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March 2004 |
Delegation leads reflect upon General Conference 2004
What are the primary issues facing this General Conference?
Together asked the Revs. Frank Beard of the North Indiana Conference and Kent Millard of the South Indiana Conference their views on the upcoming 2004 General Conference in Pittsburgh. Both head their respective General Conference delegations. Beard is pastor of the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church in Warsaw. Millard is senior pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. General Conference will meet April 27 through May 7 in Pittsburgh. Only General Conferences speak officially for the church and are held every four years. The previous General Conference was held in May 2000 at Cleveland. The first General Conference was held in 1784 at Baltimore.
Kent Millard of the South Indiana Conference
I believe that the key overriding issue before the 2004 General Conference is whether or not The United Methodist Church will remain UNITED. There are strong forces on the right wing and on the left wing that are pulling the church in different directions and the challenge of this conference is working out the necessary compromises to hold us together.
When I was in Pittsburgh for the Pre-General Conference briefing in late January, we stayed in a hotel located right at the point in downtown Pittsburgh where two rivers merge into one river. From my hotel room I could see the Allegheny River on my right and the Monongahela River on my left as they merged together to form the Ohio River right in front of me.
It occurred to me that the river on the right might represent the right wing of our church and the river on the left might represent the left wing of our church and my prayer is that they might come together in a wonderful way in Pittsburgh to form a stronger and more powerful witness for God.
In 1 Corinthians 12:21 Paul calls the church the body of Christ and then he goes on to say: "the eye cannot say to the hand 'I have no need of you' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you." In a similar way conservatives cannot say to liberals "I have no need of you" and liberals can't say to conservatives "I have no need of you." The truth is that we all need each other to be a whole body of Christ in the world today.
These differing streams of thought will be expressed as we debate issues about finances, re-structuring General Agencies, decreasing the number of Bishops, a new pension plan, a new youth organization, the Igniting Ministries advertising plan, homosexuality, war, support for Africa University, supporting ethnic minority ministries, funding to help create an AIDS free world, and many other issues expressed in the 1500 petitions sent to the General Conference to consider.
The presenting issues are never the real issue; the real issue is the state of the relationships between conservatives and liberals; among leaders of the south, north, east, west and international delegates; among general agencies, conferences and congregations, and among ethnic minority and ethnic majority groups.
My prayer is that all of us at General Conference will develop such healing and reconciling relationships among ourselves that we can lead and model John Wesley's dictum: "Though we may not think alike, may we not love alike?" I am committed to helping our leaders work together so that we can continue to be a UNITED Methodist Church whose vision is to make disciples of Jesus Christ whom God can use to transform our world into a compassionate, inclusive and Christ-like community.
How are you preparing?
Personally, I am fasting and praying one day each week before General Conference for God's will to be done among us. I am also praying for each member of our South Indiana delegation that God will give us all the wisdom and strength we need to be effective leaders at General Conference.
Frank Beard of the North Indiana Conference
There are many critical issues facing General Conference 2004. One of the most crucial decisions will be the proposed 2005-2008 budget of $585.7 million dollars. This budget reflects a significant increase despite of an overall decrease in revenues over the past quadrennium. The proposed budget does not include an additional $80 million dollars of requests that will need to be approved (outside the proposed budget). It is interesting that we will be asked to consider increasing the budget when the current data does not support the availability of funds to cover such an increase.
There are two items related to the episcopacy that can have significant impact. The first deals with allowing bishops to provide leadership as the chairs of General Conference legislative committees. My hope is that we will not make the mistake of involving bishops in the legislative process. The second episcopal issue deals with reducing the number of United States bishops. This proposal is viewed by many as a "cost-saving measure." I'm not sure that a reduction in leadership is how we should approach our financial problems.
A structural proposal to bring together the work of the Council on Ministries and the General Council on Finance into a "connectional table" is another key issue. This proposal is viewed by some as a way of bringing mission and money together.
The quadrennial emphasis will certainly generate some lively debate. The proposed emphasis would center around a holistic strategy on Africa and Latin America.
Another important issue will be the new pension benefit program. The proposed program changes would offer greater security, more variety in investment choices and better stewardship management. While this program would not go into effect until 2007 it would be a significant new design.
The sheer volume of more than 100 petitions relating to issues of sexuality and marriage along with the ongoing national publicity and debate will cause this issue to be lifted up as a key issue facing the delegates.
In addition to the issues, I've already cited are others dealing with Holy Communion, the Judicial process, mandatory retirement, and a host of "justice" issues.
Unity
Ultimately the unity of our denomination will hinge on our unity in Christ. If we fail to be united in Christ we will not be able to withstand either internal or external attacks upon the people called United Methodist.
I do not believe the denomination will split over the issue of homosexuality alone. I am concerned, however, about the seemingly increasing gap on the issues of biblical authority and the "lordship" of Jesus Christ. My hope is that our denomination would spend more of its energy and resources on our stated mission: "making disciples for Jesus Christ." I also hope that we can keep our dialogue and our actions towards one another "Christlike" and respectful regardless of our personal position on any particular issue.
Several issues will challenge the stability and unity of our denomination, but I am confident that if Jesus is allowed to be at the helm, as Captain, the ship will keep floating and will adjust to the course that is plotted to bring God the greatest glory.
How are you preparing?
We started our preparations with the covenant agreement to pray for each other. My hope is that the prayers of our Annual Conference will cover us as well. As for the personal physical, emotional, and mental preparations, I'm not sure. I will do my best to rest, walk, maintain my devotional life, and keep up-to-date with the issues and opportunities presented before us.
Last updated on 04/19/2004