GMC General Conference: Two Petitions on Appointment Making and Mission Statement That I Support

The first-ever Global Methodist General Conference is happening this September in Costa Rica, and the submitted petitions to the conference have been published here if you are interested.

This conference is, of course, quite important, as it will set the tone and form of the emerging denomination for years to come. The great question for Global Methodists is will we be able to maintain the spirit of a movement within a denominational structure, or will we succumb to the inertia of what was in our previous connectional system? You can tell, just in the overview of what has been submitted, that many people are thinking really carefully about how we can wisely put into place a connection that has a good balance of accountability, without an overbearing top-down structure that leaves little room for flexibility and risk-taking when it comes to church planting, local church structure, and evangelism.

I am encouraged by a lot of these petitions, having just briefly skimmed them, but I want to bring two to your attention that I support and am excited about:

Petition 043 on Appointment Making

The first is Keith Boyette’s petition to alter the language about clergy deployment in the GMC, which I have written about previously here. What I like is the inclusion of this phrase in part 7, which reads, “Both congregations and those under consideration for appointment may decline the finalization of an appointment with the understanding that other options may or may not be available. The Assembly of Bishops shall hold its members accountable for the implementation of the consultative process in their respective areas.”

This to me makes a much clearer statement about what a modified sent system looks like; it’s not top-down itineracy as it was practiced in the UMC; neither is it fully a congregational call system. But rather, it looks like a pretty healthy combination of the two, closely matching what is already naturally happening on the ground in the GMC. I hope this petition finds support and affirmation in the General Conference.

Here is the petition in full:

Petition 043 from Keith Boyette:

¶ 510. CONSIDERATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR APPOINTMENTS.

1. To strengthen and empower the local church to effectively carry out its mission for Christ in the world, clergy shall be appointed by the bishop and these appointments reported annually to the conference.

2. Appointments are to be made with consideration to the needs, characteristics, and opportunities of congregations and institutions, the gifts and evidence of God’s grace of those appointed, and in faithfulness to our commitment to an open itinerancy. Open itinerancy means appointments are made without regard to race, tribal or ethnic origin, gender, disability, marital status, or age.

3. Appointment-making across conference lines shall be encouraged to resource churches and enable open itinerancy. Clergy in good standing are free to seek an appointment in any annual conference. Bishops, conference superintendents, and cabinets should share information on supply and demand across the church.

4. Appointment-making will reflect the unique needs of a charge, the community context, and the gifts of a particular pastor. Criteria will be developed in each instance and then shared with pastors and congregations. These criteria may include profiles of the congregation, pastor, and missional setting.

5. Cross-racial and cross-cultural appointments are made as a creative response to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the church and in its leadership. Cross-racial and cross-cultural appointments are appointments of clergypersons to congregations of which the majority of their constituencies are different from the clergyperson’s own racial/ethnic and cultural background. Annual conferences shall prepare clergy and congregations for cross-racial and cross-cultural appointments through adequate training.

a. Each annual conference committee on superintendency shall be responsible for working with the bishop, the conference superintendent, and the presiding elders to ensure compliance with the commitment to open itineracy and the equitable and fair consideration of diverse race, tribal, or ethnic origin, gender, disability, marital status, and age during the appointment process.

b. Annually, the bishop and/or the conference superintendent of each annual conference shall deliver a report to the annual conference committee on superintendency addressing the specific steps taken to ensure persons were considered for appointments who were of diverse race, tribal, or ethnic origin, gender, disability, marital status, and age. Such report shall enumerate the cross-racial and cross-cultural appointments that were made and the extent to which cross-racial and cross- cultural appointments were considered where such appointments were not made.

c. The annual conference committee on superintendency shall annually report to the General Committee on Episcopacy the progress of the annual conference in fulfilling the commitment to open itineracy, and the General Committee on Episcopacy shall annually provide direction to the annual conference committees on superintendency to enhance fulfillment of open itineracy in each annual conference.

6. Clergy shall not have a guaranteed right to an appointment. Effort will be made to deploy all effective clergy. Deacons and elders who are not under appointment shall be considered inactive (¶¶ 409.3, 410.3).

