discipleship.

I enter this Holy Week with prayerful gratitude for my heritage and with a renewed commitment to support our Church with my prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. And I give thanks for a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit throughout our church, as I see persons living transformed lives as disciples. I’m thankful for the focus, the passion, the urgency I see expressed in lives lived abundantly as Christ’s disciples. I’m thankful for our church’s mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

UMPH's Neil Alexander Urges UMs to Take Call to Action Survey

2010-03-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Neil Alexander, president and publisher of the United Methodist Publishing House, speaks about the research underway for the Call to Action project and urges your participation in an online survey of United Methodist leaders.

The Call to Action project, endorsed by the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table seeks to review leadership, governance and other organizational issues in The United Methodist Church. The goal is to consider and propose actions that will lead to decisions that will help the Church better achieve its mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” and fully integrate the Four Areas of Focus (major ministry initiatives) into the fabric of the UMC connection.

Recognizing that alignment across the connectional church is essential in fostering and supporting effectiveness at all levels, one important aspect of the Call to Action project includes a focus on the factors that are most important in assuring vitality in local churches since they “provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs.” (Paragraph 120 in The Book of Discipline).

This survey is one part of a multi-phase research effort. The survey is one of the tools to gain qualitative insights and quantitative evidence about the factors associated with congregational vitality in United Methodist Churches. The results from this survey will be used to develop hypotheses about what factors (leadership, programs and structures) are most often found in churches that are seen as effective and vital. Those hypotheses will be further tested through another survey and statistical analysis. Our hope is to have as many persons as possible from across the church (clergy and lay) complete the survey.

Researchers from the independent outside consulting firm of Towers Watson are overseeing this part of the project and will report their findings to the Call to Action Steering Team based on a combination of personal interviews, focus groups, literature review, surveys and rigorous analysis of statistical reports from churches and annual conferences about what defines church vitality, and what impacts that vitality. The Steering Team will incorporate this information and other data as a part of its discernment process, leading to reports and recommendations that will be made in the fall of 2010 to the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table.

Click here to participate in this online survey.

The Four Areas of Focus of the UMC

2010-03-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

Heard about the Four Areas of Focus of The United Methodist Church? United Methodists around the world are:

• Combating the diseases of poverty by improving health globally.
• Engaging in ministry with the poor.
• Creating new places for new people and revitalizing existing congregations.
• Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world.

Last month, while attending the Association of Directors of Connectional Ministries I was asked to tell the story of how these areas came into being. Here’s what I shared:

“In 2004, the newly elected bishops requested that the Council of Bishops engage in a new process of accountability by regular reporting of how the mission of the church was being lived out in their episcopal areas. During the 2005 Council meetings as they conversed about the fruit-bearing ministries of local churches and annual conferences, a vision began to emerge. The bishops found the practices and qualities aligned along seven basic pathways:

1. Teaching the Wesleyan model of reaching and forming disciples of Jesus Christ;
2. Strengthening clergy and lay leadership;
3. Developing new congregations;
4. Transforming existing congregations;
5. Ending racism as we authentically expand racial and ethnic ministries;
6. Reaching and transforming the lives of new generations of children; and
7. Eliminating poverty in community with the poor.

In the fall of 2005, these Seven Vision Pathways were shared with The Connectional Table, and a conversation began. As the conversation broadened across the church, Four Areas of Focus, which incorporated the Seven Vision Pathways, were clearly articulated by the general secretaries of our boards and agencies and affirmed by The Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops.

The boards and agencies, Connectional Table and General Council of Finance and Administration worked to align goals and resources for the 2009-2012 quadrennium to support these focus areas. These were taken to the 2008 General Conference where delegates were invited to embrace them.”

When I finished with my story, Ava Berry, Director of Connectional Ministries for the Northwest Texas Annual Conference, said, “Well, I thought we were doing the Four Areas of Focus because it’s scriptural!” She then went on to explain that the Four Areas of Focus had given her a tool for talking about disciples who transform the world, and how exciting those conversations had been in various local church settings. They had given her an opportunity to explore Jesus’ teachings with United Methodists across her conference, and how these were to be lived out in local congregations. As a result, she was seeing marvelous ministries unfold, and lives being transformed.

