Discipleship University focuses on ‘living the United Methodist way’

New model for prayer, study and action helps shape principled Christian leaders.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., October 23, 2008/GBOD/ -- The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive for the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship, believes that the Methodist movement is not a movement of the past.

In a video greeting to participants in the first session of Discipleship University www.gbod.org/du, which launched in Nashville, October 9-12, Greenwaldt said the “Methodist movement is a movement of today that brings a similar response to need — disaster recovery, malaria bed nets, medicines, water, food, scholarships for young people, new churches for new people, and support for the spiritual formation of principled leaders and faithful people in our churches and communities.”

Greenwaldt spoke to about 50 participants and staff attending GBOD’s Discipleship University, a key component of the agency’s efforts to develop principled Christian leaders for the church and world, one of the denomination’s Four Areas of Focus over the next four years.

Participants began the first of five weekend experiences of Burning Bush, the core curriculum of Discipleship University, focused on “Living the United Methodist Way.”

Among the first participants to enroll in the university were teams of three to five clergy and lay leaders from John Wesley UMC in Falmouth, Mass.; Chapel Hill UMC in Mansfield, Ohio; Battle Ground Community UMC in Battle Ground, Wash.; New Hartford First UMC in New Hartford, N.Y.; Northside UMC in Brewster, Mass.; Plaza UMC in Charlotte, N.C.; and College Avenue UMC in Somerville, Mass.

Built around the dramatic appearance of God to Moses in the Exodus story, Burning Bush is a two-year experience for congregations to focus on developing an intentional process for making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The curriculum covers identity and purpose, hospitality and faith-sharing, worship and spiritual practices, reconciliation and justice, and service and mission.

Discipleship University engages congregational teams in exploring who they are as God’s people and what God is calling them to do in their particular context.

Participants are grouped according to average worship attendance in their congregations. The first seven groups are from congregations with 100-250 in worship.

The registration deadline for Burning Bush 2, which targets large membership churches, is January 15, 2009. Registration is $225 per person, per weekend. For additional information, including application materials, go to www.gbod.org/du or contact Mary McDonald toll-free at (877) 899-2780, ext. 1760 or at mmcdonald@gbod.org.

Officers Elected at General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Organizing Meeting

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry elected new officers, heard the general secretary’s State of the Board Address, and attended a ministry fair during the Board’s fall 2008 meeting.

The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, GBHEM’s general secretary, told new and returning Board members that they will be working with staff to answer the question of what it takes to form and nurture leaders with vision. “What are the lengths to which this Board is willing to go in order to have leaders capable of reaching for a future with hope?” Del Pino asked.

“God has plans for us, plans for welfare and not for evil,” he said. “We need to develop and maintain a sense of urgency about our task. . . .We can no longer play it cool.”

“We can’t do everything, but what we can do can make a difference,” he said.

Bishop Marcus Matthews, resident bishop of the New YorkWest Area, is the new president of the Board, which also elected chairs of eight standing committees. Other Board officers elected to lead the 64-member Board are: the Rev. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, California-Nevada Annual Conference, chair of the Division of Higher Education; the Rev. Kenneth Carter Jr.,Western North Carolina Conference, chair of the Division of Ordained Ministry; and Nora Madan, Florida Annual Conference, recording secretary of the Board.

The Rev. Carolyn Peterson, Pacific Northwest Conference, was elected vice-chair of DOM and the Rev. Cheryl Jefferson Bell, KansasWest Annual Conference, is DOM’s secretary. Bishop Jonathan Keaton, resident bishop of the Michigan Area, was elected vice-chair of DHE; and the Rev. Joan Reasinger,Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference, was elected secretary of the Division.

Chairs of the standing committees are:
Dr. Cheryl King, Kentucky Annual Conference, Bylaws;
David Braden, North Illinois Annual Conference, Racial-Ethnic Concerns Committee;
Bruce Blumer, Dakotas Annual Conference, Loans and Scholarships Committee;
the Rev. Laurie Haller,West Michigan Annual Conference, Evaluation and Review;
the Rev. Jimmy Nunn, Northwest Texas Annual Conference, Personnel and Policies;
the Rev. David Bard, Minnesota Annual Conference, Legislative;
Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed, Florida Annual Conference, Strategic Plan Advisory;
Bishop James Swanson, resident bishop of the Holston Annual Conference, Global Education and Ministry.

Bishop Melvin Talbert preached the sermon at opening worship, telling Board members and staff that modern preachers tend to place their emphasis on God’s love and grace, which he said they should do.

“But I also believe that in God’s hands God will bring wrath and judgment. Eternal life is a gift that we can accept or reject,” he said.

“We are always standing at the crossroads,” Talbert said.

The Board also approved the 2009 budget, worshipped together, and celebrated the retirements of two assistant general secretaries, the Rev. Patricia W. Barrett and the Rev. Robert F. Kohler.

History Resets When ‘Great Debaters’ Return to OCU

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University and Wiley College, Marshall, Texas, will revisit a historical moment this month when the next generation of “The Great Debaters” returns for a friendly competition.

Not to let such a momentous occasion slip away, the two schools have partnered for a weekend-long list of activities titled “The Great Debaters 2.0” to remind its students and the public not only about the debate itself, but also about lessons learned since the racial tensions of the 1930s.

The 1931 debate between Wiley College and OCU was made famous by last year’s movie “The Great Debaters,” starring and directed by Denzel Washington. The movie tells the story of a successful debate team from historically black Wiley College and its charismatic debate coach Melvin B. Tolson.

The team from Wiley dominated the university debating circuit, winning the national championship against the University of Southern California and losing only one time in 75 meetings over a 15-year stretch. (The movie version has a couple instances of embellishing history for the sake of drama, like featuring Harvard in the national championship meeting against Wiley instead of USC.)

Oklahoma City University’s role in the historical scheme of things is that it was the “first inter-racial debate ever held in the history of the South,” as written by Tolson in an achievements report to his school. The two schools plan to use historical significance and its Hollywood exposure during “The Great Debaters 2.0” events.

“We want to take advantage of some of this attention and use it to broaden the appeal,” said Clinton J. Normore, director of multicultural student affairs. “We can use it to educate people about not just the history of that debate and the events surrounding it, but also to restore our relationship with Wiley College.”

The university will host the debate on campus, which differs from the historical version of events, but not for the reasons portrayed in the movie. Whereas the original debate was held at Avery Chapel off campus, the movie shows it taking place in a large tent. The movie indicates the off-campus tent location was chosen because black people were not allowed on campus, which OCU Archivist Christina Wolf said no such evidence has been found to support that theory. On the contrary, Maggie Ball, vice president of church relations for OCU, noted that the fact the university invited the Wiley team shows that OCU was ready to buck the racism trend.

“The historical fact that Oklahoma City University, as a white southern institution, stood against the traditions of the time to invite Wiley College, a historically black college, to debate will certainly be celebrated,” Ball said. “As two institutions of higher education, which are both connected with the United Methodist Church, they were practicing ‘Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors’ long before this became the standard for our denomination.”

In a sense, the modern version will be closer to the historical version – the debate will take place in a chapel, this time at Bishop Angie W. Smith Chapel. The topic is set as: " Resolved: When the values are in conflict, activism should take priority over social stability.”

Wiley College is likewise excited to renew a friendship with OCU.

“This is a special weekend,” said Dr. Joseph L. Morale, Wiley’s vice president of student affairs and chair of the school’s planning committee. “The history between these two great Methodist institutions was lost before the film. The film has allowed us to reconnect and for us to discover that Oklahoma City had the courage during America’s turbulent past to engage this small ‘Negro’ college in an historic debate during the backdrop of the Jim Crow South. We now seek to honor our past and forge a new future as two outstanding examples of what can happen when we focus on the things that unite us rather than those that divide us.”

The colleges are organizing other events to go along with the debate. About 400 high school students will come to OCU to watch “The Great Debaters” during a special showing Oct. 15.

