{"id":25625,"date":"2025-07-08T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=25625"},"modified":"2025-07-09T18:34:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T18:34:27","slug":"breaking-down-barriers-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2025\/breaking-down-barriers-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down Barriers study committee\u2019s four recommendations are adopted"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four recommendations brought by the Breaking Down Barriers study committee (known at this Conference as unfinished business item two), were adopted by the delegate body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The committee\u2019s full report, including interim reports from previous years, offers extensive research and identification of the multiple barriers to full and equal participation in Church of the Brethren events such as Annual Conference. (Find a link to a pdf document of the study committee\u2019s report and recommendations at www.brethren.org\/ac2025\/business<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the study committee–Jeanne Davies, Brandon Grady, and Dan Poole (chair)–were named by Annual Conference in 2022 when the study was initiated by a query from the Living Stream Church (a fully online congregation) and Pacific Northwest District. The study committee\u2019s mandate included \u201cissues related to broad accessibility; virtual\/hybrid meetings and\/or webcasting\u201d and examination of \u2018the theological, philosophical, and radical implications\u2026along with a feasibility study.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its work has included seeking input through surveys, listening sessions, and consultations with a wide variety of groups and people from across the denomination. The study committee also held meetings with the denomination\u2019s Feasibility Committee, a body that includes members from the Standing Committee of district delegates and representatives of the Mission and Ministry Board and the three Conference agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study committee\u2019s four recommendations fall within three categories: 1. Issues related to Conference business practices that the committee recommends be referred to the new Review and Evaluation Committee; 2. Named barriers to participation that already have been addressed in some fashion or are in the process of being addressed; 3. A set of concerns to carry to the Feasibility Committee for advice and consideration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Delegates vote to approve the recommendations brought by the Breaking Down Barriers study committee. Photo by Keith Hollenberg<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The first recommendation<\/strong> is to refer to the Review and Evaluation Committee a review of processes and language used in Conference business including change of confusing terms, consideration of a process other than Robert\u2019s Rules of Order such as the former Worshipful Work model, assessment of the query process, consideration of creative ways to shorten the business agenda, and investigation of using electronic voting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Committee members Brandon Grady (at the lectern) and Jeanne Davies report to the Standing Committee of district delegates. Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The second recommendation<\/strong> is that all Conference planners continue to uphold statements and policies that remove barriers to participation, and offers a lengthy list of additional suggestions for consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third recommendation<\/strong> is to revise the calculation used for the Annual Conference Travel Scholarship so that instead of eligibility for attendees from west of the Mississippi River the scholarship is provided to attendees traveling a distance of 1,200 miles or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth recommendation<\/strong> is that the Mission and Ministry Board and other denominational leadership consider two options for Annual Conference including<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option 1:<\/strong> a biennial conference with a different staffing arrangement in order to decrease cost for attendees; or<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option 2:<\/strong> holding Conference in-person and online in alternating years, with the fully online year for business only, and the year of in-person events for fellowship and worship and the additional events of a Conference without business sessions, in order to make each year a shorter event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A third option of holding hybrid (fully online and in-person) Conferences is discussed in the committee\u2019s report but was not among their recommendations because the cost prevents it from being feasible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussion on the floor expressed gratitude for the work of the committee and for the most part focused on the options for future Annual Conferences. A member of the Living Stream congregation that brought the initial query expressed strong disappointment that more creative ways of using up-to-date technology for online access and digital tools, without incurring huge costs, were not explored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

— Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford is director of News Services for the Church of the Brethren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

———-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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