Ava’s got it right! It’s not another program, nor a quadrennial emphasis; it’s about who we are called to be as world-changing disciples in the Wesleyan tradition. That’s why I do see the Four Focus Areas as having emerged from our local churches and the conversations that followed by COB,CT and others as a discerning of God’s spirit leading our church into a new vision and future. My hope is that every local church, annual conference and general agency will continue to be in conversation about how we partner together to bear fruit in these vital ministries.

Bishop John Hopkins, Chair of The Connectional Table, likes to share the story this way:

“We are the people of The United Methodist Church.
We believe in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
We live by two kinds of holiness, personal and social.
We follow three simple rules: Do no harm, do good, stay in love with God.
We work in four areas of focus: developing leaders, creating places for new people, eliminating poverty and improving health globally.”

www.umc.org/1234

So, how are the Four Areas of Focus lived out in your local church and annual conference? Here’s what Neil McDavid, Director of Connectional Ministries for Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference, had to say in a brief interview at the ADCM meeting:

For more information about the Four Areas of Focus, visit: www.umc.org/fourareas

ADCM Meeting Marks Milestone

2010-02-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

Last week, I attended the annual meeting for the Association of Directors of Connectional Ministries in San Antonio. As a former Director of Connectional Ministries for the North Texas Conference, I’ve been attending these rich meetings of worship, learning and fellowship for a dozen years now. But last week’s meeting marked a milestone.

The Association has been limited to persons who serve annual conferences in the DCM position from the United States. Over the years, we’ve talked about our desire to truly reflect the global nature of our church by including DCMs from annual conferences outside the United States. This year, it happened!

Rev. Moses Patrick Conteh, who serves as Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Connectional Ministries for the Sierra Leone Annual Conference, was able to attend the meeting. Thanks to a good “conference to conference “ connection between Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference and Sierra Leone Annual Conference, Rev. Conteh has been on a month-long visit to the United States.

“During his stay with us he has seen a campus ministry, visited a conference camp, seen first-hand a few of our conference outreach ministries, sat in with our Cabinet and a variety of other conference meetings in addition to his trip to San Antonio,” said Kent Lolling, Director of Connectional Ministries, IGRC. “He has attended a couple district leadership training events as well as attended a Martin Luther King Day celebration. He has seen some of our largest churches as well as a few smaller rural churches. He seemed impressed by how much our conference does and made some valuable contacts with the heads of various ministries in which he hopes to stay in contact with when he returns to Sierra Leone.”

Moses’ attendance at the ADCM meeting certainly enriched the gathering as he shared with the group about the ministries of the Sierra Leone Annual Conference, and offered a special insight into the Global Health presentation as he told of his own struggles with the disease of malaria. Here’s a short video of Moses sharing the work of the UMC in Sierra Leone:

2010-02-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

“One of the essential functions of The Connectional Table is to collaborate with the General Council on Finance and Administration about the development of the budget. This is a process that invites participation and input from various groups across the connection. I had an opportunity to meet with a group of treasurers for our boards and agencies and GCFA staff last week to discuss the process that GCFA and CT have adopted for this quadrennium. It’s exciting to me that our conversation focused on the mission of our church---to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world---as the starting point for alignment of our resources.

What’s the starting point for budget discussions in your annual conferences and local churches?”

Please see the below video of Sherri Thiel, Treasurer of United Methodist Communications, as she talks briefly about this process.

The Connectional Table Affirms Plans for Holistic 21st Century Church

2010-01-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

As the new year begins, I am excited to share with you how God is truly doing a new thing in the life of The United Methodist Church. Leaders across the church worldwide –lay people, clergy, and bishops – are laying the groundwork for much-needed change in our denomination. For years we have heard grim reports about our membership decline, primarily in the US and Europe, and our inability to do anything about it. Today, however, leaders across the United Methodist Church are awakening to a new sense of purpose and possibility, a new vision of collaboration and change, and most importantly, awakening to the need for bold and decisive action. In the coming year, our leaders will be drafting the blueprints for the new architecture of The United Methodist Church.

Last November, members of the Connectional Table affirmed the Call to Action Steering Committee’s provocative proposal calling for a “holistic 21st century method for being and doing church around the world in radically new ways.” It stirred our collective imagination and garnered support from our leaders spanning the diversity that comprises our denomination.

