2015 UM History Series - #1: The Early Church

            Of course the history of the church, the universal church, Christianity, begins with Jesus and the Apostles, and even before that through the nation of Israel back to creation.  But we will begin our study with the period right after the Apostles and the completion of the New Testament, right around the year 100AD, or about 70 years after Jesus' death and resurrection.

            The story of the early church is one of persecution.  During the first 200 years the church was under almost constant persecution.  In the Roman Empire people were required to worship the emperor as a god.  One could believe, or not believe, whatever one wished, but emperor worship, at least perfunctorily, was not optional, except for the Jews, the empire gave them a special exemption. 

            At first Christians were simply seen as just another sect within Judaism, so Christians, originally, fell under that exemption.  However, as Jews continued to reject Christianity and as Christian and Jews continued to distance themselves from one another, especially after a great Jewish revolt which ended with destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, Christianity lost this exemption. 

            After that Christianity became an illegal religion with no legal protection.  In a world in which everyone was required to proclaim, "Caesar is Lord," including in a religious sense, Christian refused, proclaiming instead, "Jesus is Lord," and many times this cost them their lives.  Christians were hunted down, tortured, and killed by being drowned, crucified, burned alive, and eaten by wild animals often as a form of public entertainment.  However, the more the church was persecuted, the more it grew; as an old saying goes, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church."  Despite persecution, or maybe because of it, the church continued to grow, both numerically and geographically. 

During this time the church also worked out, often in conflict, many of the points of doctrine we know today, most importantly the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, both divine and human; so the church often found itself defending against the Romans on the outside and heretics, those who hold and teach false beliefs, on the inside.           

All that changed when Constantine, a convert to Christianity, became Emperor.  In 313AD Constantine issued the Edict of Milan which made Christianity a legal religion, ending official persecution, although nonofficial persecution continued.

            In 325AD Constantine called together all of the bishops of the church for the Council of Nicaea to finally officially hammer out all of the doctrinal debates and formalize the official doctrine of the church.  Out of the Council of Nicaea came the Nicaea Creed which we still sometimes use in worship today as a summary of the Christian faith.

            Eventually Christianity would become the official religion of the Roman Empire and would come to be known as the Roman Catholic Church headed by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. (Note: The word "catholic" [small c] means universal.  All Christians, including Roman Catholics and United Methodists, are part of the "catholic" or universal Church.)  But this was not necessarily a good thing because it led to many people becoming Christians in name only and the church often became entangled in the power politics of the empire.

Even as Christianity was rising within the empire, the empire itself was declining.  In 476AD the Roman Empire officially fell.  It would be up to the church to hold Europe together during the dark ages which followed.  The meant that the church would gain more power, and become more corrupt. 

2014 UM Polity Series – Local Church

          We are going to finish our series on United Methodist Polity with a look at the local church.

You will remember that the United Methodist Church is governed by a series of conferences: General, Jurisdiction/Central, Annual, and District.  The conference at the local level is called a Charge Conference, or sometimes a Church Conference.  (You will also remember that a charge is made up of one or more churches to which as a pastor may be appointed.)  The Charge Conference is made up of all of the churches in a charge and often joint conferences are held with a group of charges in order to be better stewards of time.  Charge conferences are presided over by the District Superintendent or an elder in full connection approved by the DS. 

Regular charge conferences meet annually to set the pastor’s salary, elect officers, set the annual budget, and receive reports about the ministries of the church.  Most of the groundwork for these things is done well beforehand which can make charge conferences seem redundant, however, it is also a time to worship together with the DS and people from the other churches in the group and to share the stories of our ministries.  Special charge conferences can also be called if needed and sometimes one church within a charge will have a conference by itself to care for an individual issue of that church.

General oversight of the ministry of the whole local church is carried out by the Church Council (or Administrative Council or Board.)  The council is made up of the officers of the church, the chairpersons of the various committees, and leaders of the various ministry groups within the church.

Local churches vary greatly in the types of ministries they have and the way in which they are organized, however, there is a basic structure which I will outline below.  Beyond the basic structure churches can have many other committees, groups, and ministries, however, all of them report to the Council and the Charge Conference.

The Basic Structure

·         Church Council – Discussed above.  All committees, ministries, and groups report to the Council and ultimately to Charge Conference.
·         Board of Trustees – Care for the property and legal concerns of the local church.  They are the “legal” board of directors.
·         Finance Committee – Cares for the financial matters of the church.
·         Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee (S/PPRC) – Provides support and accountability to the pastor, consults with the DS on pastoral appointments, and handles the personnel matters of the church.
·         Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development – Chaired by the pastor, nominates persons for offices and committees to be elected by charge conference.