There will also be men’s and women’s basketball contests between the two schools and a special worship service at St. Luke’s Methodist Church downtown. The service will feature an opening concert by St. Luke’s Chancel Choir and instrumentalists, and the OCU and Wiley College choirs. Bishop Robert E. Hayes Jr. will deliver the sermon. Rev. Wendy Lambert of St. Luke’s noted that Hayes, the area bishop for the United Methodist Church, is the son of a former Wiley College president who helped the school navigate through difficult financial times.

“At that time Robert E. Hayes Sr. was sent to Wiley College to give it a few years and then shut it down with dignity,” Lambert said. “Hayes, however, did not want to shut down Wiley College and instead brought it back to a being a thriving community.”

Normore hopes “The Great Debaters 2.0” events will help promote a healthy rivalry between both school’s debate programs with the possibility of meetings on a regular basis. Wiley College, which is about a six-hour drive from Oklahoma City, has been without a debate team for several years. However, Washington, the movie star, donated $1 million to get the program back together.

“The movie spawned interest in redeveloping the relationship we had with Wiley College,” Normore said, “and we’ve done that to some extent. There may be some exciting announcements made during this event.”

Schedule of events open to the public:

Friday, Oct. 24
8:30-11 p.m.—Screening of “The Great Debaters” movie, Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center (free)

Saturday, Oct. 25
2-4 p.m.—Women’s Basketball Game, Henry J. Freede Center
4-6 p.m.—Men’s Basketball Game, Henry J. Freede Center
6-7:30 p.m.—Debate, Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel (free)

Sunday, Oct. 26
10-10:30 a.m.—Pre-worship Concert, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 222 N.W. 15th St. (free)
10:30-noon—Worship Service, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church (free)

UMCOR lobbies to provide Cuba storm relief

The Rev. Sam Dixon, head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, addresses members of the denomination's Board of Global Ministries on Oct. 15. A UMNS photo by Cassandra Heller.

By Linda Bloom*

STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS)-The United Methodist Committee on Relief has made some progress toward obtaining the U.S. Treasury Department licenses required to allow the denomination to assist hurricane survivors in Cuba.

The Rev. Sam Dixon, UMCOR's top executive, presented an update from legal counsel about the licenses during an Oct. 15 meeting of the relief agency's board of directors. UMCOR is part of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, which was meeting Oct. 13-17 in Connecticut.

Numerous United Methodists have called for a response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in Cuba in early September, including those in the church's Florida Conference, which has an ongoing relationship with Cuban Methodists. The hurricanes destroyed more than 400,000 homes and destroyed or damaged 33 Methodist church buildings, according to reports from the Methodist Church in Cuba.

But the U.S. government's decades-long economic embargo against Cuba restricts such assistance. UMCOR's renewal of its license for aid to Cuba was denied by the Treasury Department in 2006, along with renewals for other organizations representing church institutions.

"Because of the embargo, we cannot transfer funds legally into Cuba," Dixon said, noting that third-party transfers-through Canada, for example-also are considered illegal. "If we do that, we risk incurring substantial fines."

Loss of nonprofit status could be a consequence. "We have to be careful to protect the church," he stressed.

Hired law firm
In September, UMCOR retained the Washington law firm of Williams and Jenson to represent the board in its effort to obtain new licenses. The firm previously worked with the denomination's Board of Pension and Health Benefits to obtain a license to transmit a small amount of pension funds to Cuban pastors.

Just before the UMCOR meeting, David Starr, the attorney representing UMCOR, reported to Dixon that the applications need to be re-submitted and split into four, rather than two licenses.

If approved, the revised licenses could provide immediate relief through Dec. 5, followed by a longer humanitarian response after that date, as well as general assistance to the Methodist Church in Cuba. UMCOR had hoped to allocate up to $1 million for hurricane relief work in Cuba and $300,000 for general church assistance.

The entire process has been frustrating, he said. "It greatly pains us, at UMCOR and Global Ministries, that we cannot respond (to the hurricanes)," Dixon said. "The needs are huge. It really wiped the eastern part of the island clean."

Four former bishops of the Methodist Church in Cuba, currently residing in the United States, issued a statement of concern in October about the effects of the hurricanes.

"As a result of these natural disasters more than 400,000 homes have been totally or partially destroyed, the economy has suffered greatly, the food is scarce due to the loss of crops that were kept in storages and … (sicknesses) are afflicting the people, mainly because of the contamination of the many sources of drinkable water," the statement said.

The statement called upon The United Methodist Church "to intensify the pressure on the U.S. government to grant the proper licenses that would allow us to act in accordance with the evangelical mandate of helping the needy: 'As you did to the least of your brothers, you did it unto Me' (Matthew 25:40), and be able to give assistance to that part of the Body of Christ in Cuba that has suffered as a consequence of these natural disasters."

Supporting the bishops
The United Methodist Missionary Association, which had representatives present at the Board of Global Ministries meeting, issued an Oct. 12 statement supporting the concerns of the Cuban bishops.

A work team rebuilds a hurricane-damaged home in the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio. A UMNS photo courtesy of the Methodist Church of Cuba.

"As active and retired United Methodist missionaries who have lived as members of the body of Christ across the globe, we are concerned that the policy of the United States government has limited the ability of The United Methodist Church to be in partnership with the Methodist Church in Cuba and respond to the urgent needs of the Cuban people," the missionary association statement said.

MARCHA, the denomination's Hispanic/Latino caucus, has pushed for relief efforts in Cuba since the hurricanes occurred. In a Sept. 30 message to members and supporters, the organization acknowledged UMCOR's limitations but encouraged donations from its members to the Methodist Church in Cuba.

"It is MARCHA's view that our Christian duty requires us to offer aid to those in need regardless of who they are or where they live," the statement said.

MARCHA, the missionary association and other United Methodists have called upon church members to urge the U.S. government to help facilitate the flow of aid to Cuba by temporarily lifting the embargo.

Dixon also encouraged contacting congressional representatives, the Treasury Department and the White House. "In addition, there are those in the Cuban American community with significant political connections who are strongly opposed to lifting the embargo for any reasons," he said. "Joining with members of the Cuban American community who feel differently in encouraging the provision for a humanitarian response would be appropriate."

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Got a Methodist question? Go to Archives and History

While holding a 1922 photograph showing a United Evangelical Church conference, archivist L. Dale Patterson describes the storage system at the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History in Madison, N.J. UMNS photos by John C. Goodwin.

By Linda Bloom*

MADISON, N.J. (UMNS)-What is a circuit-rider?

If you don't know, you can find the answer at www.gcah.org. Just click on the "UMC History" link.

The United Methodist Commission on Archives and History is beefing up its Web site-not only to help answer random queries, but also to provide quicker access of the denomination's historical information to scholars, church bodies and the person in the pew.

"We claim that it’s probably the richest collection for research on global Methodism in the world," says Williams.

"We claim that it's probably the richest collection for research on global Methodism in the world," said the Rev. Robert Williams, who became the commission's chief executive in 2006.

Located for 26 years on the bucolic campus of Drew University in New Jersey, the Commission on Archives and History oversees denominational treasures in its 16,000-square-foot space.

Upstairs, a reading room with wireless Internet access offers materials for scholars and other interested readers to peruse. Downstairs, on two underground stories, are roughly two miles worth of records, most of which can be accessed within 10 or 15 minutes through the database.

The collection is not all paper and celluloid. Numerous ceramic busts of Methodism founder John Wesley-the type of which used to adorn mantelpieces in British Methodist homes-can be found, along with Wesley's death mask and reproductions of a teapot made for him by the Wedgewoods.

To Williams and the staff at Archives and History, it's all about reclaiming the denomination's past to point it toward the future. "We just don't do history for nostalgia's sake," he said, going on to quote Albert Outler, the 20th-century United Methodist theologian: "Nostalgia is mortgaging the future for the sake of the past."

Research requests
During the past year, the commission received more than 1,000 research requests and hosted 64 registered users of the archives, including 34 "long-term" researchers who stayed for three or more days or traveled a long distance to be there.

