Other Observations :: General Conference Part III

In the morning I had the opportunity to speak to a couple of African delegates about their perceptions regarding the human sexuality issue.  They too a conservative stance, and clearly could not understand the distance they observed between the first missionaries who taught them about Christianity and the current American church.  One man said, “These people who first taught us about Jesus–what happened to them?”  It is clear that we are dealing with two very different worldviews.  This has clear implications for United Methodism if they wish to increasingly become a global church.

Those who wish to change the wording of the current discipline can be clearly identified through pins, colorful scarves, or badges that feature the pictures of family members who are part of the LGBT community.  Some of the conversations I had directly with these Methodist people and some that I overheard clearly reveal the passion and the depth of conviction which these persons possess concerning this issue.  Activist groups were present throughout the day.  A group was keeping a 24 hour drum vigil to draw attention to the issue throughout the night.  Their demonstration was peaceful.

Toward the end of the night I also witnessed some doomsday preachers near the protesters, holding a sign that said, “Homosexuality is a sin.”  One man warned the protesters that they would “be held to an account.”  I was invited by this same man to dedicate my life to Christ and live for him.  When I declined the opportunity to take a tract from him, he told me he was “up for challenge.”  He wanted me to take him on and engage him, perhaps to win me to Christ.  I love Jesus.  This man impressed me as hostile.  I politely declined the invitation to engage in a verbal sparing match.  I didn’t have the energy.

One of my final interactions was with an older woman who clearly advocated for a change in the discipline.  She went so far to say, “What is there to talk about?”  She stated that “the right decision is obvious, and they should just get it over with.”  I responded that clearly it wasn’t that easy.

Overall today drained me of energy.  My time spent with the subcommittee on Human Sexuality resulted in an immense amount of tension being carried in my body for the next several hours–I can still feel the emotion that was present in that room in the muscles of my back.  My mind wasn’t only involved, but my whole being.  I agonized with those persons on either side of this issue.  It is clear that no easy answers are present, and to me it is unclear if there is a generative way forward from which both sides could approve of and experience mutual benefit.  In fact, I see the chasm as nearly impossible to bridge.

I have been glad to be present and hang around today.  Continue in prayer for the UMC. 

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Legislative Committees :: General Conference Part II

Well, following the opening plenary worship session I headed over to observe a committee.  I chose to join the General Board of Society 2, as one of their subcommittees would be responsible for the petitions related to human sexuality.

Morning Subcommittee Meeting

Following a welcome for the day and a few brief instructions about proceedings, each subcommittee gathered in its own space to work on the task at hand.  The subcommittee consisted of mainly older males–of the 23 or 24 representatives I counted at the table only 5 were women.  Out of those 5 women, two were from America—the other three women were international delegates who did not have fluent English skills, and were thus in need of a translator.  One of the two American women is the chair of the subcommittee.  Long story short, translation issues were recurrent throughout the day, and the inability to address the need for a translator was an inhibitor over the course of the meetings.  If I were one of the international delegates I would have felt disrespected.  From what I could tell as an outside observer, they were gracious.  I was frustrated for them.

During the morning it became clear that there are entrenched opinions present in the room–the committee wasn’t sure where to begin.  There are over 50 petitions directly addressing human sexuality.  Of particular concern is ¶161.G, with the most controversial sentence therein being, “The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching.”  I did a quick tabulation–browsing the petitions I had on hand I found that there were approximately between 40 and 50 similar petitions seeking to strike this sentence completely.  On the other extreme, there are more than 600 petitions that have been submitted which seek to retain the current language found in the Book of Discipline.  Keep in mind that petitions can be submitted by Annual Conferences, churches, or any individual Methodist person–therefore regardless of the count it is uncertain how many individuals are represented by the number of petitions that have been submitted.  You can search petitions here.

I’ll also add that there were between 10 and 15 petitions which had been submitted that proposed striking the most controversial sentence and indicating that United Methodists are not of one mind on this issue–one conception of a third way.

