October 15-19, 1999, Meeting Report
Church of the Brethren General BoardOctober 15-19, 1999, Meeting Report |
|
The Church of the Brethren General Board came together for its fall meetings Oct. 15-19 with leaders proclaiming a "new day" for the group and the denomination it serves. That spirit showed itself throughout the proceedings, as an atmosphere of optimism, excitement and joyful celebration surrounded the business sessions and other events.
Again using the "Worshipful Work" model for conducting business, the Board employed hymns, stories, prayers, and other sharing to surround the tasks at hand. A vibrant worship center designed by General Board staff members Howard Royer, Beth Sollenberger Morphew and others provided a centerpiece for the theme, "The Gifts of God for the People of God."
Following are some of the highlights of the meetings:
Seldom does a series of reports and updates generate much enthusiasm, but it happened at the General Board table in Elgin. One by one, a stream of speakers shared good news and optimism from their respective ministries.
Executive Director Judy Mills Reimer uplifted the need for the Board and its staff to be engaged in storytelling, "keeping images of God's ministry before us." Through stories, she said, the passion and excitement of ministry comes alive, and sharing them helps to reveal God to us.
As part of this goal, she shared that each leadership team area of the General Board staff would be conducting "benchmark retreats" to set measureable objectives for the next three years, to be reported in March 2000. She concluded her opening remarks by proclaiming several times, "Our future is bright."
Merv Keeney, director of Global Missions Partnerships, reported progress on a possible partnership in ministry in Tijuana, Mexico. Keeney also shared about the denomination's energetic mission in the Dominican Republic, saying "the church has become engaged in this mission like none in recent history." He said the mission brought particular excitement at a Mission Roundtable meeting in New Windsor in August.
The New Church Development Advisory Committee brought a sense of great potential and energy in a different mission field, saying the church's No. 1 priority needs to be in major metropolitan areas, where Brethren often aren't found. The committee will meet again Feb. 1-2.
A follow-up report on the recent redesign of the General Board brought generally high ratings from those who responded, although only about a quarter of survey forms were returned.
David Radcliff, director of Brethren Witness, said that a new series of resources coming from the office will help congregations put the Children and Violence resolution passed by the 1999 Annual Conference into action in local settings. Another resource, designed to celebrate the new millenium, is also coming in the form of "J2K: New Hope, New Day." It emphasizes regular reading of Scripture, has a "House of Refuge" effort to raise funds for new church development, and has other ideas for congregations. Radcliff said the package should be headed to congregations in November.
Perhaps the greatest excitement of all came via the Brethren Service Center report brought by Reimer and Emergency Response Service Ministries manager Stan Noffsinger, who also is coordinating the work of the center.
Noffsinger called the center's ministries "a story worth telling" and highlighted efforts to promote the center and to work ecumenically in disaster relief and elsewhere. With the General Board's assertion in August that the Brethren Service Center would remain a key part of its future, Noffsinger said he wants it to be a "mission point" for the church, a place known for service and continuing the work of Jesus.
Celebration took center stage at a Saturday evening banquet, as dinner just set the table for a time of singing and storytelling. Warren and Theresa Eshbach of Thomasville, Pa., led an upbeat hymn sing surrounding eight tales of real ministry happening in the church.
General Board member Christy Waltersdorff shared about a denominational junior high workcamp in Lake Geneva, Wisc., this past summer where youth worked among the physically and mentally disabled. Fourteen-year-old workcamp participant Parker Swanson of Elgin, Ill., said the experience helped him decide to take a membership class at his church.
Sue Grubb told of a Brethren Volunteer Service orientation trip to a homeless shelter in Baltimore. Congregational Life Team member Duane Grady brought stories of congregational renewal in Indiana.
Other stories touched on a Spanish-language service at the Harrisburg (Pa.) First church and a consultation on Cross-Cultural Ministries, the Family Farm Drought Response organized by Emergency Response Service Ministries in cooperation with numerous other ecumenical agencies, mission in the Dominican Republic through a 10-year-old's eyes, Rachel Gross' work with the Death Row Support Project, and an emerging peace process in Sudan.
Howard Royer, General Board staff for interpretation, concluded the litany of ministry with a story of his own, saying, "You're not a wave, you're part of an ocean. ... We're part of something so much bigger than us or any congregation."
One major business item had the Board wrestling with the best way to put forth an emphasis on women in ministry, wanting to call attention to the issue and seeking to open more doors to women ministers in the Church of the Brethren.
After much discussion, the Board settled on bringing a resolution developed by Allen Hansell, General Board Director of Ministry, and passed it unanimously.