Information seekers range from high school students to senior scholars, according to L. Dale Patterson, the archivist-records administrator. While the number of e-mail inquiries is increasing rapidly, "we still get a lot of phone calls," he said.

Want to know how to preserve old photos and documents? Archives has some tips that Patterson calls "nonprofit affordable." Church members also can learn how to preserve fragile items, record oral histories and build a homemade humidifier through the archival leaflet series.

Taking a vacation? Must-see places are listed in "A Traveler's Guide to the Heritage Landmarks of the United Methodist Church."

Interested in listening to history in the making? Archives now has digitized versions of 80 one-hour shows from a 1960s radio program called "Night Call"-one of the first talk radio programs. More than 600 programs can be found in the United Methodist audio archives at http://audio.umc.org.

Looking for a photo? An extensive collection includes a quarter million images of mission work dating from 1890 to 1925.

How to preserve
Queries from local congregations often fall into two broad categories, according to Patterson. "For the local church, one of our most frequently asked questions is what type of records does a local church need to keep," he noted. The other category deals with what materials are available "to help churches celebrate their history."

The commission does provide a set of guidelines online, in conjunction with the annual conferences, about keeping church records. Locating such records must be done elsewhere. "When a church closes, those church records are sent to the annual conference archives," he explained.

Congregations planning to mark an anniversary can access a series of small booklets "that walks them through the planning," Patterson said. The Web site also has short biographies of famous United Methodists, bulletin inserts and history notes "which just answer simple, basic questions."

Minutes and journals of church agencies and commissions, as well as all the newspapers of annual conferences, are collected at Archives and History. "Several of our conferences have gone to all digital media," he said. "We are developing, essentially, an online newspaper depository."

The commission recognizes serious research through a series of grants and awards. To expand its focus beyond the United States, a new grant called "The World is My Parish" will provide $1,000 to $3,000 for researching the history of global Methodism.

International commission
The new commission includes members from the Philippines, Brazil, Zambia, Norway and Mozambique. Simão Jaime, the returning member from Maputo, Mozambique, is an assistant archivist in that country's national archives and stopped by Madison recently to do research himself. The commission has approved a $10,000 grant for a training program of archivists in Mozambique.

The commission relates to the historic black Methodist denominations, according to Williams, and has a significant partnership with the African American Methodist Heritage Center.

Archives and History staff members also want to ensure that the denomination's Evangelical United Brethren heritage, as well as the history of other predecessor groups, is not lost. Williams sits on the advisory council for the Center for EUB Heritage at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where the commission had its organizing meeting in September.

As The United Methodist Church concentrates on four areas of ministry focus around leadership, church growth, poverty and global health over the next four years, Archives and History will look at ways to give historical perspectives of the denomination's previous successes in those areas.

With a healthy financial picture-which Williams attributes to careful management by former long-time leader Charles Yrigoyen Jr. and a previous reduction in staff-the commission is well-positioned to provide such assistance.

"The decision was made that our primary worth had to be in the archival end," he said. "We believe that our reserves are critical to being the custodians of the record of the church. We have to care for what's been entrusted to us."
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Caregiving clergy need to give self-care, too

By Reed Galin*

GOLDSBORO, N.C. (UMNS)-The morning sun glares off a rural road in North Carolina, where the Rev. Chuck Cook has worked up a pretty good sweat.

The Rev. Chuck Cook, a United Methodist district superintendent in North Carolina, models healthy habits as a participant in Duke Divinity School's Clergy Health Initiative. UMNS photos by Reed Galin.

He leans into a 17-mile-an-hour breeze of his own making, shoulders hunched forward. It is a deliberate attack on the open road in front of him-and on the years behind him.

The occasional passing motorists would never suppose the slender cyclist in a neon lime jersey is 58 years old. Even when he stops peddling to talk, the former Marine's squared jaw and the calm intensity beneath his pointed riding helmet suggest a much younger man.

Cook works hard to be an exception in The United Methodist Church, where data from medical and disability claims indicate the church has a health problem among its U.S. clergy.

"My schedule just now allows me to focus on fitness," he says. "Generally, I think it's quite difficult for pastors to engage in regular physical activity."

As a district superintendent overseeing 68 United Methodist pastors, Cook has begun facilitating Weight Watchers programs for colleagues and support groups for their physical, emotional and mental health.

The efforts are encouraged by a new emphasis on health and wholeness under a statewide Clergy Health Initiative launched in 2007 by United Methodist-related Duke Divinity School. The $12 million initiative is being funded by the Duke Endowment to assess and improve the personal health of 1,600 United Methodist pastors across North Carolina.

24/7 lifestyle
Project director Robin Swift says extensive surveys and data indicate that the 24/7 nature of clergy demands leaves little time or energy for pastors to minister to themselves. The resulting stress is an exacerbating factor.

Director Robin Swift hopes clergy health emphasis will become part of seminary training.

"When people first heard about this, they thought we were going to make everybody lose 30 pounds and take pie away from every church supper," Swift said. "We really want to reinforce that we know that health is much broader than that."

Many possibilities are under consideration. Duke could provide personal trainers, health club memberships, equipment, group and/or individual therapy, spiritual direction, marriage counseling, financial counseling-"pretty much the whole universe that has to do with the health of body, mind and spirit," Swift said.

She believes the key to success is not to prescribe what will be offered or established, but to help individual pastors design their own health programs with the kind of help they actually will use.

Cook is among the first to directly benefit from the initiative. He participated in one initial offering-an intense weekend of physical and mental evaluation and counseling. Even with his pre-existing dedication to fitness, the experience helped him to modify his exercise approach and his mental outlook. He's anxious for his colleagues to benefit as well.

"The most important thing is that it has allowed us to put physical fitness and spiritual fitness on our calendars as an appointment that should be honored just like any other appointment and can't be broken," he said.

Setting boundaries
The institutional recognition of her profession's health challenges will change the Rev. Mary Lou McElray's life, she believes, as well as make her a better pastor at Center United Methodist church in Sanford, N.C. McElray and her husband live in a parsonage that is physically attached to her church. It's symbolic of a profession that is unique in its lack of personal or professional boundaries.

"There's always an illness or an accident or marriage in crises," she said. "You have someone who's suffering. You want to be there for them and really need to be fully present. You focus all your energy on your congregation and end up putting your own needs on the back burner."

Over time, with too many bake sales and barbecue dinners (after all, this is North Carolina, she jokes), and too little exercise and self-discipline, McElray gained about 100 pounds and developed stress-related diabetes. Along with the pressures of the job, personal finances are always an issue, and her performance is constantly evaluated by parishioners and supervisors.

"We judge ourselves so harshly, how many new families came to the church and the pressure of I need to perform, and it just becomes a snowball and then we feel guilty because we haven't been with our own families enough. And there's no down time for self-renewal or spiritual reflection. It's pretty ironic, given our mission in life," she said.

Initial assistance from Duke connected McElray with a parish nurse who started her on a personal health program. The pastor has since worked off half her weight gain. Having help in focusing on lifestyle challenges that are typically built into the clergy lifestyle makes all the difference, according to McElray.

Unhealthy trends
Practical issues were a factor in Duke's study into clergy health. Insurance premiums were rising for a group that has an unusually high incidence of medical problems such as heart disease. Pastors are also prone to putting off preventative care.

Swift believes this new health emphasis will affect younger pastors as well. She thinks it should be worked into the seminary experience so that pastors will enter their new profession with an awareness of the need to minister to themselves-much like police academies routinely counsel students about dealing with stress.

Meanwhile, as McElray is on her way to the home of a church member confined to bed rest, she's talking about how her personal health is tied in with all the ways she wants to be there for her parishioners.

"If I'm gonna talk the talk and tell my parishioners they need to take care of their bodies, which are the temple of the Lord, then I need to take care of myself. How in the world can we tell our congregation what is truly important and brings true happiness if we're not practicing this ourselves?"

*Reed is a freelance producer in Nashville, Tenn.