7. The process of appointment making is to be thoroughly consultative. Consultation is the process by which the bishop and/or the presiding elder confers with the pastor and the pastor- parish relations committee to understand (a) the needs, characteristics, and opportunities for the mission of the congregation, (b) the gifts, evidence of God’s grace, professional experience, and expectations of the pastor and any spouse and family, and (c) the missional setting. Consultation is both a continuing process and a more intense involvement during the period of a change in appointment. Both congregations and those under consideration for appointment may decline the finalization of an appointment with the understanding that other options may or may not be available. The Assembly of Bishops shall hold its members accountable for the implementation of the consultative process in their respective areas.

8. The bishop, conference superintendent, and cabinet should work toward multi-year (rather than annual) local church appointments to facilitate a more effective ministry.

9. Upon the recommendation of the conference superintendent and cabinet, bishops may appoint deacons and elders to extension ministries outside the local church upon approval of the setting by the Board of Ministry. The appointment should reflect the nature of ordained ministry meeting needs in the world in keeping with the mission of the church (¶ 403). A process of consultation shall be available to persons in appointments beyond the local church, as needed and appropriate. Such persons remain active clergy.

10. Upon the recommendation of the conference superintendent and cabinet, bishops may appoint deacons and elders to attend any recognized school, college, or theological seminary, or to participate in an accredited program of clinical pastoral education. Such appointments are a separate category from appointments to ministries outside the local church. Such persons remain active clergy.

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Petition 047 to Change Mission Statement

I also support David Watson’s petition to change the mission statement of the GMC to read as follows:

“THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH: Led by the Holy Spirit, the Global Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe.”

This, in my eyes, is concise, easy to remember, and specifically Wesleyan in the way that Global Methodists hope to be. I think as Wesleyans we should have confidence that we really do have a unique gift to bring to the universal church, specifically our emphasis on entire sanctification and holiness. Dr. Watson’s rationale for the mission statement is also a concise, helpful framing of what it looks like to participate in the mission of God as the church.

Here’s his petition in full:

Petition 047 to Change ¶ 301

¶ 301. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH. The mission of the Global Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.

Anchored in our belief in Jesus Christ, the Church is of God and will be preserved to the end of time to worship God in spirit and in truth, to faithfully preach God's Word and offer the holy sacraments, to edify all who believe and encourage them to grow in their lives of holiness and service to others, to minister to those who are in special need, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to present the world with a clear and compelling invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord. All those of every age and station stand in need of the grace that God has promised to extend to others through His Body, the Church. While it is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit to change the hearts of individuals, ours is the task of sharing the good news of God as we respond to the summons of Christ in Matthew 28: "As you are going, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you," even as Christ has promised to remain with us always, "even to the end of the age."

Following the example of early Methodists, we believe God has raised us up in order to "spread scriptural holiness across the land," embodying that "grand depositum" of the faith that John Wesley believed had been entrusted to "the people called Methodists," the continued striving for entire sanctification in our lives. As individual believers in Christ, and as those gathered together in local congregations, our calling is to connect with the communities and the world around us, extending both grace and mercy. Growing in our personal faith, and effectively discipling others, are both life-long expressions of loving the Lord with all of our hearts, all of our being, and all of our minds, as well as loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Replace with:

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH: Led by the Holy Spirit, the Global Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe.

The church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. The mission of the church is an extension of the mission of God—the missio Trinitatis. As Christ draws all people to himself, we participate in that work through our evangelism, worship, preaching, teaching, sacramental practice, works of mercy, works of piety, and fellowship. All those of every age and station stand in need of the grace that God has promised to extend to others through his body, the Church.

While it is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit to change the hearts of individuals, ours is the task of sharing the good news of God as we respond to the summons of Christ in Matthew 28: “As you are going, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” even as Christ has promised to remain with us always, “even to the end of the age.” Following the example of early Methodists, we believe God has raised us up in order to “spread scriptural holiness across the land,” embodying that “grand depositum” of the faith that John Wesley believed had been entrusted to “the people called Methodists,” the continued striving for entire sanctification.

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More importantly than any petition submitted, of course, is the character and quality of the preachers and lay people that make up the emerging GMC. If the decline and division of the United Methodist Church taught us anything, it was that written rules and covenants are useless if there are not people of courage and conviction to live into them. We can craft the most concise mission statement, and form the best structure on paper, but if we are not on our knees in desperation to the God who brings revival and renewal, then we will be utterly lost. So please join me in praying that our God would do such a thing, even through a people like us, who so often have gotten it wrong.

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