2014 UM Polity Series – Annual Conference (Part 2)

The Iowa Conference Center located at 2301 Rittenhouse Street in Des Moines. (Near the airport just off of Army Post Road and Fleur Drive.)

As I said in my last article, “In addition to being an annual meeting, the annual conference is also a structure which supports churches and persons in mission and ministry throughout the year.”  This time we will talk about some of those structures.

The work of the Annual Conference during the year is carried out by various boards and agencies, just like the General Church.  I will outline some of these groups and their work.  (This is based on the organization of the Iowa Annual Conference.)

• ·         Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) – Prepares, examines, and recommends candidates for ordained ministry and provides for the continuing education, support, and accountability for clergy.
• ·         Conference Connectional Ministry Council (CCMC) – Coordinates the various ministries of the Annual Conference.
• ·         Council of Finance and Administration (CF&A) – Complies the budget and provides financial oversight and guidance.
• ·         Board of Higher Education – Acts as a liaison between the Annual Conference and United Methodist related colleges. (In Iowa: Simpson College, Iowa Wesleyan, Morngingside, and Cornell College.)  Also, supports and oversees Wesley Foundations, UM student ministries at non-UM schools.  (In Iowa at: Iowa, Iowa State, UNI, and Drake.)
• ·         Board of Camp, Conference and Retreat Ministries – Oversees our three United Methodist Camps: Wesley Woods, Okoboji, and Pictured Rocks.
• ·         Board of Global Ministries – Connects the Conference to the General Board of Global Ministries and oversees many ministries within the Conference including: Disaster Relief, Parish Development, Hispanic Ministries, and the Iowa-Nigeria Partnership.
• ·         Board of Church and Society – Leads the Conference in awareness and public witness regarding social and moral issues.
• ·         Board of Pension and Health Benefits – Administers health insurance, pensions, and other benefits for clergy and lay employees of the Conference and its churches.
• ·         United Methodist Women, United Methodist Men, Youth, and Older Adult Ministries – Provide connection and resources to groups in local churches.  UMW and UMM are separate organizations but are connected to the Conference.

This list could go on and on; there are many ministries and services that our Annual Conference provides, in Iowa and around the world.  But it cannot be done without you, the people in our local churches.  First, we support all of these ministries through our giving to our local churches when our churches pay their apportionments, so your generosity is greatly appreciated, it goes farther than you could ever imagine.  (I will say more about apportionments in a future article.)  Second, each of these boards and committees is made up of both lay and clergy members from around the Conference and we are always in need of lay people who are willing to step up and serve at the District or Conference level.  If you are interested, please contact me and I will get you connected to someone.        

2014 UM Polity Series – Annual Conference

        Article IV of the Constitution of the United Methodist Church calls annual conferences the “fundamental bodies of the Church.” (Discipline ¶11)

According to Discipline the purpose of the annual conference is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (this is the mission of the whole UMC according to ¶120) by equipping its local churches for ministry and by providing a connection for ministry beyond the local church; all to the glory of God.” (Discipline ¶601)

We are in the Iowa Annual Conferences which includes the state of Iowa and one church in Illinois (Wesley UMC in East Dubuque.)  However, there may be more than one annual conference in a state, or one annual conference may be made up of more than one state.  It may also work the same way for areas outside of the United States.  The map at left shows the annual conferences in the United States.

As the name implies, annual conference is a meeting that takes place once each year. (In Iowa in early June; in 2014, June 7-9.)  At this meeting we gather for worship, fellowship, and learning.  We also receive reports about various ministries and conduct business sessions to approve budgets, ministry plans, rules and policies of the annual conference, and resolutions related to social and moral issues.

