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By Heather Hahn*
6:30 P.M. EST November 4, 2010 | PANAMA CITY, Panama (UMNS)
United Methodist Bishops (from left) Roy Sano, Mary Virginia Taylor and
Hee-soo Jung join in a moment of praise before the Council of Bishops
discusses the Call to Action report. UMNS photos by Heather Hahn.
View in Photo Gallery
United Methodist bishops have unanimously endorsed recommendations
for widespread church reforms, including greater accountability for
denominational leaders in promoting church growth.
The Council of Bishops’ approval of the recommendation in the Call to
Action Steering Team Report on Nov. 4 was heralded as a step forward
for a church that has suffered decades of membership decline in the
United States.
“What this means is that whatever goes forward, the council is
committing itself – and hopefully the Connectional Table will make the
same commitment – that yes, we are taking a stand and these are the
levers to pull the church in the direction in which we feel the Spirit
of God is calling us,” said Illinois Area Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, the
steering team co-chair. “And that is toward more congregational
vitality.”
The major recommendations for reform include:
- Starting in January 2011, make congregational vitality the church's "true first priority" for at least a decade.
- Dramatically reform clergy leadership development, deployment, evaluation and accountability.
- Collect statistical information in consistent and uniform
ways for the denomination to measure attendance, growth and
engagement.
- Reform the Council of Bishops, with the active bishops
assuming responsibility for promoting congregational vitality and for
establishing a new culture of accountability throughout the church.
- Consolidate general church agencies and align their work and
resources with the priorities of the church and the decade-long
commitment to build vital congregations. Also, the agencies should
be reconstituted with smaller, competency-based boards.
Some of the recommendations will require the approval of General
Conference, the denomination's top lawmaking body. The bishops also
supported the creation of an interim operations team, which will be
responsible for helping to draft any legislation that will be required.
Drivers of vitality
The Call to Action Steering Team's recommendations go next to the
Connectional Table, which will next meet on Nov. 15 in Franklin, Tenn.
The Connectional Table helps guide funding of denominational
operations, including the work of the proposed operational team.
Raleigh (N.C.) Area Bishop Alfred W. Gwinn Jr. requests a vote on the Call to Action Steering Team's recommendations.
View in Photo Gallery
For the past two days, more than 80 active and retired bishops at
the Council of Bishops gathering have discussed the steering team’s
report. In 2009, the council and Connectional Table created the
16-member churchwide advisory group, which includes clergy and laity,
to address the decades-long membership decline in the United States.
The Call to Action team based its recommendations on two studies it
commissioned from independent researchers. One was an “Operational
Assessment of the Connectional Church” that found the church was
undergoing a “creeping crisis of relevance” and rated general agencies
below average in fulfilling the church's mission.
Another study, “The Vital Congregations Research Project,” analyzed
data from 32,228 United Methodist churches in the United States and
classified 4,961 congregations, or 15 percent, as “high-vital” local
churches. The study found that four key drivers
of congregational vitality in the United States are effective pastoral
leadership, multiple small groups, diverse worship styles and a high
percentage of spiritually engaged laity in leadership roles.
Fred Miller, a consultant who helped coach the Call to Action
Steering Team, said the finding gets beyond the debates between
theological liberals and theological conservatives that have long
divided the church.
“In the U.S., we have this struggle for dominance between liberals
and conservatives,” Miller told the bishops. “The research says that
(the theological orientation) doesn't make a difference for having
vital congregations. The research says that's that not how we draw
confessions of faith.”
Miller is the president of The Chatham Group consulting firm and a member of First United Methodist Church in Chatham, Mass.
Greater accountability
The studies had a U.S. focus, and some bishops questioned whether
the drivers of vitality would be as effective outside the United
States. Still, many of the bishops from other parts of the world
applauded the report's recommendations – particularly the call for
greater accountability.
“It's time for us as bishops to stand up and do this,” said Zimbabwe Area Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa. “Let us make this happen.”
Not every recommendation requires action by the bishops or the
General Conference. Local churches can work on the drivers of vitality
now, said team members.
Palmer acknowledged that church leaders have made similar
recommendations before with the goal of improving church vitality. And
some church members have criticized the report as the “same old, same
old.”
“There has not always been sustained attention and organizational
follow-through on good things that have been initiated,” Palmer said.
“I think people are rightfully concerned about the church's attention
span.”
Still, he said, he is optimistic this is the beginning of a new thing in the denomination.
“I feel as though this council is digging in sustained focus and,
hopefully, we will stick with it as long as it has been suggested,
which is at least 10 years."
*Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service.
News media contact: Heather Hahn, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 newsdesk@umcom.org.
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