The seven recommendations of the proposal include:
1. developing metrics for effectiveness and accountability across the church;
2. rebuilding a leadership development system with special attention to young people;
3. eliminating the guaranteed appointment;
4. recasting the quadrennial General Conference;
5. reordering the life of the church;
6. establishing a “global office” or central organizing center for coordination and efficiency; and
7. constructing a viable financial future.

The Call to Action Steering Committee was formed last spring in response to the global economic crisis and the need to build on the successes of aligning our mission and ministries across the church. As you may recall from General Conference 2008, United Methodists embraced our renewed mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We also affirmed the Four Areas of Focus as expressions of how we live out our faith as the body of Christ. In the four focus areas, we work to: combat diseases of poverty by improving health globally; engage in ministry with the poor; develop principled leaders; and create new places for new people and revitalize existing congregations. The Call to Action work seeks to make adjustments to our systems and structures so we can live our mission to its fullest.

The Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops named eighteen United Methodist leaders to serve on the steering committee. Their task was to discern concrete steps the denomination must take to adapt to a rapidly changing world and to reverse the decline of the UMC in the US and Europe. These seven recommendations are a result of their hard work.

What will this mean for our church? It will mean making our collective ministry more effective in living out God’s hope for humanity by engaging younger leaders, improving our ability to respond to the needs of a changing world and assessing and changing the ways in which our institution no longer serves us in our disciple-making mission.

Most importantly, these changes will create more doorways to discipleship for you and for those who have yet to walk through our doors, called by God to serve. These changes will support your call to bring the presence of Christ to those in need, in your own community and beyond.

The overall success of the Call to Action strategy will depend on collaboration with other groups established by the 2008 General Conference also considering significant changes in our connection. These groups include the Study Committee on the Worldwide Nature of The United Methodist Church, the Ministry Study Commission, and the Committee on Faith and Order. They have already begun to engage in open and ongoing dialogue to foster an unprecedented level of collaboration with an eye toward General Conference 2012. This will undoubtedly bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God.

The CT approved $500,000 for the steering committee to continue the next phase of its work, which includes naming a new 12-person steering team, conducting listening sessions in annual conferences and performing an operational assessment of the entire denomination. Stay tuned to learn how our leaders take these recommendations in the next phase. To read the full report from the Call to Action Steering Committee, visit: www.connectionaltable.umc.org.

In that same spirit, CT member Bishop John Schol led discussions at our November meeting about how to align local churches, annual conferences and general agencies in the Four Areas of Focus to strengthen the mission of the UMC. Aligning mission and ministry at all levels of the denomination is one of the CT’s ongoing conversations. Our meetings serve as a time when the members can become a learning community around the Four Areas of Focus. Presentations from general agencies as well as local churches and ministries in the community where we meet help inform the conversation of how we help provide a network of Four Areas of Focus ministries across the denomination. UM Communications has launched an online survey through January 2010 to gauge how local churches and annual conferences have embraced the Four Focus Areas for mission and ministry. To participate, visit: www.umc.org/focusareas.

Friends, I also want to highlight an important appeal throughout the UMC. We heard from our bishops in the Philippines about the devastating effects of the recent typhoons that ravaged several communities, and approved a churchwide appeal proposed by the Council of Bishops to provide aid for people of the Philippines who suffered tragic losses. To contribute to this relief effort, visit www.umcappeal.org. We look forward to being with our sisters and brothers in the Philippines in April for the spring Connectional Table meeting, as we strengthen our connection as a worldwide church.

Kingdom Days

2009-10-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Some days are “kingdom” days…..those days when the reign of God seems to be so very evident, those days when you understand what Jesus meant when he said, “The Kingdom of God is like….”. Those days when you just can’t stop smiling, those days when you feel God can’t stop smiling either. July 16, 2009 was one of those “kingdom” days for me.

Africa University Ground Breaking, 1991

To understand the significance of this “kingdom” day, I need to rewind to exactly two years before. As Director of Connectional Ministries for the North Texas Annual Conference, I was scheduled to be a part of an Africa University mission team composed of conference representatives, including Bishop Alfred and Dr. Mackie Norris, and members of St. Luke “Community” UMC, Dallas. My father, Bishop Ben Oliphint, died July 7; we left for Zimbabwe July 13, three days after his memorial service.

Bishop Ben and Nancy Oliphint visit with a new friend at Africa University groundbreaking ceremonies

The timing was especially poignant because my father had been instrumental in the founding of Africa University. He served as President of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry from 1988-1992; he and my mother attended the ground-breaking ceremonies for Africa University in 1991, and he returned again for the opening ceremonies in 1994.