Duke Divinity initiative targets clergy health

By Linda Green*

Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C., has launched a seven-year, $12 million initiative aimed at improving the health of 1,600 United Methodist clergy in North Carolina. A UMNS photo courtesy of Duke Divinity School.

Pastors preach service and ministry to others. They are models for a caring and nurturing spirit for parishioners in need. They view sacrifice as just part of the job.

Unfortunately, that selfless outlook can come at a price-and all too often the price is personal health and fitness.

Insurance data and recent studies indicate that clergy are increasingly struggling with health issues including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, gastrointestinal illness and depression. In addition, with rising health care costs and increasing demands on their time, many ministers forgo annual physicals and other services and activities that could improve their health.

It's a disturbing diagnosis that caught the attention of Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C. Last year, the United Methodist-related school launched a seven-year, $12 million Clergy Health Initiative, aimed at assessing, tracking and improving the health of nearly every United Methodist pastor in North Carolina.

"Many of these health problems might be preventable if pastors had the time and resources to focus on improving their health, and their congregations supported their efforts to do so," said Robin Swift, project director.

Clergy have gone from being one of the healthiest groups of professionals to the least healthy, prompting the Duke Endowment to set aside money for the initiative. "A core value of the profession is taking care of others, and we're now learning that it has been at the expense of their own health," said Joe Mann, director of rural church issues for the endowment.

Small churches are among those feeling the impact of poor clergy health. As clergy health decreases, insurance premiums increase-the costs of which are passed directly to churches funding benefits packages. "Rapidly escalating costs have made the employment of elders impossible to afford for a growing number of rural churches," Swift said.

Troubling trends
The United Methodist Church is not alone in the problem. Studies by several other Protestant denominations show clergy struggling with health issues, particularly those associated with an aging population in ministry.

In response to United Methodist studies, the 2008 General Conference approved legislation focusing on denominational health. And the church's Board of Pension and Health Benefits recently opened a Center for Health to address troubling trends among the church's clergy and lay employees.

Attacking the problem on multiple fronts is the best prescription for The United Methodist Church, according to Barbara Boigegrain, top executive of Board of Pension and Health Benefits.

Boigegrain applauds the Duke initiative and hopes the clergy health work of seminaries and annual (regional) conferences builds awareness and fosters the sharing of best practices.

"Studies like these are important to understanding the underlying issues of clergy health," she said. "These seminary and conference resources together create a critical mass that may bring just what is needed to identify and address the challenges clergy face in maintaining their health while focusing on ministry."

The Duke initiative is an outgrowth of other health and ministry work through the Duke Endowment's Rural Church and Health Care Divisions. The endowment has cared for the health and well-being of North Carolina's United Methodist clergy for the past 80 years.

Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead expects outcomes from the initiative to influence how churches around the United States care for their leaders. "Through this effort, we are addressing both the health of ministers, as well as their congregations and communities, by sharing strategies for maintaining a healthy, balanced life," he said as the initiative launched.

Holistic health
Specifically, the initiative is working with the church's North Carolina and Western North Carolina Annual (regional) Conferences and their 1,600 full-time elders or local pastors.

The project is based on a sound theory of adult behavioral change and Wesleyan theology and is designed to be responsive to the stated needs and wishes of participants.

The initiative spent much of its first year getting a snapshot of the physical, mental, spiritual and vocational health of clergy. The research shows high stress levels among pastors because of the demands of their jobs and the 24/7 nature of their work. "There is little permission to take time away from work for self-care and family time," said Swift, a health educator and specialist in behavioral health issues.

Other facets of the initiative include continuing education events and health consultations with clergy to develop personal programs in which they would want to participate. Pilot test programs and services are on the horizon.

"Our vision is to develop a resilient, well-informed cadre of United Methodist pastors as skilled in the care of themselves and their families as they are in the care of their congregations," Swift said.

It's appropriate for a divinity school to be concerned about the health of the clergy that it is preparing for ministry, according to Swift. There is, after all, a link between theology and health.

"John Wesley articulated a clear theology of health and wholeness, and we can remind pastors of that tradition and articulate its implications for life in the 21st century," she said.

Seminary officials hope Duke's project will become a model for similar initiatives across the United States.

"Our hope is that by learning more about the clergy who serve in these churches and in helping them be healthier, we will cultivate more effective leaders for the church and for the communities in North Carolina that these churches serve," said the Rev. L. Gregory Jones, dean of the divinity school.

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

With globalization, church must offer different view

By Linda Green*

The Rev. Joerg Rieger explores the church's role in globalization as he delivers the Willson Lecture to the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.A UMNS photo by Donnie Reed.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-Making a difference as a church in an age of increasing globalization requires a new level of engagement with biblical resources and the resources of the Christian tradition.

Such was the challenge presented to higher education leaders in The United Methodist Church by the Rev. Joerg Rieger, professor of systematic theology at United Methodist-related Perkins School of Theology in Dallas.

Rieger has written extensively about the intersection of Christian theology with economics, globalization and poverty. He delivered the Willson Lecture Oct. 10 to the governing members of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Globalization today is about the aggressive expansion of the free-market economy, driven by a philosophy that firmly "believes in the trickling down of its benefits and in its God-given freedom," Rieger said. But critics warn of increased suffering and disorder for the world's poorest people under the new paradigm.

The process of globalization doesn't end with economics and politics. Rieger warns that the powers of globalization seek to extend their rule into culture and religion and will not stop until they reach "our innermost selves."

A big part of meeting the global challenge, he said, is to investigate the Bible in a "historical self-critical mode" to see what messages it offers and what responses it calls for from the church in a changing world. The interpretation needs more "bite" and can no longer be approached as "if we were living in isolation, in the ivory towers of the academy or the ivory towers of the church."

There also is no turning back, and the changes must be faced honestly, according to Rieger.
Challenging globalization may be like "trying to push a camel through the eye of the needle," he said, adding that "unless we address these real issues that make it impossible for us to enter the kingdom of God, the life of the church will be reduced to playing sandbox games.

"Even our most pious and spiritual moments are located in the context of the global expansion of power," Rieger said.

Global power, he notes, moves from the top down-from people who have it to those who do not. Religion, meanwhile, plays a role. "Religion is never an uninvolved bystander," he said.

The church's calling is to promote a bottom-up philosophy related to power. After all, the philosophy is among the guiding principles of Methodism founder John Wesley, who said religion must not go from the greatest to the least, lest power would appear to be of men. Wesley realized that religion could "go the other way around," starting from the bottom with "the least of these." The Methodist movement depended on the common man to multiply Wesley's message.

Globalization today shapes culture, religion and the ways people think and feel as individuals, families and communities. Unless the flow of power and how it affects all aspects of life are analyzed, "we are bound to become part of the problem rather than the solution," Rieger said of the church's role.

The Apostle Paul rejected the greatest-to-the-least concept of leadership within the Roman Empire and instead saw Jesus' model of leadership and power as an alternative-one that both challenges the empire and spreads the Gospel.

"Christ's power as Lord decidedly moves from the bottom up and generates a new way of being in the world," he said, noting that the United Methodist mission is a bottom-up approach to globalization by making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Rieger hopes that seminaries and theological schools will help the church impact globalization by developing new leadership models that are more accountable to the alternative kind of leadership that God demonstrated in Jesus Christ. Theological education is not just about the training of new ministers but about ongoing education needed by everyone at all levels of ministry in the church.

"We are all in this together and we are all learning all the time," he said.

The annual Willson Lectures are designed, in part, to contribute to the spiritual and intellectual enrichment of people associated with boards and agencies of The United Methodist Church.

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

Nothing But Nets To Aid Refugees in Africa

New initiative to protect over 600,000 refugees in East Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

NEW YORK, NY: The Nothing But Nets anti-malaria campaign has announced a new initiative to help eliminate malaria deaths in the next generation. Responding to an urgent and immediate need, Nothing But Nets is working with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to send long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets (bed nets) to the more than 630,000 refugees living in 27 temporary camps in East Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

An initial $2 million donation from the United Nations Foundation to UNHCR will help launch the refugee bed net initiative. The initiative will mobilize global engagement through Nothing But Nets’ partner organizations – including the people of The United Methodist Church, the National Basketball Association, the Union for Reform Judaism, as well as supporters of UNHCR’s Human Race and ninemillion.org campaigns – to promote awareness about malaria, raise funds to purchase the bed nets needed to protect the refugees, and distribute the nets in UNHCR temporary camps.