Membership in the annual conference includes all of the clergy, active and retired, and an equal number of lay members.  Each charge elects one lay member for each pastor serving the charge. (Our three church charge elects one lay member to balance me as the pastor.)  Retired clergy and other clergy serving outside of the local church (chaplains, staff positions, etc.) are balanced by lay persons who are in certain positions of conference and district leadership, including United Methodist Men and United Methodist Women, as well as youth and young adult members.  If there are still clergy left to be balanced, each district will be assigned a number of equalization members.  The district will then assign equalization members to charges with larger membership which may be underrepresented. (For 2014 our charge has been assigned two equalization members, which, in addition to our regular member, makes our total of lay members three.  They are Carol Matta, Dee Shope, and Terri Goodhart. Each of them represents the charge as a whole, not just one church.)

For almost all of the business and activities of the annual conference session the clergy and laity meet together as one body of equals.  However, the clergy are required to gather separately in an additional session called clergy, or executive, session.  During this closed session ordained clergy members vote on clergy candidates, handle any issues of clergy discipline, and vote to grant retirement, disability and other changes in clergy status.  The Discipline calls these “matters of ordination, character, and conference relations of clergy.”  (For clergy, membership is in the annual conference, not the local church.  The annual conference is the primary place where clergy receive support and accountability.)   While the clergy are in clergy session the lay members sometimes also gather in laity session.

In addition to being an annual meeting, the annual conference is also a structure which supports churches and persons in mission and ministry throughout the year.  We will talk more about how the annual conference works throughout the year in the next article.              

2014 UM Polity Series – Bishops

        “Bishops are elected from the elders and are set apart for a ministry of servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision.  As followers of Jesus Christ, bishops are authorized to guard the faith, order, liturgy, doctrine, and discipline of the Church.  The role and calling of the bishop is to exercise oversight and support of the Church and its mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” (Discipline ¶403.1)

Bishops (Episcopoi, or Overseers, in Greek) are elected from among the (ordained) elders by Jurisdictional and Central Conferences.  (The number of bishops in each Jurisdiction or Central Conference is determined by a formula.  There are currently 46 active bishops in the US and 20 outside the US.)  In the United States bishops are elected for life; some Central Conferences have term episcopacy.  Often candidates for bishop receive official endorsements by the vote of their annual conferences, but any elder can be elected a bishop.

Once elected, bishops serve the whole Church, however, bishops are assigned to particular service (for four year terms) in an Episcopal Area which may contain one or more annual conferences.  We are in the Iowa Episcopal Area which includes the Iowa Annual Conference.  The bishop currently assigned to our Episcopal Area is Bishop Julius Trimble (pictured left.)  For more information about Bishop Trimble go to www.iaumc.org/pages/detail/1925.

At the Jurisdictional and Central Conference level bishops are members of the College of Bishops.  At the General Church level they are members of the Council of Bishops.  Retired bishops are also members of the Council but only active bishops have vote.  The Colleges and the Council elect their own officers, including a president, however these officers also continue to serve their own episcopal areas and have no unique authority over the Church beyond that of other bishops.  (There was a move, which failed, at General Conference 2012 to provide for a “set aside” bishop without assignment to an episcopal area to represent the whole Church.)

In addition to general oversight and representing the whole Church, the particular duties of bishops include: their role in the judicial process (which I explained in a previous article,) presiding over Annual, Jurisdictional, Central, and General Conferences, consecrating, licensing, commissioning, and ordaining clergy (and lay people to special service,) and appointing clergy to their places of ministry.

Assisting the bishop in his or her duties, particularly in appointing pastors, are District Superintendents (also called Conference Superintendents.)  Superintendents are elders appointed by the bishop to assist in the oversight of the whole annual conference in general, and have particular oversight of one area of the annual conference called a District.  (More about Districts in a future article.)  The Superintendents of the annual conference (there may only be one) and the bishop meet together in what is called the Cabinet.  This is the meeting in which clergy appointments and other matters of annual conference leadership are discussed.        

2014 UM Polity Series – Jurisdictions and Central Conferences

There is a layer of administration between General Conference and the General Church and the Annual Conferences, to which local churches and individual clergy belong: Jurisdictions and Central Conferences.