Bishop Ben Oliphint at Africa University Groundbreaking

Visiting there immediately following his death was a healing experience as I spoke with faculty members who remembered him and came to understand the significance of his legacy at Africa University. A memorial tribute was given for him by Bishop Norris in the chapel services at AU. My husband, Vic, and our son, Carter was also on this trip, so it was a powerful time of healing for us all.

As we visited with the leaders of Africa University, we learned of their need for a health clinic. Only a small, one room infirmary was currently serving a student population of more than 1300. We also learned of the great need to educate more persons in the health science professions.

Bishop Alfred L. Norris

Upon returning home, Bishop Norris, who had come out of retirement to fill the late Bishop Rhymes Moncure’s term, called together a group of North Texas clergy and laypersons to share the story and the need. The enthusiastic group responded by organizing to raise $1 million----$500,000 for the health clinic, $500,000 for scholarships for health sciences. The focus of the campaign was Lent, 2008, when the entire conference joined in reading a daily devotion booklet written by North Texans with a connection to Africa University. Soon after, the Africa University choir itinerated across the conference, performing at several churches. At the annual conference session in June, Bishop Norris presented Dr. James Salley, Vice-Chancellor of Development for Africa University, with a check for $500,000 for the health clinic. Construction of the health clinic began almost immediately.

With Bishop Norris’s retirement, Bishop Earl Bledsoe was assigned to North Texas. He immediately began work on completing the $1 million pledge to Africa University. Dr. Salley returned to North Texas for another presentation at annual conference: the remaining $500,000 check for scholarships.

Clayton Oliphint, Bishop Earl and Leslie Bledsoe on the AU bus

Bishop Bledsoe invited a representative delegation to visit Africa University for the dedication of the health clinic and scholarships. Vic and I were honored to be included, and were also pleased that my brother Clayton Oliphint, pastor of First UMC, Richardson, was a part of the team as well. Once again, we sought healing in our pilgrimage as we remembered both our parents and their contributions to the beginnings of Africa University, and our brother’s service in Kenya at Maua Methodist Hospital. Our father died in July, 2007, Kelley in October, 2008, and our mother in February, 2009.

Stories about the dedication ceremony held July 16, 2009, can be found at:

United Methodist News Service and North Texas Conference United Methodist Reporter

Rev. Clayton Oliphint, Mary Brooke Casad, Rev. Vic Casad

North Texas representatives at Bishop Norris Health Centre

It was truly a “kingdom” day to see a dream fulfilled, and to realize that in just two short years, the seeds that had been planted on that first trip now bore fruit. The health clinic was named in honor of Bishop Alfred L. Norris. What an honor to be with Bishop Norris and Dr. Mackie Norris for this occasion and see the surprise and joy on their faces when the tribute was announced. How wonderful, also, to have the Norris’s daughter, Angela and her husband, Tyrone Johnson as delegation team members. They were able to see and experience Africa University, where Bishop and Mrs. Norris have visited many times and given so much of themselves to.

Health Clinic

2009-10-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

How wonderful to be with Mrs. Jewell Moncure, widow of the late Bishop Rhymes Moncure, Jr., and daughter Roxanne, and to see the joy when they learned that the scholarship fund would be named in memory of Bishop Moncure.

As the ribbons were cut and the plaques unveiled, the team was invited to tour the new facility. The building of the facility represented two firsts for Africa University: the shortest amount of time a building had been constructed (nine months) and the shortest time frame an annual conference had completed their pledge drive.

I was pleased to see that the health clinic was constructed around a garden and gathering place. This reminded me of my late brother, Kelley Oliphint, Founding CEO of St. Mark’s Medical Center in La Grange, Texas. Kelley’s vision of a healing garden at the center of the hospital facility has inspired many with its theme of spiritual healing as central to all healing. The Bishop Norris Health Clinic provides a similar venue that I believe will indeed promote health and healing.

The room that created the greatest curiosity had a sign on the door: Laughter Room. Our tour guide said, “We’ve heard the saying, ‘ laughter is the best medicine,’ and we’ve read the scriptures about joy. The ‘laughter room’ is available for students who might leave a counseling session sad. They can come in here and watch funny videos, read comic books. Then they will leave laughing.”

