Young people add voices to church policy

(From left) Matt Lockett, Becca Farnum, Andrew Craig, Kira Volkova, Jason Rathod and the Rev. Annie Arnoldy complete the first-ever Young People's Address before the 2008 United Methodist General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)--Young people added their voices to the top legislative meeting of The United Methodist Church and served as role models for "holy conferencing" during the 2008 General Conference.

They also submitted 43 proposals calling for resolutions on mostly social justice issues including war and peace, concern about poverty and opposition to killings in the Philippines.

Although the church is graying--most members are age 60 and older--the young adult presence at General Conference was highly visible during the April 23-May 2 gathering.

Six young United Methodists delivered the first-ever Young People's Address. That address was added to the traditional laity and episcopal addresses before the gathering of some 1,000 delegates that meet once every four years to establish policies for the 11.5 million-member denomination.

The conference's "Guidelines for Holy Conferencing--What God Expects of Us," was inspired by the 2007 Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly meeting in South Africa. The guidelines were adopted to provide a way for delegates to discuss important issues "without the acrimonious debate and parliamentary maneuvering" that can divide a group into contending factions.

The Division on Ministries with Young People of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship sponsored the resolutions passed by young people at their global convocation. Most of the proposed statements addressed social justice issues and called for increased representation of young people on church committees or agencies.

'Humanity of all people'
An adopted resolution on political and social unrest declares: "We strongly oppose an exclusive religious ideology of any faith that fails to recognize the humanity of all people." The resolution calls the church to combat violence and war peaceably and to take action against injustices.

In a statement of concern about poverty, local churches and agencies are asked to create groups to study and understand the root causes of poverty, find ways to work with communities to alleviate poverty, advocate for just wages and "launch programs that promote caring and support for the poorest of the poor."

During the global young people's convocation in South Africa, delegates worked with young people from the Philippines to draft legislation to support human-rights advocates under attack in Southeast Asia.

In part, the statement says: "Human rights are in danger in the Philippines. The image of God in every person is being assaulted in many ways, including God's servants--bishops, pastors, deaconesses and women, men and youth lay leaders. These prophet servants of God have preached, with costly discipleship, the good news to the poor, deprived and marginalized peoples of the Philippines."

The resolution also promises to pray and work with United Methodist youth and the young adult fellowships in the Philippines and look for ways to include young people on fact-finding missions to the country.

A "Young People's Statement on War and Peace" will be added to the 2008 Book of Resolutions and calls for "the preservation of youth around the world." The statement urges young people to work for peace in their communities, churches and world.

"We are the young people of The United Methodist Church," the resolution concludes. "We affirm God's clear call to be instruments of peace in all corners of the world."

General Conference also approved a resolution that encourages local churches to designate a Darfur/Sudan Awareness Sunday and make resources available to assist Sunday school classes or Bible studies to discuss ways "to establish justice and end suffering" in this country where over the past three years 400,000 men, women and children have been killed while 2.5 million have been forced to leave their homes.

Young people also supported and endorsed the work and mission of the denomination's Global AIDS Fund and the Nothing But Nets anti-malaria campaign.

Youth ministry
General Conference took action requiring each of the church's five U.S. jurisdictions to establish youth ministry organizations for the purpose of networking, supporting youth ministries in annual (regional) conferences and supporting youth workers. Each jurisdiction also will employ a youth ministry coordinator.

Other approved actions will ensure young people will have representatives on various committees of the Board of Discipleship, the Connectional Table and local church councils.

Changes to the candidacy process toward the ordained ministry will mean young adults can begin with a one-year membership in a campus ministry unit or a local church. This legislation replaces a requirement that a candidate for ministry must have been a member of the church for two years.

General Conference also approved legislation requiring that a clergyperson under age 35 be on the annual conference board of ordained ministry and, when possible, on the district committee on ministry.

As a result of General Conference decisions, the age of young adults now varies in the church's law book from 17 to 30. Paragraphs in the Book of Discipline that define ages for youth and young adult ministries are: 256.3, 602.4, 649.2, 705, 1207 and 1210.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.