Pan-Methodist bishops to reflect on work together
 A UMNS Report
By Linda Green*
Feb. 15, 2007
Three decades ago, The United Methodist Church's highest legislative
assembly directed the denomination's bishops to work with other
Methodist Episcopal leaders on developing a more cooperative spirit in
fulfilling the mission and ministry of Methodism.
That conversation in 1976 helped launched quadrennial "consultations"
of the bishops of four American branches of the family of John Wesley,
the founder of Methodism, and in 1978 led to the formation of what is
known today as the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union, to
plan those gatherings.
The commission is the result of the 2000 merger of the Commission on
Pan-Methodist Cooperation and the Commission on Pan-Methodist Union and
was organized to address mutual concerns of the African-American
Methodist and United Methodist families. Among the concerns: cooperative
church expansion, training of local church leadership, coordinated
prison ministries, the family and its cultural identity, the impact of
societal factors, coordinated church administration services and shared
facilities.
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The Rev. Darryl Coleman
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The Ninth Consultation on Methodist Bishops will convene March 11-13 in
Atlanta, where bishops of the United Methodist, African Methodist
Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion and Christian Methodist
Episcopal churches will reflect on their past, work together in the
present and plan for the future. Together, the 94 active bishops in the
pan-Methodist family lead more than 14 million congregants across the
globe.
"It is a gathering for the bishops, who share a common heritage,
doctrine and theological perspective, to investigate possibilities for
mutual ministries and cooperative ventures that could enhance the work
of their respective churches," said the Rev. Darryl Coleman, a member of
the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union and pastor of
Mother Liberty Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Jackson, Tenn.
The four traditions also will formally welcome the Union American
Methodist Episcopal Church, an African-American branch of Methodism,
into the pan-Methodist family.
One body, many members
A community gathering at West Mitchell Christian Methodist Episcopal
Church will open the convocation. While the meeting is designed for the
bishops, the gathering includes the membership of the pan-Methodist
bodies from across the city and surrounding areas. There will be
worship, preaching, singing, celebrating communion and presentations to
increase awareness of the mission and ministry of pan-Methodism.
The bishops will look back at the progress and challenges of the last
three decades and focus on planning and direction for the future, said
Mary Love, executive secretary of the 38-member Commission on
Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union and a member of the African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
Working under the vision of "one body, many members," the
commission's purpose is to help family members of Methodism move toward
union by redefining and strengthening relationships in Jesus Christ. The
commission works to foster a spirit of cooperation in the areas of
evangelism, missions, publications, social concerns and higher
education.
In the United States, the Methodist Episcopal Church organized in
1784. In the nine decades that followed, American Methodism experienced
division and separation, as black Methodists created their own
denominations in response to racism and other injustices that existed in
the main Methodist bodies.
Byrd Bonner, the director of the United Methodist Church Foundation
and a longtime member of the commission, affirms the commonalities - in
polity, ministries, sacraments, creedal commitments, and organization -
that the pan-Methodist churches share. But "the sin of racism has
brought about division between and within us in various ways," said
Bonner of San Antonio.
The consultation will enable the bishops "to delve deeper into the
implications of those divisions" and, in conjunction with the Commission
on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union, "seek a balance of the redress
of the egregious sins of the past with the rich history and ministry
that carry us all together into the future," he said.
Identifying issues
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Bishop Nathaniel Jarrett
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Love sees tremendous value in bringing together every four years the 50
active United Methodist bishops, the 10 active episcopal leaders of the
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the 11 members of the active
episcopacy of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the 21 active
heads of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the two bishops of
the Union American Methodist Episcopal Church.
In addition to fellowship and personal sharing, the consultation
provides a way to identify issues that each of the Methodist bodies can
address as a Methodist family and commit to doing things together, said
Love of Charlotte, N.C.
Bishop Nathaniel Jarrett, president of the commission and a member of
the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Chicagonoted that the
processes of the consultation allow the bishops "to have a stronger
common voice to address issues that challenge our day. We are at a
crossroads, so we need to examine what has been done, gain clarity and
provide for a focused ministry for the future," the bishop said.
The bishops will have a chance to set an agenda together, according
to Coleman. "The consultation provides a unique opportunity for the
judicatory heads to come together and set a common agenda for not only
addressing the needs of their members but also impacting some of the
pressing issues presently facing our national and global community."
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Bishop William Oden
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The theological implications of the consultation "are rooted in Jesus'
prayer for his disciples at the close of the Upper Room Discourse, and
as recorded in John 17:11b," said commission member Letitia
Williams-Watford, a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in
Montgomery, Ala. "Jesus' heartfelt desire for his disciples is that we
experience unbroken unity, that we 'may be one' even as he and the
Father are one."
During the three-day consultation, the bishops will gain an increased
awareness of the work and history of pan-Methodism and focus on the
meaning of full communion.
United Methodist Bishop William Oden will lead the communion discussion.
He said he will focus the discussion by asking: "(Are) our
denominations in full communion with each other, and if not, how do we
do so?"
As the ecumenical officer for the United Methodist Council of
Bishops, he said, "It is my hope that the whole meeting will be
undergirded by our common theological heritage as members of the Wesley
family."
Looking to the future
According to Oden, "there needs to be clarification of common goals
and strategizing on what we can do together not only in the United
States but in other parts of the world where we exist, particularly in
Africa."
Seven years have passed since The United Methodist Church apologized
to the African-American Methodist churches for the racism and injustices
that caused them to divide from the main Methodist church.
During the 2000 General Conference, the delegates engaged in a
service of repentance and reconciliation. The African-American Methodist
churches announced they would be "fruit inspectors" because it not
enough to apologize without a commitment to change.
"The consultation gives our episcopal leaders an opportunity to
inspect some fruit in the presence of all," Bonner said. "The
consultation will give our bishops an opportunity to share some current
commitments that each have made both as to the structure and mission of
the larger church."
More information about the consultation and pan-Methodism are available by contacting Love at mjet64@aol.com or call (704) 599-4630.
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related artilcles
Pan-Methodist commission continues journey of becoming one
'Invisible' church joins Pan-Methodist commission
Pan-Methodist bishops take concern for children to capital
Resources
Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union
Interdenominational Cooperation Fund
Act of Repentance for Racism |
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