To provide just a few more details from this morning’s meeting of the subcommittee, it took about the first hour to establish some basic rules of parliamentary order and allow for the members of the committee to try and discern how they might attack this immense task.  People were trying hard, but those on the committee were clearly frustrated.  The only petition discussed directly was #81532 (you can search this above), only to see the discussion about this petition tabled for the afternoon amidst a great deal of confusion on how to proceed.  Before the motion was tabled, there were impassioned speeches on either side of the debate.

Return for the Afternoon

Not much more came from the afternoon session other than a great deal of frustration, and anxiety.  The proceedings began with petition #80055, which was affirmed 13-11.  This particular petition removed the controversial sentence quoted above and another portion of ¶161.G, specifically “Homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth.”  The only other petition considered for a vote was #81357, which advocates for, “sex education programs that encourage fidelity in marriage and premarital abstinence.”  The motion failed 13-11 on the grounds that marriage is not an option open to all persons.  You can now see how the committee is split.

Even though I had to leave a few moments before the committee adjourned, I believe the committee reconvened tonight with petition #80449 as a starting point for discussion.  Those in the room clearly recognized the division, and were struggling to find a way that divergent viewpoints could be voiced and understood, and unity in Christ could be demonstrated.  One member of the committee directed the group’s energy to the petition cited above, as he felt it was one that could be amended to propose a new way to address this issue.  If you look up the petition, you’ll see that it is a complete rewrite of ¶161.G.  It includes a statement affirming the United Methodists are not of one mind on this issue, and seeks to frame the current state of the discussion in the UMC.

This stuff isn’t easy.  That might be the understatement of the year.

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Opening Worship :: General Conference Part I

What a day.  What follows are my reflections–this will be part 1 of 3.  Today took a lot of energy–particularly the afternoon sessions observing the discussion of the General Board of Society.  I spent the day observing the subcommittee handling the petitions on human sexuality.  You can probably guess where this is going, particularly if you know anything about UMC discussion on this topic in recent years.

I arrived this morning at the Ft. Worth Convention Center around 8:00 a.m.  I was met shortly afterward by Andrew Conard.  Upon asking for his first impressions, Andrew simply stated, “I’m really struck by just how much hard work it takes to be a denomination.”  He’s right.  Unity takes work, patience, listening, and thoughtful articulation of vision.  As I walked in the front door I breezed past a number of people from all over the world.  A choir was waiting to enter the convention center floor to contribute their gifts to our collective worship.  I had the general impression that people were happy and excited to be there.

Worship was excellent.  You can read about Bishop João Somane Machado’s sermon here.  Bishop Machado is from Mozambique.  He spoke in his native tongue with a translator at his side.  Because the message was translated, I found myself listening more carefully.  I watched his body language and listened closely to his intonation.  Machado focused his message on Galatians 5:7-10:

⁷You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? ⁸That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. (NIV)

He challenged the UMC, saying, “You were running so well–what happened?”  He also focused on Matthew 28:16-18 as part of his message.

Machado was full of passion and excitement for the gospel.  He emphasized the excellence of the theme of the conference.  He was excited about making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  He spoke of his own story and the way in which the United Methodist Church had shaped his own vision for caring for the poor and for evangelism.  It was powerful.  It was good.

If anything I left the opening worship feeling energized.  I had already heard reports of church discussion regarding church planting, leadership development, and justice, which I had blogged about here.  These early reports, which I had read, were confirmed as true by friends who were at the conference the last couple of days.  Not only did they say that these points of emphasis were mentioned, but also that a plan came along with these initiatives that had measurable goals which were clearly stated.  Vision was being cast, something which church leaders who are friends found very encouraging.

Those are my earliest recollections from today.  More to come. 

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Today’s Visit :: UMC General Conference 2008 :: Ft. Worth

Today I’ll be headed to downtown Ft. Worth as an observer at General Conference ’08.  Believe it or not, I don’t tote a laptop computer, so my notes today will be handwritten, and I’ll be posting a written update here at the end of the day.  I would ask for continued prayer for UMC leaders today and till the end of the conference.  I would also ask personally for your prayers, as I hope to meet people today who will help me in my research and thinking.