In the United States the United Methodist Church is divided into five Jurisdictions: North Eastern, South Eastern, North Central, South Central, and Western (including Alaska and Hawaii.) (see map)

Iowa is part of the North Central Jurisdiction which includes Iowa as well as Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota.

Each Jurisdiction has a Jurisdictional Conference every four years in the summer of the same year as General Conference.  Delegates are the lay and clergy delegates to General Conference from each Annual Conference for the same year plus the same number of additional lay and clergy delegates which makes the delegation to Jurisdictional Conference twice the size.

The most important work of the Jurisdiction and Jurisdictional Conference is the election and assignment of bishops (more about bishops in the next article.)  However, Jurisdictions also play a key role in ensuring proportional representation on General Boards and Agencies, in the appeal process for church trials, and in coordinating mission and ministry among Annual Conferences particularly with youth, United Methodist Women, and United Methodist Men.

Outside of the United States the UMC is divided into seven Central Conferences.  There are three Central Conferences in Europe: Germany, Northern Europe and Eurasia, and Central/Southern Europe; three in Africa, Africa Central, West Africa, and Congo; and one in Asia: Philippines. (See the map which also includes membership numbers for each Jurisdiction and Central Conference.)

Central Conferences like Jurisdictions are made of the Annual Conferences within their boundaries.  Central Conferences perform the same functions as Jurisdictional Conferences: electing bishops, coordinating the mission and ministry of Annual Conferences, and relating to General Boards and Agencies and General Conference.  However, Central Conferences also have one other very special power, they can adapt some to the rules in the Book of Discipline according to their local needs.  

Pastor Brian.

2014 UM Polity Series – Church Courts

It should come as no surprise that a church as large as ours has its own system of courts to deal with violations of church law for both clergy at every level and lay members.  In fact, you may have heard of church trials in the news recently.  The process differs a little depending on whether the accused is a layperson, a member of the clergy, or a bishop.  Yes, there is a process by which a lay member of a local church can be charged with a violation of church law, tried, and removed from leadership, and even from membership, in the church, and a process of appeal.  However, since these almost never happen, I will not go into detail.  Instead, I want to be more narrative with this article.  I am going to tell you a story which follows a fictional pastor through the process.
Pastor Jones performs a funeral for a member of a church to which he was previously appointed without the knowledge or permission of the current pastor, Pastor Smith.  This is a violation of the rule which forbids a pastor to hold religious services within the bounds of the charge of another pastor, which includes the buildings, the geographic area, and the people. (Discipline ¶341.4)  When Pastor Smith tries to speak with Pastor Jones about this, Pastor Jones says that he does not care what the rules say, he will do whatever funerals he wants to do.
Pastor Smith makes a written complaint to her bishop stating that Pastor Jones has violated ¶341.4 and that, in so doing, he has committed two chargeable offences: ¶2702.1.d Disobedience to the order, doctrine, and discipline of the United Methodist Church; and ¶2702.1.f Relationships and/or behavior that undermines the ministry of another pastor.
The bishop receives the complaint (¶363.1) and consults with both Pastor Smith and Pastor Jones in order to attempt a “Just Resolution” (¶363.1.c) to the problem.  The bishop suggests that Pastor Jones apologize to Pastor Smith for conducting the funeral without her permission and promise to never conduct services in the parish of another pastor again.  Pastor Jones refuses to do either of these things.
Since the bishop was not able to reach a just resolution, she appoints another pastor to act as counsel for the Church, kind of like a prosecuting attorney. (¶363.1.e.2 and ¶2704.2.a)  The counsel for the Church conducts further investigation and determines that there is enough evidence for charges and a trial and informs the bishop that the charges are ready to proceed to trial.  At this point, Pastor Jones will be able to select another pastor to be his counsel.  Also, any time prior to trial, Pastor Jones may choose to accept a just resolution or to withdraw (¶361.3) his clergy membership under charges.  However, if Pastor Jones does withdraw under charges, those charges would have to be addressed prior to him being restored as a member of the clergy.
The bishop then appoints a presiding officer (judge), another bishop, for the trial court. (¶2713.1-2)  The presiding officer appoints a secretary (¶2708.1) and out of a pool of 35 pastors a trial court (jury) of 13, plus two alternates, is selected. (¶2708.2-4)
The trial proceeds much like a secular trial would except that, as Christians, no oaths are required. (¶2710.3)  Nine of 13 votes are required to convict and seven of 13 votes are required to impose penalty. (¶2711.2-3)  The trial court finds Pastor Jones guilty of all counts and specifications and imposes the penalty of revocation of clergy credentials and termination of conference membership, the highest penalty a trial court can impose on a member of the clergy. (¶2711.3)
Pastor Jones has the right to appeal the decision of the trial court to the Jurisdictional Committee on Appeals (¶2716) and finally, to request a review by the Judicial Council. (¶2609.8)
The Judicial Council is the ‘Supreme Court” of the UMC and is made of nine members, both laity and clergy.  In addition to reviewing trial appeals, the Judicial Council determines the constitutionality (under UMC Constitution) of proposed legislation of General Conference, determines the legality of the actions of any part of the Church, reviews “decisions of law” made by bishops, and provides “declaratory decisions” when requested by any part of the Church. (¶¶2601. 2602, 2609, and 2610)
The system is complex, but in a church as large as ours, we need a complex system to ensure that we have accountability and support with fairness.
Pastor Brian