The resolution uplifts a 1958 Annual Conference decision to grant women "full and unrestricted rights in the ministry" and other polity papers, including the 1999 Ministerial Leadership paper. It points out the disparity between men and women in ministry in the denomination, with women making up only 13 percent of those serving as pastors and many more being trained than being placed.
It presents four points calling for equal treatment of men and women in ministry and requests a study guide from the Office of Ministry to look at "biblical, historical, and contemporary" materials that bear on the issue.
The full text of the resolution is availabe online.
Another General Board discussion looked at the role and work of the Church of the Brethren Washington Office, which lost its full-time coordinator and other staff in the redesign process.
Presented with the feeling that it is unsatisfactory to continue to operate the Washington Office with only a volunteer working 15 hours a week, plus a Brethren Volunteer Service volunteer, the General Board was asked to reflect on what the Washington Office has meant to the Church of the Brethren over the years.
Several board members spoke about their remembrances of the leadership of the Washington Office during the wars in Korea and Viet Nam. Some said the Washington Office had been influential in their own faith formation.
After the discussion, the board approved a motion saying that it "strongly affirms" the presence of the Washington Office, and asking the staff to proceed with ideas for future staffing and funding and bring a report to the March meeting.
Acting on a proposal by Merv Keeney, director of Global Mission Partnerships, the Board voted to establish an Emerging Mission Fund.
Money raised for this fund would be used to plant new churches both in the United States and internationally, with the intention of helping new missions to become established during their first 10 years of existence. It will help to facilitate the work of the Mission and Ministries Planning Council, created during the redesign to facilitate new mission ideas and efforts.
This new General Board fund grew out of recommendations affirmed by the Board in 1996 and 1997 and discussions with the ad hoc Brethren World Mission group, which had asked for more balance between humanitarian mission efforts and evangelistic outreach.
Keeney also brought an update on reconciliation efforts between the Church of North India and the "separated Brethren" there.
He and Shantilal Bhagat, staff consultant for Global Mission Partnerships, provided background on the situation, including an August visit to India that sought, unsuccessfully, to bring the two parties together for joint meetings and conversation.
Both groups are rooted in Church of the Brethren mission that began in India in 1895. After a 1970 decision to unite with other mission churches to form the Church of North India, a segment of the Brethren broke away from CNI again in1978 and has existed separately ever since, resulting in ongoing tensions and litigation.
Several Indian Brethren from Chicago-area churches also shared from their perspective.
After the report and some discussion, the Board approved a proposal to appoint a committee that would "continue the conversation about recognition" with the Brethren in India, visit churches there, and look at reporting back to the Board with a "possible proposal for recognition of the Indian church" at the 2001 Annual Conference.
The Board looked at its own work as it took up consideration of a General Board vision statement, a piece that hasn't existed previously. Executive Director Judy Mills Reimer said it should be a "shared statement of ... what the General Board is about."
Board members pondered a collection of phrases gathered by the Executive Committee and assembled by General Board Leadership Team members, naming the images those phrases brought to mind and images of the church that weren't represented in the phrases.
After discussion, the Board decided to appoint a committee of five people, representing both Board members and staff, to prepare a vision statement through discernment. The committee will report back at the March 2000 meeting.
Other items from the October meeting:
Communications consultant Patti Crane led a morning workshop on "The Role and Responsibility of Effective Board Members," helping the Board to think about its vision.
The Board appointed a committee to name ways that the Global Mission Partnerships office can work with Annual Conference officers to provide enhanced hospitality and visibility for "fraternal visitors" to Conference. The committee will consist of Don Booz, Ruth Clark, Merle Crouse, Jill Best, General Board staff Merv Keeney, and Annual Conference moderator Emily Mumma, and will report back to the General Board meeting in March.
The Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence, developed by the World Council of Churches Central Committee for the period of 2001-2010, was uplifted with urgings that Church of the Brethren members and congregations respond with their own thoughts, ideas, and resources.
General Board staff members David Radcliff and Howard Royer presented a National Council of Churches document called "Pillars of Peace for the 21st Century," which calls for full U.S. participation in the United Nations and other peacemaking steps. The Board voted to affirm the piece.
About two dozen Brethren are expected to participate in the NCC's 50th anniversary celebration in Cleveland, Ohio, in November. Six of them are attending as official delegates.
Amid reports of increased giving to the denomination and projections of another year finishing in the black, the Board approved its 2000 budget.
Subcommittees met to examine issues in faith formation, leadership, outreach, and stewardship.
| Return to: Meeting report archive | General Board | brethren.org home |
© 2008 Church of the Brethren General Board