“This partnership extends a life-saving safety net to some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees,” said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation. “This initiative represents another step toward covering the continent of Africa with anti-malaria bed nets. Malaria is a preventable disease and our growing coalition of UN agencies, faith communities and major companies are determined to reach our goal of eliminating malaria deaths in this generation.”

“Malaria is the single highest killer disease in East Africa,” said Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East Africa Episcopal Area. “The people living in the settlement camps in northern Uganda, in temporary structures, do not have access to basic health care and sanitation facilities. The incidence of malaria among expectant mothers and children is exceedingly high despite the fact that the disease can be prevented by using mosquito nets.”

Wandabula said The United Methodist Church in East Africa, with support from partners and agencies, has attempted to provide some emergency relief to the refugees and displaced persons, but the need is overwhelming. “We call upon all peace loving people to support our efforts in promoting the welfare of the innocent people who have been forced out of their homes and rendered destitute, especially in their own country,” he said.

“The rainy season is fast approaching and we must act now to prevent more devastation and loss of life from malaria.” said António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Nothing But Nets makes it easy for people to get involved and help us save lives. It’s simple - send a net, save a life.”

More than 275,000 bed nets are needed to protect the refugees living in temporary camps – many have been displaced as a result of the spreading crisis in Darfur. One bed net can protect a family of four and lasts 3-5 years. Each net costs $10 to purchase, distribute and educate about its proper uses.

To date, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $20 million, and has successfully distributed nets across Africa, including Gabon, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria. The first Nothing But Nets-UNHCR bed net distribution will take place in Uganda in fall 2008. Nothing But Nets will also distribute bed nets in Côte d'Ivoire and the Central African Republic in 2008.

To get involved or make a donation, visit www.NothingButNets.net. Multi-media downloads and pictures are also available at www.unfoundation.org/multimedia.

About Nothing But Nets
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, tens of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, the people of The United Methodist Church and Sports Illustrated. It only costs $10 to provide a long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.

About UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, twice Nobel Peace Prize winner (1954 and 1981) provides protection and assistance to refugees and internally displaced people around the world. In more than five decades, the UN refugee agency has helped an estimated 50 million people restart their lives. Today, a staff of around 6,300 people in more than 110 countries continues to help 32.9 million persons worldwide. UNHCR relies exclusively on voluntary contributions from governments, private individuals, foundations and corporations. For further information, please visit www.unhcr.org

Judicial Council hires former member as first clerk

A UMNS Report

By Neill Caldwell*

Sally AsKew

The top court of The United Methodist Church has reached into familiar territory to hire its first-ever clerk.

Sally AsKew, a member of the court from 1988 to 2004, has been selected for the part-time position to help the Judicial Council conduct its business. She will begin her work when the council meets Oct. 22-26 in Minneapolis.

AsKew, of Athens, Ga., served as vice president and secretary during her terms on the council. She also served on the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

She becomes the first ongoing paid employee of the Judicial Council and will aid the church's supreme court in advancing its work in the digital age, according to Susan Henry Crowe, council president.

"A growing workload over the past decade has prevented the volunteer Judicial Council members from spending the necessary time needed to update archives, provide for usable publication of decisions and help update Web sites," Crowe said. "The clerk will enhance the work of the council by making it possible to better access public records."

Crowe said AsKew will help to present the council's rules of practice, docket items and archival material in a user-friendly format. She called the changes "important in helping the church understand and appreciate the important work of the Judicial Council."

AsKew was a reference/public services librarian at the University of Georgia School of Law Library in Athens, 1987-2002. She did her undergraduate work at LaGrange College and earned a law degree at the University of Georgia and a master's degree in library science from Clark Atlanta University. She also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from LaGrange in 2006. Her husband, the Rev. Albert AsKew, is a retired United Methodist pastor.

The clerk will work under the direction of the Judicial Council's secretary, who has had all responsibilities for materials related to the council's work. The council also uses an administrative assistant to help during the court's twice-yearly meetings.

Last spring, the denomination's General Conference approved the new position and authorized hiring a clerk for an average of 20 hours per week, with provisions for an office suitable to maintain records and conduct business. The total four-year budget approved for the council's work was $571,000.

In amending the legislation, General Conference rejected the idea of a "permanent seat" for the council, which was contained in the original petition. The Judicial Council currently rotates its meeting site among U.S. jurisdictions.

*Caldwell is a United Methodist News Service correspondent covering the Judicial Council.

Retired United Methodist pastor compensated for torture

A UMNS Report

By Linda Bloom*

The Rev. Frederick Morris and his children Erick and Jessica attend a Sept. 26 public ceremony held by the Brazilian government to apologize to torture victims of its former military dictatorship. A UMNS photo by Argentina Morris.

Thirty-four years after being tortured by the military dictatorship in Brazil, a retired United Methodist pastor is receiving both monetary compensation and a formal request for forgiveness.
The Rev. Frederick Birten Morris, 74, who now resides in Panama, will be paid 285,000 Brazilian reais-more than $122,000 in U.S. dollars-along with a monthly pension of 2,000 reais, about $900.

The award comes from the Brazil Justice Ministry's Amnesty Commission, which also invited Morris and 12 other survivors to participate in a Sept. 26 event in the capital city of Brasilia.

More important than the money to Morris was the fact that the Brazilian government formally asked for forgiveness.

"I don't know of any government that's ever done that," Morris told United Methodist News Service in an Oct. 7 telephone interview.

A representative of the College of Bishops of the Methodist Church in Brazil attended the event and "also asked for my forgiveness," which "I found overwhelming," Morris said. "It was a very emotional day."

"The General Board of Global Ministries is thankful that a degree of justice has been achieved in the case of Fred Morris' inhumane and unlawful incarceration in Brazil," said the Rev. Jorge Domingues, a board executive who has been monitoring his case. "We honor the courage he displayed at the time of his ordeal, and we are grateful for his service as a missionary and his ministry in subsequent years."

An Associated Press story about his compensation noted that the Amnesty Commission is reviewing cases of victims of the 1964-85 dictatorship. However, unlike other South American nations such as Argentina and Chile, Brazil has never prosecuted any member of the armed forces for human rights abuses.

A 1979 amnesty law resulted in a general pardon for all involved in crimes committed under the dictatorship, although 475 people were killed or disappeared during that period, a government study found.

Among the disappeared
Morris was briefly one of those who disappeared.

The Northern Illinois pastor first went to Brazil in 1963 as a missionary with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and was assigned to the Methodist Church in Brazil. From 1970 to 1974, he worked closely with Dom Helder Camara, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Recife and Olinda.

In 1974, Morris was on a leave of absence from his missionary service and managing a factory in Recife but still associated with Camara, known as Dom Helder, a leading opponent of the dictatorship. Dom Helder was their target, but Morris said the military asked torture victims who didn't know the archbishop about "Pastor Fred."

Morris stands with Dom Helder Camara, the Brazilian archbishop, in 1974, the year he was abducted and tortured. A UMNS file photo by Dow Kirkpatrick.

He never found out who made false accusations against him to the military. "That's one of the best arguments I know for the U.S. not using torture as a means of stamping out terrorism," he said. "People will say anything you want to hear."

During the same period, Time magazine published a positive story about the archbishop and his struggle for human rights for people of Brazil. "They knew in their investigation that I was a stringer for Time and The Associated Press … so they assumed I wrote the story," he said.

Morris had several meetings that summer with military intelligence and thought they were satisfied of his innocence-until he was abducted on Sept. 30. "They waited until the archbishop left the country," Morris recalled. "He went to Rome for a synod meeting."

