{"id":24977,"date":"2025-03-21T17:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T17:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=24977"},"modified":"2025-03-22T21:20:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T21:20:51","slug":"board-resolution-weapons-transfers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2025\/board-resolution-weapons-transfers\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission and Ministry Board adopts resolution on weapons transfers at spring meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A resolution on weapons transfers was adopted by the Church of the Brethren\u2019s Mission and Ministry Board at its spring meeting held March 7-9 at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Board chair Colin Scott led the meeting, assisted by chair-elect Kathy Mack and general secretary David Steele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board adopted the document on weapons transfers as presented by staff of the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. The action adopted it as a resolution of the Mission and Ministry Board and recommended it to the 2026 Annual Conference for adoption (find the full text below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resolution focuses on the international arms trade, the arms industry, and the part played by the United States as \u201ccurrently the world\u2019s largest exporter of weapons, with 39 percent of global weapons imports in 2023 coming from the US.\u201d The resolution reviews the Church of the Brethren\u2019s long history of opposition to war and militarization and reaffirms the church\u2019s commitment to peace as God\u2019s will and the call of Christ. It includes a section of recommendations for the church to take up at the individual, congregational, district, and denominational levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During discussion of the resolution, a concern was expressed that it should also address gun violence in the US. Conversation about how to accommodate that concern included the possibility of a follow-up resolution or the reaffirmation of a board statement made in 2018 titled \u201cLukewarm No More: A Call for Repentance and Action on Gun Violence\u201d (find a link at www.brethren.org\/mmb\/statements<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mission and Ministry Board leadership at the spring meeting (from left to right): David Steele, general secretary; Colin Scott, board chair; Kathy Mack, chair-elect (photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford). Find a full photo album from the meeting at https:\/\/churchofthebrethren.smugmug.com\/Mission-and-Ministry-Board-Spring-2025<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In other business<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another action, the board made decisions to restructure its standing committees<\/strong>. It approved an Executive Committee recommendation to merge the Audit and Investment Committee and the Sustainability Committee into a new Finance and Sustainability Committee, and to create a new committee to continue the ongoing work of the Seeking God\u2019s Racial Justice Foreground Initiative Task Team. Descriptions of the new committees will come to the board at its summer meeting held prior to Annual Conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Board members join in singing hymns, part of the practice at every meeting of spending time in worship, prayer, hymn singing, and fellowship. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The agenda included items related to the board\u2019s Strategic Plan<\/strong>. The board brainstormed ideas for next steps in the plan and received updates and background information from the Strategic Planning Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among reports were several from staff<\/strong> including the general secretary\u2019s review of his recent trip to the Dominican Republic with Annual Conference moderator Dava Hensley. Updates from Intercultural Ministries director Founa Badet, Service Ministries executive Roy Winter, and Office of Peacebuilding and Policy director Nathan Hosler reviewed concerns for the situation of immigrants and refugees and related work by their departments. A report on the work of Global Mission and her participation in a recent trip to South Sudan was given by new executive director Sharon Norton.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Changing Culture of Church\u201d <\/strong>was the topic for a board development session led by Bethany Theological Seminary president Jeff Carter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There were four closed sessions<\/strong> of the Executive Committee and full board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always, the meeting included time for worship, prayer, hymns, and fellowship<\/strong>. Board member Joel Gibbel brought the message for the Sunday morning worship service held in the chapel at the General Offices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHe [Bartimaeus] knew what he needed, he knew what Jesus could do, and he asked for it,\u201d preached Joel Gibbel, bringing the message for the board\u2019s Sunday morning service on the Bible story in Mark 10:46-52, Jesus’ healing of a blind man named Bartimaeus. \u201cWe may not literally be blind, but be assured we all have blind spots…. We should always desire to have clarity, the clarity that Jesus gives us.\u201d Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The full text of the resolution:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resolution on Weapons Transfers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLove your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.\u201d (Matthew 5: 44-46).