Church’s interfaith commission dismisses leader
By Linda Bloom*
Dec. 6, 2007 | BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (UMNS)
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The Rev. Larry Pickens
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The Rev. Larry Pickens has been dismissed as the chief executive of the
United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious
Concerns.
The action by commission members came Dec. 5, upon recommendation of the
personnel committee, after several hours of discussion in executive
session during the body’s Dec. 4-6 meeting.
Retired Bishop Albert F. “Fritz” Mutti, who served as the commission’s
president from 2000-2004, was elected as its interim leader.
Pickens, 49, who was a commission member from 1988 to 1992, became its
chief executive on July 1, 2004. He succeeded the Rev. Bruce Robbins,
who left at the end of 2003 after 17 years of service, including 13
years as its top executive.
“The United Methodist General Commission on Christian Unity and
Interreligious Concerns, meeting in Birmingham, Ala., expressed its deep
gratitude for the service Dr. Larry Pickens has given to the
commission, The United Methodist Church and the ecumenical and
interfaith community,” commission members said in a written statement.
Beyond its statement, the commission declined to elaborate on the
reasons behind the decision not to re-elect Pickens, who was the first
African-American in that position.
“The board of directors of the commission spent three and a half hours
in intensive conversation regarding the future leadership needs of the
commission,” the statement said. “Conversation was frank, passionate and
included significant differences of viewpoint.”
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Bishop Ann Sherer
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Bishop Ann Sherer, the commission’s current president, said directors
“talked at length about what we needed in order to lead the commission”
and “finally determined we needed to thank Dr. Pickens and seek new
leadership.”
A search committee for a permanent chief executive was named the next
day, and Mutti was expected to arrive in Birmingham to meet with staff.
The commission is based in New York.
Listening for God’s call
Pickens told United Methodist News Service that while he was
disappointed not to be re-elected, he was grateful for the experience.
The commission’s action “does not in any way end my ministry,” he said,
but does open up new opportunities “to envision what God is calling me
to do at this particular stage.”
Pickens said he understood the commission’s vote was very close. “One would hope for consensus in this type of matter,” he said.
A clergy member of the denomination’s Northern Illinois Conference, he
has a bachelor’s degree from North Park University in Chicago; two
master’s degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in
Evanston, Ill.; and a doctorate of ministry from Chicago Theological
Seminary. Pickens also earned a law degree from DePaul University in
Chicago in 1997 and is a past member of the Judicial Council, the
denomination’s Supreme Court.
Pickens said he’s proud of what he accomplished during his tenure. “I
have attempted to create an atmosphere at the commission that is open to
collaboration with other agencies, that is responsive to the realities
in which The United Methodist Church finds itself ecumenically,” he
explained.
He is pleased that the strategic planning process now established will
allow the commission “to go forward into the next quadrennium with a
strong direction.” Priorities include continuing discussion on the
future structure of worldwide United Methodism; building relationships
with annual conferences and local churches; organizing long-term
interreligious dialogues; and fostering unity within The United
Methodist Church. The commission sponsored a consultation on the global
nature of the church last May in Atlanta.
“Unity is not a condition of sameness but a willingness to embrace
others in their differences,” he added. “I think that’s part of the
struggle that we have to work through in the life of the church.”
Staying connected
Pickens led a nine-member commission delegation to Cuba in October
2006 to meet with Cuban Methodists and provide a witness to the
importance of relationships — both Methodist and ecumenical — in the
life of the Cuban church and its people.
He also has been active in the commission’s participation in a study
committee established by the 2004 United Methodist General Conference to
consider the denomination’s historic, current and future relations with
Methodist churches in Latin America and the Caribbean. That group
conducted a consultation in Panama in March and is bringing legislation
to the 2008 General Conference.
He remains supportive of the commission’s work and expects to
continue as an elected member of the Central Committee and Executive
Committee of the World Council of Churches. “I see that as an
opportunity for me to remain connected to the work of the ecumenical
movement,” 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.
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