2014 UM Polity Series – General Boards and Agencies

        In the last article I talked about General Conference which is the highest legislative body of the global, not just national, United Methodist Church.  You may remember that I said that the United Methodist Church as a whole does not legally exist; it is not incorporated as such and there is no single headquarters. 

The work of the United Methodist Church at the general level is carried out by the general boards and agencies.  Each is separately incorporated as a legal entity, each is independent of one another, and each receives the mandate for its work from, and reports directly to, General Conference. You may also remember that there was a move during General Conference 2012 to switch to a smaller structure including a central governing board and central office.  This was ruled by the Judicial Council (more about them in a future article) as unconstitutional, per the UMC Constitution, because it required the general boards and agencies to directly report to another body other than General Conference.

There are 12 general boards and agencies.  Each has a Board of Directors of varying size and make-up as directed by General Conference in the Discipline, but each includes bishops, representatives from each Jurisdiction and Central Conference, (more about these later) and others to insure diversity and expertise.  Each has a president, traditionally a bishop, and a staff headed by a General Secretary.

            General Council on Finance and Administration cares for the overall financial, legal, and administrative concerns of the general church and provides resources and advice to local churches.  Each of the general boards and agencies handles its own funds under the guidance of GCFA.

            General Board of Church and Society leads the church in response to social issues, provides resources to local churches on social issues, and communicates the UMC position on social issues to political leaders, the media, and all of society.  Only the General Conference can adopt official positions on social issues on behalf of the whole UMC and does so through the Social Principles in the Discipline and in The Book of Resolutions.  GBCS is charged to put forth only the official position of General Conference.  If GBCS wishes to address an issue that has not been addressed by General Conference, it may only do so in its own name and not in the name of the UMC.  Any other United Methodist individual or group addressing a social issue may only do so in their own name and not in the name of the UMC unless they are simply stating the official position adopted by General Conference.

General Board of Discipleship provides leadership and resources to the church in the areas of Christian education, evangelism, worship, stewardship, spiritual formation, ministry of the laity, discipleship formation, age-level and family ministry, adult and older adult ministries, and ministry with young people.  Upper Room Ministries (publishers of The Upper Room Daily Devotional) is under the GBOD umbrella but is funded by its own sales and donations.