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Called to follow the teachings of Jesus, the Church of the Brethren has consistently been opposed to all forms of warmaking. Given the current state of US weapon production and transfers, the church should examine and respond to the impacts of the arms industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Global Impact of the US Arms Trade<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States is currently the world\u2019s largest exporter of weapons, with 39 percent of global weapons imports in 2023 coming from the US. The US is exporting arms to multiple countries that are actively engaged in military conflicts but also numerous allies that are not actively at war. The US is the largest supplier of military weaponry to Israel, for example, and in recent years US weapons have been used by the Israeli military in attacks that have killed countless civilians in Gaza and southern Lebanon. US military aid to Ukraine has included types of weapons that are banned by international treaties, such as cluster munitions and landmines. The United States is the top supplier of arms to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Ukraine, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and many other countries. This data is specifically from 2023, as reported by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arm transfer decisions made now will cause harm for years to come. In the US, the process of weapons transfers\u2014from notification of an arms sale to Congress to delivery to another nation\u2014can take multiple years. Once weapons are manufactured and delivered, that act cannot be undone, and weapons may last for years beyond that date. Weapons that originate in the US end up in unintended places around the world, such as Haiti in recent years, where there are 22 Church of the Brethren congregations. Weapons transfers approved today will have lasting impacts on current and future conflicts and church members around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns about US arms transfers to other countries cannot be disentangled from the private defense industry in the US and how profit is made from war. The top five arms-producing companies in the world are US companies. Increased geopolitical tensions increase global defense spending, allowing businesses to profit directly from instability and violence. For example, tensions between the US and China lead to arguments for greater defense spending within the US. The US also supplies weapons to partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan and Japan. The direct connection between geopolitical tensions, military escalation, and profit-making for US-based companies raises ethical concerns about the defense industry and the US\u2019s key role in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Church of the Brethren\u2019s Historic Opposition to War and the Defense Industry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Church of the Brethren has a long history of opposition to war and militarization. The church has reiterated its rejection of militarism and has stated that \u201cwar or any participation in war is wrong and entirely incompatible with the spirit, example, and teachings of Jesus Christ\u201d (1918 Statement on \u201cWar and Nonresistance,\u201d 1970 Statement on \u201cWar,\u201d 1982 Statement on \u201cReaffirmation of Opposition to War and Conscription for Military Training\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Church of the Brethren has a history of opposition to the defense industry as well, and the development of weapons more generally\u2014in particular nuclear weapons. The 1982 Annual Conference passed a statement calling for an end to the nuclear arms race, reaffirming that the church has always \u201cunderstood the biblical message as contrary to the destructive, life denying, realities of war\u201d (1982 Statement on \u201cA Call to Halt the Nuclear Arms Race\u201d). As the church in 1982 understood that increasing the number of nuclear weapons was a threat to peace, we recognize today that the production and transfer of more arms from the US to other countries around the world contributes to war and human suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2013 resolution, the church spoke against the use of drone warfare, including in areas where the US was not officially at war (2013 \u201cResolution Against Drone Warfare\u201d). The statement expressed the understanding that violence outside of the context of official war is still violence and found \u201cthe efforts of the United States to distance the act of killing from the site of violence to be in direct conflict to the witness of Christ Jesus.\u201d Today we understand that just because there is distance between the US and the countries where US weapons are purchased and used, and the decisions about the use of such weapons are not made directly by the US government, the US is still a participant in the violence those weapons cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 1991 statement on peacemaking, the church encouraged \u201cthe boycott of products produced and sold by companies that derive large amounts of their income from military contracts\u201d (1991 Statement on \u201cPeacemaking: The Calling of God\u2019s People in History\u201d) and in 2006, the church decided that Brethren Benefit Trust (now Eder Financial) would divest from Caterpillar because its military-grade bulldozers were used in military actions in Israel and Palestine (2006 Statement on \u201cDivestment from Companies Selling Products Used as Weapons in Israel and Palestine\u201d). Eder Financial has a long history of providing and following investment guidelines based on Annual Conference statements, including screening out weapons manufacturers and companies with defense contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These Church of the Brethren statements show that even indirect actions contributing to violence are contrary to our understanding of God\u2019s intentions for humanity and our world, as well as being contrary to our call as disciples of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Church States its Opposition to US Arms Transfers in Discipleship to Jesus Christ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the current moment, it is important, again, to affirm the Church of the Brethren\u2019s commitment to peace as God\u2019s will and the call of Christ, and in that context to recognize the transfer of US weapons as a form of participation in war. The Church of the Brethren states its opposition to the US manufacturing and sale of weapons and urges the US government to halt the sale of arms to other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the individual level:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. That individuals educate themselves and others about the impacts of the US arms trade and our biblical call to peacemaking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. That individuals reflect and pray about the effects of US weapons transfers around the world, and how best to move society and government down a less militaristic path.