Latin American Methodists: separate but connected
By Linda Bloom*
March 20, 2007 | PANAMA CITY, Panama (UMNS)
Bishop Paulo Lockmann of Brazil says Methodists in Latin America and the
Caribbean "can construct a new view about the United States through the
mission of the church." A UMNS photo by Larry Nelson.
|
In the 1960s, after Methodists in Latin America had expressed the
desire for greater freedom to make their own decisions, a special task
force of the U.S. church came up with a solution: autonomy.
So, through the 1960s and ’70s, churches in the region formally
separated themselves from their U.S. brothers and sisters. They also
forged new connections with each other in 1969 by creating the Council
of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean
(CIEMAL).
The history of those actions, along with considerations of what it
means to be autonomous but connected, was explored during a March 1-4
consultation between The United Methodist Church and the Methodist
churches of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The event was sponsored by a study committee created by the 2004
United Methodist General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative
body, to examine relationships with Methodists in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
One concern is a perceived weakening of those relationships. "We are,
in many ways, so separate," Bishop Paulo Lockmann of Brazil, the
current president of CIEMAL, told United Methodist News Service.
CIEMAL helped push for the General Conference resolution to establish
a study committee, said Lockmann, noting that his organization feels
somewhat abandoned by the larger denomination. "Our relationship now is
just through one or two agencies of The United Methodist Church," he
added.
Path to autonomy
The process of autonomy for Latin American churches actually began in
1930 when Mexico and Brazil were given the status of affiliated
autonomous churches. Affiliated churches originally were related to the
mission work of the U.S. Methodist or Evangelical United Brethren
churches while non-affiliated autonomous churches were started by other
Methodist bodies.
"We are, in many ways, so separate."
-Bishop Paulo Lockmann
Eventually, the path to autonomy was taken by the remainder of the
churches in the region, according to a paper presented in Panama by
Bishop Aldo Etchegoyen of Argentina, chief executive of CIEMAL.
Those churches had been part of the U.S. denomination’s Central
Conference of Latin America. But they sought freedoms that the U.S.
structure would not allow at the time – local and regional
decision-making, a more indigenous bureaucratic structure and a greater
sense of national and cultural identity.
Autonomy seemed the only solution. "The image that was used and
compared to autonomy was that of the process whereby a plant is taken
out of a pot and planted in the soil where it can grow stronger,"
Etchegoyen wrote.
Joining Mexico and Brazil in CIEMAL were Bolivia, Peru, Chile,
Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Panama and Costa Rica. Later, the
British-related Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas
became part of the organization, along with Methodists in Ecuador,
Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic.
Emerging Methodist churches are those in El Salvador, Nicaragua,
Venezuela and Honduras.
Bishop Aldo Etchegoyen
|
A Confederation of Methodist Women’s Societies also organized within
the region and held its first congress in 1942. Today, the confederation
has about 30,000 members in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Staying in touch
Speaking during the consultation, Etchegoyen said the connection
between The United Methodist Church and Methodist churches in the region
never ended. "This connectional relationship has always been present,"
he said. "Pure autonomy does not exist."
Contact provided through mission program support, assistance from the
United Methodist Committee on Relief and Volunteers in Mission, the
exchange of visitors and various consultations "are all forms of a
connectional relationship … that we need to value and appreciate," he
added.
Lockmann said Latin American Methodists can help United Methodists
work with Hispanics in the United States and can promote a better
understanding of Americans among Latin American people. "We can
construct a new view about the United States through the mission of the
church," he said.
Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Video Interviews
Bishop Minerva Carcano: "There's some woundedness."
Bishop Minerva Carcano: "…what it means to be connectional yet autonomous."
Bishop Juan Vera Mendez : "It was a slow, painful process." Also: En español
Bishop Juan Vera Mendez : "We hope the whole church will be involved." Also: En español
Related Articles
Methodism has history in Latin America, Caribbean
Latin American, Caribbean Methodists share insights
Latin Americans tell stories of faith
Committee examines ties with Latin American/Caribbean Methodists
Roots of Latin American/Caribbean Methodism go deep
Resources
CIEMAL
Board of Global Ministries |