One thing that you should have noticed throughout this series is that the United Methodist Church is a big, complex, active, and I would say, beautiful church that requires the participation of many people, especially lay people like you, at every level.  It is my hope in this series that you have come to understand and appreciate how the United Methodist Church is organized to accomplish our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation the world.  It is also my hope that you, all of you, would get involved in service and leadership in the local church and beyond.  I would be more than happy to talk to any of you about that.

Our series for 2015 will be on United Methodist history, see you then…

2014 UM Polity Series – Appointments

     In the United Methodist Church pastors are appointed to the communities and churches which they serve.  This is in contrast to the practice of many churches in which the local churches call their own pastors with varying degrees of involvement by the denomination.  The process of appointments vary from Annual Conference to Annual Conference; I will be discussing the process followed in the Iowa Annual Conference.

Pastors are appointed, or re-appointed, on an annual basis.  Each year every pastor is asked to reflect on their professional, personal, and family needs and desires and every local Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (PPRC) is asked to reflect on the needs and desires of their charge and community.  (A Charge, sometimes called a Parish, is one or more churches to which a pastor or pastors may be appointed.  Some charges are only one church, others consist of more than one church.)  The pastor and the PPRC will communicate with the District Superintendent (DS) about this reflection in writing, in person, or both.  The pastor or the PPRC may request that the pastor be re-appointed to the current charge or that another appointment be made.  This process usually takes place in the fall.

The DS will take the wishes of the pastor and the PPRC under advisement and share them with the bishop and the Cabinet (All of the DS’s in the Conference.)  The bishop, with the advice of the Cabinet, decides whether or not a change in appointment will be made for each charge or pastor.  The bishop and the Cabinet will then begin a process of prayerful discernment about the gifts, graces, needs, and preferences (in that order) of the available pastors and the needs and preferences of the available churches.  All appointments are made final and official by the bishop with the advice of the Cabinet.

The DS of each receiving church will call the potential new pastor and make arrangements for them to meet the new PPRC in an Appointment Introductory Meeting (AIM.)  This is an opportunity for the PPRC to meet the new pastor, for the new pastor to see the church and the parsonage, and for the pastor and the PPRC to ask questions of one another.  At the end of this meeting the DS will ask both the pastor and the PPRC if they have any “compelling reasons” why this appointment should not be made.  (Pastors, especially if they are elders, are required to accept appointment by the bishop and serve where they are sent; charges are required to receive pastors appointed by the bishop.)

If there are no reasons given, the DS sets a Sunday on which the appointment may be announced in both affected churches, the receiving church and the sending church.  All who are involved in the meeting are bound by confidentiality until the official announcement date.

The pastor is given a move date, usually in late June, and selects one of the moving companies that has a contract with the Conference and makes arrangements to move.

I am told that in the old days pastors would not find out they were moving until the last day of Annual Conference.  They would come home and tell their family and the church they were moving, pack up and move to the new church and parsonage sight unseen!

2014 UM Polity Series – Districts

Each Annual Conference is divided into geographical areas called Districts.  Districts provided a more direct connection for local churches within the district and provide a means for organizing the Annual Conference.  The work of the district in many ways mirrors that of the Annual Conference but on a smaller scale and for a smaller area.  Districts have several committees that oversee ministry within the district, resource the local churches within the district, and provide connection to the Annual Conference, these include…

• ·         District Connectional Ministries Council (DCMC) – Provides general oversight and coordination for all the ministries in the district.
• ·         Board of Church Location and Building – Advises on and approves local church building plans.
• ·         District Committee on Ordained Ministry – Examines and approves candidates for ministry.
• ·         Nominating Committee – Nominates persons for election to District and Annual Conference positions.
• ·         District United Methodist Men, United Methodist Women, and District Youth Council.

Each year there is a District Conference which consists of all the district leadership and pastors and lay persons from all the local churches in the district.

In Iowa we have eight districts (see map) and we are located in the Northeast District. Each district is led by a District Superintendent (DS) and the office is staffed by a District Administrative Secretary. (DAS) In Iowa, each district also has a Field Outreach Minister. (FOM)

In the Northeast District our DS is Rev. Jackie Bradford, our FOM is Rev. Jaymee Glenn-Burns, and our DAS is Janet Condon.  Together, we call Jackie, Jaymee, and Janet the “J-Team.”

      

The “J-Team:” (l to r) Jackie, Jaymee, & Janet

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.