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. That individuals who own investments, including retirement accounts and pensions, divest from the arms industry. Annually, Eder Financial compiles lists of the top twenty-five publicly traded defense contractors and all publicly traded companies where more than ten percent of their revenue comes from contracts with the US Department of Defense. Following these guidelines, individuals should divest from companies that have more than a minimal involvement in weapons production whether or not they derive the majority of their profit through military contracts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. That individuals contact their elected representatives and participate in nonviolent direct action to oppose US weapons transfers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    At the congregational and district levels:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. That congregational and district leadership provide resources and encouragement for church members to learn about, reflect on, and take action on the concern of US arms transfers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. That congregations and districts divest from companies that have more than a minimum involvement in weapons production, including those that derive the majority of their profit not through military contracts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      At the denominational level:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. That the Church of the Brethren, through the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, engage in ongoing research, education, and advocacy against US arms transfers and the defense industry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. That Annual Conference agencies and other Church of the Brethren-related organizations divest from companies that have more than a minimal involvement in weapons production, including those that derive the majority of their profit not through military contracts, referring to the lists compiled from Eder Financial.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Statements and Actions of the Church of the Brethren:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Paper Adopted by the Goshen Conference, 1918, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/1918-statement-on-war-and-nonresistance\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Statement on War, 1970, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/1970-war\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Resolution, \u201cReaffirmation of Opposition to War and Conscription for Military Training,\u201d 1982, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/1982-opposition-to-war-and-conscription\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Statement, \u201cA Call to Halt the Nuclear Arms Race,\u201d 1982, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/1982-nuclear-arms-race\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –\u201cResolution Against Drone Warfare,\u201d 2013, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/2013-resolution-again-drone-warfare\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Statement, \u201cPeacemaking, The Calling of God\u2019s People in History,\u201d 1991, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/1991-peacemaking\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Resolution, \u201cDivestment from Companies Selling Products Used as Weapons in Israel and Palestine,\u201d 2006<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Other Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Arms Transfers Database, Updated 3\/11\/2024, https:\/\/www.sipri.org\/databases\/armstransfers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Council for Foreign Relations, \u201cUS Aid to Israel in Four Charts,\u201d 11\/13\/2024, https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/article\/us-aid-israel-four-charts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Amnesty International USA Submission to NSM-20, \u201cUnlawful Use of US-Made Munitions and Violations of International Law by Israel Since January 2023,\u201d 4\/29\/2024, https:\/\/www.amnestyusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/4.29.2024-NSM-20-AIUSA-submission-re-Israel.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, \u201cTrends in International Arms Transfers, 2023,\u201d 03\/2024, https:\/\/www.sipri.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-03\/fs_2403_at_2023.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –United States Government Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters, \u201cCaribbean Firearms: Agencies Have Anti-Trafficking Efforts in Place, But State Could Better Assess Activities,\u201d 10\/15\/2024, https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/products\/gao-25-107007<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Church of the Brethren, Global Mission, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/global\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, \u201cThe SIPRI Top 100 Arms-producing and Military Services Companies in the World, 2023,\u201d Updated 12\/24, https:\/\/www.sipri.org\/visualizations\/2024\/sipri-top-100-arms-producing-and-military-services-companies-world-2023<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Sing, S., \u201cWhy the Defense Industry Outlook Is so Strong,\u201d Forbes, 3\/13\/2024, https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/sarwantsingh\/2024\/03\/11\/why-the-defense-industry-outlook-is-so-strong\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Congressional Research Service, \u201cTaiwan: Defense and Military Issues,\u201d 8\/15\/2024, https:\/\/crsreports.congress.gov\/product\/pdf\/IF\/IF12481<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Eder Financial, \u201cEder Values Investing,\u201d https:\/\/ederfinancial.org\/EVI<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Eder Financial, \u201cUS Department of Defense 2024 Top 25 Publicly Traded Companies Receiving Prime DoD Contracts,\u201d https:\/\/ederfinancial.org\/files\/galleries\/DoD_Lists_2024_Top_25.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        –Eder Financial, \u201c2024 U.S. Department of Defense Companies Screened Due to Greater than 10 Percent of Gross Revenues from Prime Contracts with the U.S. DoD,\u201d https:\/\/ederfinancial.org\/files\/galleries\/DoD_Lists_2024_10_percent.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        #MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        ———-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Find more Church of the Brethren news:<\/p>\n\n\n