Over four days, Morris was tortured through beatings and electric shock and questioned about one of his friends, but mostly about the archbishop. "They were trying to get me to confess that I was the connection between him and the Communist Party of Brazil," he said, dismissing the claim as "absurd."

Public outcry
The day of Morris' abduction, Tereza Cristina Assis Carvalho, whom he married at the end of 1974, "realized that I had been disappeared" and laid the groundwork for the outcry that led to his release. "She was very heroic and literally saved my life," Morris said.

He also credited the support of Richard Brown, then the U.S. consul in Recife, and John Crimmins, who was the U.S. ambassador in Brasilia.

United Methodists rallied behind the call for his release. "My father was pastor at that time of the largest Methodist church in Nebraska," he said. The Rev. Hughes B. Morris Sr., as well as his brother, the Rev. Hughes Morris Jr., helped generate more than a thousand letters and telephone calls to members of the U.S. Congress from Nebraska.

In addition, 100 of the 535 members of the House of Representatives were United Methodist. "When they started hearing that a Methodist missionary was being tortured, they started putting the pressure on," he said.

After 17 days, Morris was released. "(The Brazilian government) found it more convenient to expel me than to keep me in prison," he said. "They never bothered to charge me." Later, he became aware that the Brazilian Army, which originally had called him a Communist, had spread the rumor that he was a CIA agent.

Morris gave numerous television interviews and wrote a first-person account of his experience for the Nov. 18, 1974, edition of Time, titled "Torture, Brazilian Style."

Testifying before Congress, Morris said "torture brutalizes and dehumanizes not only those who are tortured but those who torture, those who are intimidated by the torture of others and those who try to ignore the fact that torture exists."

Morris moved to Costa Rica in 1976. He later served in United Methodist churches in the Chicago area and, after retiring as a pastor, returned to Brazil for two years in 1995. He was executive director of the Florida Council of Churches, dean of the Orlando Campus of the South Florida Center for Theological Studies and director of Latin American relations for the National Council of Churches.

File for damages
In 2002, Morris heard that the current government of Brazil was allowing former torture victims to file suit for damages. He hired a lawyer to start the process but "never assumed he was going to produce anything."

At the end of August, Morris was contacted by the vice president of the Justice Ministry's Amnesty Commission and, in less than a month, was in Brasilia with other torture survivors for an event honoring the 100th anniversary of the late archbishop's birth. Dom Helder died in 1999.

Morris was allowed to speak at the Sept. 26 public ceremony. "They gave me 10 minutes and I took about 25," he said.

Morris traveled to Brasilia with his wife of 24 years, Argentina. Also attending were Carvalho, from whom he was divorced, and their children, Erick Morris, who lives in Sao Paulo, and Jessica Morris, a law professor at the University of Miami and a member of the board of directors of Amnesty International USA. Morris has five other children.

Morris said he founded Faith Partners of the Americas at the end of 2004 "wanting to build on my 40 years of experience in Latin America. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any funding for it." Faith Partners is a nonprofit organization dedicated to build solidarity between the churches and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and those in North America.

On Nov. 1, he and his wife are scheduled to move to Nicaragua, where she has extended family. They plan to revitalize Faith Partners by developing an ecumenical environmental education program with a theological twist for Sunday schools.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Path 1 focuses on 'biggest mission field': the U.S.

Providence United Methodist Church, a new church start in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., uses postcards to invite community residents to its worship services, currently held at a local school. A UMNS photo by Ronny Perry.

By Linda Green*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-The United Methodist Church in the United States loses 1,500 members each week, a decline that steadily adds to the country's designation as "the biggest mission field."

The denominational decline is contributing to the estimated 195 million "unchurched" people in the country, now considered the third-largest mission field in the English-speaking world and the fifth largest globally, according to the United Methodist Board of Discipleship in Nashville.

"Not one county in the United States has a greater church population than it did 10 years ago," said the Rev. Tom Butcher, coordinator of Path 1, the denomination's new church growth emphasis for creating faith communities. "The biggest mission field is in the United States."

The United Methodist Church wants to stop that decrease and reconnect with its past by planting churches that reach more people, younger people and diverse people.

"We want to regain our Methodist DNA of starting a church a day," Butcher said. That daily church planting has not occurred for 40 to 50 years, he added.

"John Wesley was a church planter. He followed the people."

Unlike Wesley, the founder of Methodism, the church seems to follow money and not people, according to the Rev. Vance Ross of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. "Wesley followed people and the money seemed to come with it," he said. "How can we get to where people need the church?"

Butcher pointed out that Path 1 "is not about saving the church but about saving lives" and avoids being a one-size-fits-all solution.

Start 650 congregations
By 2012, the denomination wants to equip 1,000 church planters to start 650 new congregations, which would then commit within their first 10 years to beginning new churches, eventually increasing denominational numbers by millions within 30 years. The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries will begin 400 new churches in other countries.

Currently, about 70 to 80 percent of the 34,398 United Methodist churches in the United States are not in the right location when it comes to population groups, statistics suggest. The population has moved to places where United Methodist churches do not exist, Butcher said. "There is an urgent need for new churches," he added.

In 2005, total United Methodist membership in 500 of the country's fastest-growing counties shrank by 2,265 people. Across the country, 17.5 percent of people are in worship on Sundays and 82.5 percent are "somewhere else on any given Sunday morning," he said.

The church's effort to re-evangelize America focuses on building leaders, investing in people and relationships, going where the "unchurched and dechurched" people are and collaborating with healthy existing churches to create new places for new people, according to Path 1.

Congregational growth is one of the denomination's four areas of emphasis - the others are leadership development, global health and ministry with people in poverty - designed to help United Methodists commit their energy in ways in which they can live out their faith.

In a few years, the denomination will record a significant number of retiring clergy, and the current number of clergy under 35 years old is less than 5 percent, according to church data.

Nearly 50 percent of the trained church planters for new church starts will be laity. Traditionally, ordained clergy and local pastors start new churches, Butcher noted.

Training church planters
The board's Office of New Church Starts will work with the Foundation for Evangelism and the National Plan for Hispanic and Latino Ministries to train laity to become church planters.

"The pool of laity is larger than the pool of ordained elders and local pastors," Butcher said. "In a lot of our churches, there are people in the pews who could do new church starts. Finding the right leaders are essential, and we have gifted and passionate people in our churches. Wesley did not have ordained people to train; he trained laity."

He described the ideal United Methodist church planter as a person who has the ability to draw crowds, is courageous, and is a self-starter, good preacher, risk-taker and entrepreneur. The successful planter thinks outside of the box, possesses a winning personality and can build relationships, has been successful in starting new things, and is committed to Christ and solid in Wesleyan theology.

The plan also will need individuals who have success in creating ministries but do not enjoy membership on boards or committees, who are from other faith traditions that have similar theology, or are young people already exhibiting potential for ministry.

The Office of New Church Starts is working with annual conferences and the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry on the steps lay people would need to become "certified lay pastors" to be able to serve the sacraments and perform weddings and funerals.

The emerging church movement, which strives to make church relevant, authentic and connected to daily life, could generate new church starts and draw younger generations, Butcher said.

Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops and leader of the denomination's Illinois Area, considers Path 1 "a gift to the church." The plan gives significant focus to the disciple-making mission of the church, he said, and research suggests that one of the ways to engage people is to make new congregations and faith communities. "Path 1 helps put the focus on the focus," he added.

Racial/ethnic communities
The U.S. church currently begins 90 new churches annually, some successful and some not. The plan is consulting with the denomination's racial/ethnic caucuses on the best practices in order to raise the bar for successful church planting for those populations. Half of the new places for new people will focus on racial ethnic and multicultural communities.

"We have to expect that not every new church start is going to succeed," said the Rev. Junius Dotson, chairperson of the new church starts committee for the Board of Discipleship.

Detractors have lamented the denomination's beginning 650 new churches while it closes churches and others remain more than half-filled in worship. "We are concerned about every church, but churches have a life cycle," Butcher said, explaining that resources have to be re-allocated for new church starts.

