Retirements, reductions in bishops proposed

By Steve Smith
Associate Editor, United Methodist Reporter

At least 18 United Methodist bishops will retire in 2004, including Indiana Bishop Woodie W. White, and a General Conference proposal would reduce the number of episcopal leaders eligible for election this year by five.

Proponents of a plan being floated by the United Methodist General Council on Finance and Administration, the agency that keeps tabs on the denomination's budget, said the proposal, if passed, would save about $5 million from 2005-2008 in costs associated with paying bishops and maintaining offices and parsonages. The proposal, which affects only the U.S. bishops, would ultimately reduce the number of retired bishops who would receive benefits.

The United Methodist Church has 50 active bishops in five U.S. jurisdictions and 18 in overseas areas called Central Conferences.

Meanwhile, according to the GCFA, the bishops who have announced they are retiring in 2004 include:

Bruce Blake (Okla.);
Kenneth Carder (Miss.);
Ray Chamberlain (Holston, Tenn.);
William Dew (Phoenix);
Marion Edwards (Raleigh, N.C.);
Robert Fannin (Birmingham, Ala.);
Elias Galv n (Seattle);
Neil Irons (Harrisburg, Pa.);
Clifton Ives (W. Va.);
Hae-Jong Kim (Pittsburgh.);
Felton May (Washington, D.C.);
William Morris (Nashville, Tenn.);
Albert "Fritz" Mutti (Kan.);
Alfred Norris (Houston);
William Oden (North Texas);
Sharon Zimmerman Rader (Wis.);
Joseph Sprague (Chicago); and
Woodie White (Ind.).

GCFA members made the bishop-cutting proposal recently while working on the denomination's $586 million budget for 2005-2008, which includes a 20-percent increase for the Episcopal Fund for active and retired bishops around the world. The spending plan will go to the General Conference, the denomination's highest legislative body, April 27-May 7 in Pittsburgh, for final approval.

"... if we don't reduce the number of bishops, we'll see further reductions in other programs of the church."

Philip Wogaman

If passed, the change would become effective at the end of General Conference, reducing the number of bishops elected this year.

The Rev. J. Philip Wogaman of Washington, D.C., a member of the GCFA's episcopal services committee, told the Reporter 2004 would provide a good opportunity to enact the reductions because of bishop elections coming up across the denomination.

The proposal also would not require any bishop "layoffs" or realignment of annual conferences, just more areas for each bishop to cover, Wogaman said.

"If the church was loaded with money, this wouldn't be a problem, but all the program agencies have had to reduce drastically and if we don't reduce the number of bishops, we'll see further reductions in other programs of the church," Wogaman said. "It was also our judgment that a reduction of one bishop for each jurisdiction would not significantly weaken the life of the church."

Sandra Lackore, the denomination's treasurer and GCFA general secretary, said the proposal is part of a larger, "more holistic" picture that financial leaders are studying for 2005-2008. She said the study comes at a time when local church dollars that support the general church programs have dropped from 5Â« cents for every dollar in 1989 to a projected 3 cents for every dollar in 2005-2008.

"We are looking at how strong is the denomination financially and how is it able to support the promises it has made through its actions and legislation by General Conference," Lackore said.

Last updated on 01/14/2004

Questions or comments: webmaster@inareaumc.org