A poster in the Laughter Room reads:

I know that my dad, known for his sense of humor, would have loved the “Laughter Room.” Perhaps we can learn a lesson from our African brothers and sisters and remember that “laughter is the best medicine.”

Jayne

2009-10-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I wondered if I would know her…the little girl who had taken my hand two years ago, kept the sunglasses that I let her wear…and kept my heart as well. I searched the smiling faces of the children and suddenly, there she was.

Jayne, Mary Brooke and housemother Mary

“Did I give you my sunglasses when I came to see you before?” I asked.

“Yes!” she said.
“Do you remember me? I came to see you two years ago, and I gave you my sunglasses. Do you remember?” I asked.
“Yes!” she responded, (big smile, bright eyes).
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Jayne,” she said.
“It IS you! Jayne, I’m so glad to see you again!” I said.

Once again, she led me to her home to meet the woman she called Mother, and see the rooms she shared with nine other children. I remembered it was the first home in the row of dwellings that compose the Fairfield Children’s Home. I remembered her “mother,” Mary, who has served in this capacity since 1988.

There are 79 children at the home; most have been orphaned because of AIDS. In 2000, Rev. Owen Ross came to Africa University as an exchange student. He started the Fairfield Buddies with eight other AU students. Patterned after the Big Brothers/Big Sisters model, the aunts and uncles were each assigned five children at what was then called the Fairfield Orphanage. Peter Mufute, Administrator, shared with him that the children at the orphanage were dying at the rate of one per month. The children were housed in dormitories. Owen suggested that the children be placed in homes with women who stayed with them as permanent mothers, rather than shift mothers. He had seen this model used effectively in a children’s home in Honduras, where he did mission work following Hurricane Mitch, as well as the Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, Texas. The children now thrive; the mortality rate is significantly lower.

Students from Nebraska Wesleyan who visited there founded the Fairfield Orphanage Student Association (FOSA) and began fund raising efforts through the sale of prints. The late Bishop David Lawson brought students to AU in August 2001. Owen returned as a part of this team. He proposed that a Zimbabwean counterpoint was needed to assist the doctor who had responsibility for the hospital and orphanage, planting yet another seed.

2009-10-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Rev. Vuyani Gladstone Nyobole, General Secretary, Methodist Church of Southern Africa and me in Johannesburg.

Our group met with members of the Methodist Church for dinner and especially enjoyed our worship time afterwards. I was interested in learning more about their mission, and found the following on their website:

Our Vision
"A Christ-healed Africa for the healing of nations”

Our Mission Statement
“God calls the Methodist people to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ for healing and transformation”

Our Transformational Calls
A deepened spirituality
A resolve to be guided by God's mission
A rediscovery of "every member ministry - the priesthood of all believers"
A commitment to "be one so the world may believe'
A re-emphasis of servant leadership and discernment as our ministry model
A redefinition and authentication of the vocation of the ordained ministry.

The 4 Imperatives of Mission

Evangelism and Church Growth
Inviting people to personal faith in Christ and His gospel and to belonging in the community of faith as disciples; planting new faith communities especially in informal settlements and new urban multi-cultural congregations.

Spirituality
Connecting to the life giving resources of faith that make for moral regeneration and becoming a holy people in the world.

Justice and Service
To promote the values of justice, unity and reconciliation and the healing of national ills, physical, environmental and social and to be Christ's compassionate, outstretched hands in the world.

Human and Economic Development and Empowerment
The care and growth of children, the plight of the poor, education, quality of life, nation building.

Short Takes

2009-10-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

How is Africa University impacting the country of Zimbabwe, the continent of Africa and the world?

The team met in the home of Grace and Henry Mudradzikwa for a delicious dinner, and learned that Grace had been involved in an effort which had raised $80,000 in Zimbabwe in scholarship aid for AU students who were unable to finish their education due to the economic hardships the country is undergoing. That night, the North Texas delegation members committed over $50,000 to this effort as well. Henry thanked the delegation, saying “please continue to help give us hope. The best friends of Zimbabwe are those who help educate our children.” In time, the fund raising efforts of the Mudradzikwa’s raised over $100,000, donated by Zimbabweans.
“The peace movement in Africa today is being advanced by Africa University students through our Peace, Leadership and Governance studies.” Tino Bere, AU Legal Counselor