"Revitalization alone is not going to make us a stronger denomination or save our churches, but starting new ones will."

Responding to the fears that Path 1 would hurt existing churches, Butcher said the plan does not aim to start new churches at the expense of existing congregations.

For more than a year, the Path 1 team has been building an infrastructure for the $8.5 million General Conference-approved program. While most of its $5 million budget is within the Board of Discipleship, the ministry is in collaboration with the Council of Bishops, congregational developers and other church agencies and caucuses.

The ministry will raise $2.5 million for staff development and operating expenses. The Board of Discipleship will also contribute up to $1 million in staffing and new ministry funds. Church agencies are donating time and resources around best practices and strategies for new church development.

None of the allocated money is for the new churches themselves but for locating and training church planters and developing best practices in a variety of contexts. The hope is to raise funds and realign existing resources to enable annual conferences to plant the new churches, Butcher said.

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

Youth, young adults are church of today, not tomorrow

By Linda Green*

Christopher Dorr plays the drum during a Sept. 25 worship service at the joint gathering of the Division on Ministries with Young People and the United Methodist Board of Discipleship meeting in Nashville, Tenn. A UMNS photo by Linda Green.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-Young people want to send a message to United Methodists: They are not the church of tomorrow but are the church today.

Youth and young adults decry the "youth are the church of tomorrow" mantra because they say that it gives adults permission to discount their voices.

Christopher Dorr, a 20-year-old member of the denomination's Division on Ministries with Young People, said that while youth and young people are helping to lead the future of the church, they often get only token roles on decision-making boards and committees. "They are there for representation," he explained. "Young people should be able to say, 'this is what we are doing and this is what you are doing,' and ask how we can make it work together."

Dorr, the worship leader at Faith United Methodist Church, Clay, Ala., has struggled with having a place in the denomination "where I could plug in." His biggest issue with the denomination is the "gap" he sees between children, youth and adults. People are big on children, but sometimes youth are excluded or forgotten, and ministries for young adults are often limited.

"Youth and young adults are in church and working in church today," he said. "We are not going to be quiet anymore."

He is thankful that the church created the Division on Ministries with Young People four years ago to allow the voices and passion of youth and young people to be heard. The division's governing directors consist of 50 youth and young adults, ages 12-20, from around the world.

"We are not to be forgotten. We have just as strong a voice as anyone else, and we have nothing to stop us from going after everything we want," Dorr said.

'Not just the U.S. way'
Violet Mango, 21, a native Zimbabwean, was a member of the division's inaugural leadership. "Young people are active and bring new ideas to the church. It is not just about the U.S. way of doing things," she said.

Violet Mango

Mango, a freshman at United Methodist-related Rust College, Holly Springs, Miss., said the division spent time laying its groundwork, learning about the church and the role of youth and young adults in it.

The Division on Ministries with Young People is moving into an operational mode after spending the last four years finding its footing, said Mike Ratliff, the division's director. Traditionally, staff and board members are two separate entities within church bodies. In the new division, "we, staff and board members are partners in ministry together," he said.

The division is the only entity focusing on youth and young adult ministry throughout the connection and calling the church into accountability "The division enables us to call the worldwide church to action," Dorr said. "We are a bunch of loud, passionate people who are on fire for Christ."

Mike Ratliff

Ratliff noted the church often looks to youth and young people as "saviors" of the future church. "Sometimes the church looks to young people to perpetuate the church," he said. The reality is that the church will continue to emerge as long as all hear God's call to transformation, he said.

"Young people are passionate about their faith, and I believe that there are young people who are leaders among us today who are prophets among us today," he said. "Young people will grow into the leaders they are created to be."

The United Methodist Church is focusing its direction on leadership development, church growth, global health and poverty, and Ratliff said the division is collaborating with others to help youth respond to God's call on their lives in relation to the church's direction.

Focus on leadership
Leadership development among youth and young adults has been a primary focus for the division in 2008. The organization launched the "Source," a gathering resourcing adult workers with youths to help empower youth and young adults to be leaders in their immediate contexts. The leadership resource for adult workers is at the heart of youth ministry.

The quadrennial gathering focusing on faith and leadership typically draws more than 6,000 young people. It will occur in two locations in 2011: July 13-17 at Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind., and July 27-31 at the convention center in Sacramento, Calif.

Accessibility is the reason for two events rather than one. Each location is now a day's drive for anyone in the country and, with the U.S. economic woes and high gas prices, "it makes sense that we are helping people not spend as much to get there," Ratliff explained.

Another development activity called "pilgrimages" will occur over the next four years. The pilgrimages will bring together youth, young adults and adult workers from different parts of the globe to experience another part of the world and relate the experience to what it means to be both a disciple of Christ and in ministry in their local settings. "It builds relationships and also develops leadership," he said.

The division will conduct its second global young people's convocation July 21-26, 2010 in Berlin. The gathering celebrates the vitality of young people in the church and provides opportunities for the creation of legislation that will help the denomination face the global realities of youth and young adults.

Importance of collaboration
The importance of collaboration will be emphasized as the division works with the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry to recruit three people for the division who will focus on leadership development in youth, college students and young adults, specifically with minorities and women. "This project will identify young adult leaders in the church today and continue to develop them as they grow into the future," Ratliff said.

The division also plans to help alleviate poverty locally and globally by establishing a microenterprise or similar program in the next four years. The division will work with United Methodist businesspeople to develop opportunities for young people to be in sustainable business for themselves and to move out of poverty.

Through its grants, the division already assists youth involvement in social justice projects. It granted $100,000 to 13 global projects that benefit youth and young adults for 2009. The division also awarded $98,500 from the youth service fund to 18 global ministries with youth.

In an effort to advance the voices of youth and young adults outside the United States, Ratliff envisions creating staff positions in the denomination's central conferences.

Mango said that while technology is important in advancing communications, the division must not let go of print media to inform and hear from those outside the United States.

"Communication is very important because a lot of people in my central conference do not have access to the Internet," she explained. "I want to see us inform others by print, too."

Like her U.S. counterparts who attend jurisdictional youth gatherings and events, Mango said she would like to have similar events organized in the Africa Central Conference where youth and young people can come together for leadership development.

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

Hoosier United Methodists establish new conference

Indiana Bishop Mike Coyner consecrates communion elements during the first worship service of the newly merged Indiana Annual Conference in Indianapolis. A UMNS photo by Erma Metzler, Indiana Conference.

By Matthew Oates and Daniel R. Gangler*

INDIANAPOLIS (UMNS)-Clusters and cooperation are the touchstones for a new streamlined Indiana Annual (regional) Conference approved by more than 2,000 United Methodist Hoosiers in a special session on Oct. 4.

The uniting of the South and North Indiana conferences comes at the conclusion of more than two years of work by task forces and a team made of clergy and lay members from both conferences to streamline the administrative structure and place resources closer to local churches.

The last structural change of this magnitude in Indiana came in 1968 when the former Methodist Church and former Evangelical United Brethren Church voted nationally to become The United Methodist Church.

The Imagine Indiana Design Team recommended the merger after membership in both conferences dropped to half of what it was in 1968.

The team said a single conference would be more efficient and would allow more financial resources to go to ministries and programs rather than administration. The new conference will make extended use of electronic communication for meetings and the distribution of news and information.

In his first sermon addressed to the new conference, Bishop Michael J. Coyner asked members, "Can these bones live?" based on Ezekiel 37:1-14. "That's not an organizational question, it's a spiritual question. Can this new Indiana Annual Conference be alive? The answer is found in the question of Ezekiel," he said. "The answer is yes, by God's spirit. That's our answer today."

Coyner encouraged congregations to join a ministry cluster as well as continue development of clergy cluster groups that are already springing up across the state.

Ministry clusters
Features of the new annual conference include forming clergy into covenant groups and organizing all 1,200 congregations into ministry clusters of four to nine congregations for support, outreach to their communities and accountability to the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The current 18 districts will be dissolved and five resource centers to support the work of 10 districts will be established.