I’m expecting today to be a good day.  I’ll let you in on what I see and hear this evening.  Check in later tonight if you want to hear the details, or subscribe to the RSS feed on the site.

Godspeed.

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UMC General Conference :: Ft. Worth, TX

Next week the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church will convene in Ft. Worth, TX.  I did not grow up as part of the United Methodist Church, so over the past few years I’ve continued to learn about their polity and the means by which they make decisions.  General Conference is an opportunity for delegates from each annual conference in the United Methodist Church to gather and discern the direction of the church.  Next week will begin serious debate and dialogue over both the hot-button issues (homosexuality, abortion, etc.) as well as how to address such matters as numerical decline in church membership.

Here  is a selection of articles from the UMC website which frame the spirit in which leadership hopes this General Conference will be conducted:

• It’s Time for a New Set of Priorities : Tom Berlin encourages unity, while stressing the good that can come out of this annual conference.
• United Methodists Seek Change in Tone at Assembly : Guidelines for discussion are presented, first among them being, “Every person is a child of God.  Always speak respectfully.”  The guidelines are found near the end of the article.
• Church Budget Tightens Around Four Areas of Focus : “After months of reviewing a proposed budget that does not keep pace with inflation, the chief executives of the denomination’s program agencies pledged to preserve ministries that address those four areas — leadership development, congregational growth, global health and poverty.” (Emphasis mine)

I’ll be at General Conference for one day.  I’m looking forward to observing the action on the floor at the conference as well as surrounding the conference–interest groups will surely be represented and active.

It is interesting to me that budget constraints have narrowed the focus of the church financially, though I’m encouraged by the way in which leadership has discerned to focus their energies.  If there are two areas of the church that I am fascinated by, it is church planting (congregational growth) and leadership development.  Why don’t we just call congregational growth “evangelism” and I’ll be even more excited.

About three weeks ago I read Lovett Weems and Ann Michel’s The Crisis of Younger Clergy.  It is my hope that discussion at General Conference would be impacted by the data presented in this short book.  According to Weems and Michel’s findings, “the percentage of United Methodist elders age 35 and under has decreased from 15.05% in 1985 to 4.92% in 2007.”  That’s a drop from 3,219 clergy persons age 35 and under in ’85 to 876 in 2007.  Not good.  Weems and Michel argue that this drop is truly a crisis.  They’ve considered other factors (such as decline in the under 35 population), and still see a crisis.  They present compelling reasons for new emphasis on youth ministries, a reconsideration of the candidacy process and the terminology used in that process, and the importance of supporting younger clergy persons.  They also challenge the UMC to consider how they appoint young clergy (finding churches that fit the young person’s gifts well, rather than sending them somewhere to “do time” and “earn their keep”), they challenge the church to help reduce clergy person’s educational debt, and also press the church to change or face continued decline.

I’ve emphatically shared with close friends that the continual and ongoing crisis of any age is leadership.  It has to be developed, emphasized, and encouraged.  For churches, this requires that we speak in language of calling–there are those in our midst whom God may be calling into pastoral ministry, and it is the responsibility of the leadership to help people young and old learn to be attentive to God’s voice and respond in faithfulness.  I have met young people who are part of United Methodist churches who clearly have gifts for ministry and leadership, but those who are part of their church have never identified and encouraged those gifts.  I believe that this is simply because of a lack of vision.  If you are not intentionally seeking to identify leaders, cultivate them, encourage them in ministry, and commit to pray for God to raise up leaders in your midst, it is likely that the demands of maintaining a ministry will create a loss of focus on leadership development.  Loss of focus in this area is simply something that we cannot afford.

For all Christian people who read this blog, I would ask that you would pray for those who will be at General Conference in 2008, that God would grant them wisdom and discernment as they gather together seeking God’s direction.  I also would ask that you would pray God would grant our leadership a vision for identifying, developing, encouraging, and praying for an influx of younger clergy persons.  I pray that God would raise up new leaders who would faithfully lead congregations and feel called to plant new churches.

May God’s grace be upon us all.

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