General Board of Global Ministries is the mission and relief arm of the UMC.  It is responsible for world evangelism and for the deployment of missionaries, deaconesses, and home missioners in the US and elsewhere.  It is also responsible for congregational development in the US and elsewhere.  Through UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) it provides disaster relief and recovery and development throughout the world.  UMW (United Methodist Women) is still related to GBGM but it is now a completely separate organization.

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry oversees and resources the policies regarding certified, licensed, commissioned, and ordained ministries and oversees United Methodist related colleges and seminaries.

General Board of Pension and Health Benefits provides pension, health insurance, and other benefits for clergy and lay employees of the UMC.

The United Methodist Publishing House is the printing and publishing arm of the church which publishes all of the official books of the church.  Abingdon Press and Cokesbury are also part of UMPH.

General Commission on Archives and History cares for the history and the historical records of the church.

General Commission on Communication/United Methodist Communications (UMCom) provides communication resources to the whole church including news service, public relations, websites, and advertising.

General Commission on Religion and Race provides leadership for race relations, the elimination of racism, and the full inclusion of people of all races in the church.

General Commission on the Status and Role of Women provides leadership for the full inclusion of women in all aspects of the life of the church.

General Commission on United Methodist Men provides leadership for United Methodist Men.

The Connectional Table is made up of the leadership of all the general boards and agencies and other members from around the church and provides coordination of mission and ministry among the general boards and agencies.  Remember, each general board and agency reports directly to General Conference.

2014 UM Polity Series: General Conference

For 2014 my articles will be focusing on United Methodist polity. (Polity is a fancy word to describe the way in which the church is organized, structured, and governed; it comes from the same root as politics.)  I have to confess that I am a polity geek; I really get into this stuff.
Today we start at the top with General Conference.  General Conference is the highest legislative body of the United Methodist Church.  General Conference is the only body that can speak for the entire United Methodist Church.  (An interesting piece of legal trivia: The United Methodist Church does not legally exist in that it is not incorporated and does not have a headquarters.  Our general agencies, institutions, annual conferences, and local churches are all incorporated and legally exist, we will say more about these in the future, but the United Methodist Church does not.)  The United Methodist Church only really exists during the 10 or so days every four years when General Conference is in session.
General Conference meets for approximately 10 days every four years (Presidential election years in the U.S.) during April or May and the location is rotated among five U.S. regions called Jurisdictions, more on these in a future article, and there has been talk of including locations outside the U.S. in that rotation.  The last General Conference was held on April 24-May 4, 2012 in Tampa, Florida.  The next General Conference will be held on May 10-22, 2016 in Portland, Oregon.  Arrangements for General Conference are mad by a committee called the Commission on the General Conference and a committee from the host annual conference.
The Constitution of the United Methodist Church sets the number of delegates to General Conference to be at least 600 and no more than 1,000.  In 2016 there will be 850 delegates, a significant reduction from 2012 in order to save money.  Each annual conference is awarded an equal number of clergy delegates (elders and deacons) and lay delegates based on its number of members.  At annual conference meetings prior to General Conference clergy members elect clergy delegates and lay members elect lay delegates on separate ballots.
It is of absolute importance to keep in mind that the United Methodist Church is a global church, not simply a U.S. church, therefore, General Conference is a global gathering.  The United Methodist Church is large and growing in Africa and there are United Methodist Churches in Europe and in the Philippines.  The number of delegates to General Conference from outside the U.S., particularly Africa, is growing.  It is projected that, 30% of delegates in 2016 will be from Africa, 58.3% from the U.S., 4.6% from Europe, and 5.8% from the Philippines, with the remainder from the Concordat churches.  (Concordat churches are other churches that exchange delegates with us, such as the British Methodist Church.)
General Conference receives and acts on petitions to make changes in the Book of Discipline and Book of Resolutions, or any other policies of the United Methodist Church.  Any individual United Methodist or United Methodist group can make a petition to General Conference.