A new conference structure will include a conference leaders team and a new conference center in Indianapolis. The team will be led by the bishop and includes representatives from all aspects of the conference at the same table.

"Yes, God wants this new conference to be an effective tool for God's ministry. It's up to us - but it's not all up to us. The answer is yes, by God's spirit," said Coyner. "The gentle spirit of God will make us into the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church."

During their presentation, the 13-members of the Imagine Indiana Transition Team encouraged Hoosier United Methodists to pray through aspects of ministry in the new conference by focusing on a particular part of the conference's ministry each day of the week, beginning Oct. 5.

This past spring, South Indiana Conference members voted 616 to 185 (or 77 to 23 percent), while North Indiana Conference members voted 730 to 192 (or 79 to 21 percent) to create a new conference. In July, the North Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church affirmed the two conferences' votes and granted permission for the unification of the two conferences.

The new Indiana Conference represents more than 225,000 United Methodist members, 40,000 children and 1,200 congregations in all 92 counties. The largest Protestant denomination in Indiana, the church is related to three hospital systems, three universities, three children's homes, six residence facilities for older adults, one half-way house, seven retreat/camps and numerous community ministries.

Response to flood victims
In preparation for the special session, Hoosier United Methodists were encouraged to bring flood bucket and health (personal hygiene) kits to contribute to the Midwest Mission Distribution Center near Springfield, Ill., a ministry of the Illinois Great Rivers Annual (regional) Conference.
According to Gary Peterson, of Fort Wayne and disaster response coordinator of the North Indiana Conference, the response was overwhelming. Members brought 430 flood buckets and more than 1,000 health kits, as well as school items to the Indiana Area-based Operation Classroom for schools in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Hoosier United Methodists filled a 35-foot truck from the Illinois center. Flood buckets that could not fit into the truck were divided among Calumet District. That district will take the kits to one of the two United Way Volunteer Response Centers in Munster and Portage in northwest Indiana, to assist flood survivors recovering from mid-September flood damage.

*Oates is a correspondent for Indiana United Methodist Communication and is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Lafayette, Ind. Gangler is director of communication of the Indiana Conference.

United Methodists plan campaign to 'rethink church'

By Susan Passi-Klaus*

The Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive of United Methodist Communications, addresses the Commission on Communication in Nashville, Tenn. At right is the Rev. Mark Conard, a commissioner from Hutchinson, Kan. UMNS photos by Ronny Perry.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-What if church wasn't just a place where people spend an hour on Sundays? What if there wasn't just one door into the church but 10,000?

And what if we began thinking about "church" as a verb instead of a noun?

The United Methodist Church is going to pose those questions and others when it rolls out a new media campaign in 2009 aimed at getting people to "Rethink Church." The awareness campaign's launch will coincide with World Malaria Day, April 25.

"In the next few years, we will seek to encourage a global spiritual dialogue," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive of United Methodist Communications. "It will ask us to rethink church. We will ask, 'What if church were a verb and not a noun?'"

Hollon and his staff presented the "Rethink Church" awareness campaign to the agency's commission during a Sept. 25-27 meeting in Nashville. The Commission on Communication oversees United Methodist Communications, which is directing the campaign.

"What we're going to try and get across is the idea that 'church' doesn't just happen on Sundays, and 'church' isn't just a building," said Kerry Graham, president of Nashville-based Bohan Advertising/Marketing, which developed the "Rethink Church" campaign.

Attracting more people
The campaign is designed to redefine church as a 365-days-a-year experience where people seeking a church community can become involved at various levels - many of them non-traditional - such as volunteering with groups outside the church building and even through making online connections.

Graham suggests that the church population, institution and hierarchy will need to understand and embrace the idea that it is OK for "church" to start out as day care, a youth-group ski trip, a men's basketball league or something that solves a secular need, such as Habitat for Humanity.

"Whatever entry point is comfortable for someone who may find the idea of entering church daunting, an act of courage or a moment of high vulnerability - that's what church needs to be," he said.

United Methodists are working to bring three generations into the life of the church: baby boomers, post-moderns (also known as Gen X) and millennials (Mosaic or Gen Y). The target audience for the new focus will be 18- to 34-year-olds. With issues related to church relevance, negative impressions of Christians and opportunities for involving young people, these generations have been difficult to engage in mainline church involvement. Church officials expect the campaign to have a positive impact with other age groups as well.

Hollon told commissioners that the church's mission statement, to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world," is the foundation for United Methodist Communications' work. He also noted that the new campaign will use language that resonates with the life concerns of people who aren't familiar with the church.

Competing for 'mind space'
Rethinking church and denominational marketing calls for an ability to tell the church's stories in "many, many different ways, through many media and with different audiences," Hollon told commission members.

Although traditional marketing expressions such as television commercials, magazine advertisements and billboards will anchor the campaign, the "Rethink Church" message also will be delivered in other ways. Cutting-edge communication tools will include everything from United Methodist iTunes and text messaging to YouTube Methodist channels and bumper stickers. The question for campaign architects becomes, "How do we communicate faith in a complex, media-saturated world?"

"We face a multiplicity of media and competition for 'mind space,'" Hollon said. "We are living through changes in lifestyle and values in post-modern, post-Christian culture - changes that are continuous and require adaptation and the ability to turn on a dime."

"Rethink Church" will serve as a creative addendum to the campaign "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors." The church has carried out the campaign on television, radio, billboards and other media for the past eight years.

General Conference, the legislative assembly of The United Methodist Church, approved approximately $20 million in funding for United Methodist Communications for advertising and media campaign work for the next four years. The "Rethink Church" campaign's cost is not yet known, and some funding for it may come from other United Methodist Communications funds.

Challenging the church
The Commission on Communication was "very enthusiastic" about the general concept for "Rethink Church," said Bishop Sally Dyck, commission president, in a telephone interview after the meeting.

The bishop, who leads The United Methodist Church's Minnesota Area, has supported since its inception the campaign for "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors." She likes the fact that it offers churches training in radical hospitality, which is important to revitalizing congregations and starting new ones, she said. The campaign needs to continue, she said.

"Rethink Church, I think, really bumps it up to another level, and it's actually a level that I have wanted our denomination to work on," Dyck said. "…Rethink Church is going to challenge every local church to think about what the meaning and purpose of church is."

A lot of churches define their meaning and purpose in terms of fellowship and have "sacrificed evangelism on the altar of fellowship," she said.

"Rethink Church" will also challenge members to think about how they live out church every day, in all aspects of life. "It really goes from just receiving the gospel in kind of a passive way to …living that gospel out in the world," the bishop said. "It's a challenge to not only believe but to act and to live."

The campaign will have a "wonderful challenge and opportunity for the existing church," but it will also invite people who have been disappointed with the church or even hurt by it to rethink and reconsider what church is really about, she said.

Raising awareness
As the campaign is developed, United Methodist Communications will be seeking comments on the concept from other leaders around the church, including bishops, general agency executives, pastors and theologians.

"Rethink Church" is envisioned as more than just a media campaign or awareness campaign, developers say. The goal is for it to become a movement, with results measured in terms of lives touched and transformed, according to United Methodist Communications staff. Those measures are being developed, but traffic on a future Web site for the campaign will be one indicator.

"When we started 'Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors,' The United Methodist Church was indistinguishable from most other mainline denominations," Hollon told the commissioners. "In fact, someone called us a 'generic' denomination."

The original campaign, launched in September 2001, raised U.S. awareness of the church from 14 percent to 30 percent, according to Hollon. He said 96 percent of those surveyed by Gallup last March now have a positive or neutral view of The United Methodist Church.

The national search for a new advertising agency of record began in late 2007. United Methodist Communications received about a dozen proposals from agencies across the United States and narrowed the contenders to four.

"The Bohan Agency was far away better prepared and better versed in what we are trying to accomplish than any of the others," Hollon said. "They took what we had and built on the last eight years to take us to a whole different place."

*Passi-Klaus is the marketing associate with United Methodist Communications.