Church of the Brethren General Board March 9-13, 2001, Meeting Report

For briefer summary of action items only, click here

With tears in his eyes and a mix of excitement and trepidation in his heart, Brazilian pastor/teacher Marcos Inhauser savored a moment he had dreamed of for years. The Church of the Brethren General Board, during its spring meeting, had just affirmed a major new church planting mission effort in his home country.

Inhauser, who graduated from Bethany Theological Seminary after coming into contact with the denomination in the mid-1980s, said he expected a 30-minute debate before a "yea" or "nay" vote on the proposal. Instead, board chair Mary Jo Flory-Steury led the board through a lengthy, intentional discernment process of prayer and reflection that eventually led to enthusiastic and unanimous approval. "It convinces me of the seriousness of this church in doing the work of God," Inhauser said following the vote.

The plan calls for "pairing a few key leaders and volunteers from the United States with indigenous church leadership already in Brazil." That indigenous leadership includes Inhauser, who said he sees himself in a teacher/mentor role, and several people he has trained during his work as a seminary director in Brazil. The General Board's Global Mission Partnerships office will coordinate the venture.

Global Mission Partnerships director Merv Keeney called the proposal "a great joy" while cautioning the board of two assumptions in bringing it: a long-term commitment, anticipating a scope of at least 25 years; and the need for new money to fund the project, "enlarging the pie" of donors willing to provide support. Some growing cities near Sao Paulo have been identified as possible starting points. The initial site is expected to become quickly self-supporting, allowing for a goal of a second plant within five years.

Appropriate to the meetings' theme of "The Tree of Life" from Genesis and Revelation, the seed planted in Brazil was just one of numerous actions of the General Board and its Executive Committee during the March 8-13 meetings, held at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center of the Brethren Service Center.

The board also:

• Unanimously approved a proposal by the New Church Development Advisory Committee to establish an ongoing New Church Development Committee, to be named by the director of Congregational Life Ministries. The committee will work at a training/assessment program for church planters, mentoring models, establishing guidelines for grants, and other tasks. Its work will be funded by the Emerging Global Mission Fund.

• Approved with modifications a Committee on Interchurch Relations request to answer a plea for forgiveness by Brethren Church (Ashland) executive director Emanuel "Buzz" Sandberg made at the 2000 Annual Conference ecumenical luncheon, reflecting on the divisions in the "Brethren family." The resolution, which says the Church of the Brethren "also repents of the stubbornness that has caused brokenness" between the denominations, was accepted as a General Board resolution. General Board executive director Judy Mills Reimer was empowered to take that response to Sandberg; the resolution will be presented to the 2001 Annual Conference as a study document, for at least one year of discussion and conversation.

• Unanimously approved a resolution on global warming, calling on individuals, congregations, camps, and other church facilities to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and take other steps to live harmoniously with God's creation. It also calls on General Board staff to make the issue a priority, and to provide models and educational resources for the denomination.

• Unanimously approved a revised set of financial policies and new bylaws for the General Board.

• Unanimously approved about $220,000 in capital improvements for the Brethren Service Center, mainly to replace deteriorating windows in most of the campus' buildings with maintenance-free fiberglass windows.

• Heard an update from the committee studying a request for recognition by a Brethren group in India that separated from the Church of North India citing theological differences. The committee has decided to put any decisions on hold until new talks between the groups, with Ministry of Reconciliation's Bob Gross as facilitator, can take place. "There are passionate, committed Christians on both sides of this issue," committee member Christy Waltersdorff said, expressing hopes that the groups can work out their differences.

• Applauded a strong financial report that showed the General Programs budget and every self-funding unit "in the black" for 2000 and positive numbers in giving to the General Board.

• Held a 150th birthday party banquet for Messenger with reflections from the past century and half, and shared ideas for the magazine's future.

• Participated in numerous worship and devotional times, including two main services led by Russ Matteson and David R. Miller, examining the hope of the future and the joy of the present amid anointing and communion.

• Heard ministry reports from nearly 20 General Board programs and updates from numerous partner agencies and the American Baptist Churches USA.

• Engaged in two educational forums, one on socially responsible investing led by Tim Smith of Walden Asset Management, and one on race awareness led by members of Mennonite Central Committee's Damascus Road team.

In addition, the board's Executive Committee:

• Appointed V. Jane Davis of Missouri to the Brethren Historical Committee, for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2001.

• Completed the three-year review and evaluation of General Board executive director Judy Mills Reimer, giving many words of appreciation for her strengths and setting some focus areas for the coming year.

• Approved a $60,000 Global Food Crisis Fund grant for Honduras.

The board adjourned to the words of Isaiah 55, "For you shall go out with joy and be led back in peace." The General Board next meets June 29-30 in Baltimore, immediately prior to Annual Conference.

© 2008 Church of the Brethren General Board