what should united methodist congregations know about disaffiliation

Most are hewing to the template found in church law. Pastors are to continue to lead the congregation by doing no harm and refraining from leading the congregation in one way or another. While the Trustees, received input, ultimately it was their decision. Participants should be invited to place their answers in a basket before receiving Communion. If using a videoconference platform, one option would be to combine two or three groups instead of doing this activity as one large group. Consider using a trained facilitator. There are two options below. A time of silent reflection allows everyone time to process before speaking. Repeat the monologue process. As adopted in 2023 by the Conference Board of Trustees, Bishop Robin Dease shares that she will call a special session of the North Georgia Annual Conferencefor Saturday, November 18. If using a videoconference platform and your large group size exceeds what can be displayed on a single screen, consider creating several medium-size groups by combining smaller groups instead of doing this activity as one large group. WebUMC.org: What should United Methodist congregations know about disaffiliation? Courageous Conversations Regarding the Future of the UMC. The churchs disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church along with the departures of 42 other churches in the denominations Wisconsin Conference had Guide the conversation by determining who will start (they always have the option to pass) the conversation (the person closest to the bathroom or the person with the shortest hair or some other designation). The Annual Conference will be presented a motion detailing the names of the churches that have completed the discernment process, voted to disaffiliate, and have accepted the final term sheet for disaffiliation as presented by GNJs Board of Trustees. When might relationships be more important than stances? Talking sticks should guide the conversation. We worship together each week with people with whom we disagree on a wide range of issues. Singing together reminds us that although we do not think alike, we all worship the Triune God together. 3. ], [If using a videoconference platform, you could break into two or more groups of ten to fifteen participants.]. Can they vote when voting on the discernment process? Bryan George, Church of the Lakes senior pastor, and the Rev. Have each participant finish one (or both) of the sentences below. Noticing this can help with brainstorming. The professing membership of a local United Methodist church shall include all baptized people who have come into membership by profession of faith through appropriate services of the baptismal covenant in the ritual or by transfer from other churches. BOD 2016, 215. The role of the annual conference is to equip local churches for disciple-making (601, The Book of Discipline, 2016). This relationship is known as connectionalism. This will be decision of the Annual Conference. This exercise can help raise awareness of the interests and values that often go unaddressed in decision making. Since for this brief period of time, the Trust Clause is suspended, payments for the items listed in the Term Sheet are paid to ensure that past, present and future liabilities incurred by the congregation are paid. There are four things needed for spiritual discernment. How will the process ensure that only professing members participate/vote in the church conferences? #BeUMC | Learn More About The United Methodist Church If this is not the case, please explain it better in the FAQ. Post the sentence for all to see. ), After fifteen minutes, recreate or reassign participants to new breakout groups. Or is it some percentage of that? A talking stick can be a small cross or a plastic two-minute game timer. Use a microphone for all to hear. If Those spaces nurture our souls.. 2022-03-30. Pastors are important, but even when they itinerate, they do so as their gifts are needed in other settings for the building of the kingdom and because laity are empowered to be vital cogs in the ministry to the world. and the heart of God. Questions should be submitted anonymously. (If there is time available and enough participants, the process could be repeated a third time.). Disaffiliation is complete only when all payments due are made in full, the annual conference has approved the motion of disaffiliation and the effective date of disaffiliation set by the annual conference is reached. The annual conference is composed of an equal number of lay (non-clergy) and clergy (ordained) delegates. May the one who has finished this part of the work in us Audiovisual equipment for any presentations and microphones for participants during the large-group time. The tally Even when we are faithless, God is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). In this episode A two-thirds vote of the charge conference, with the district superintendent presiding, is required to begin the process for a local congregation to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church. While the setting and sequencing are intentional, you are encouraged to adjust as needed for your context. Southern Methodist University, co-host of the Small Groups in the Wesleyan Way podcast, creator of the Courageous Conversations project, and facilitator of the How to Start Small Groups teaching series. Only the annual conference can decide to close a local church or remove it from the denomination. umc.org. Participants could share these with design team leaders or other leadership team members as possible insight or guidance in how to best proceed in the next session(s). The decision to disaffiliate from the UMC must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the professing members of the local church present at the church conference. Disaffiliation. Determine the amount of time to allow for each activity, the use of facilitators, the involvement of the district superintendent, Plan the logistics and details of the settings. Clergy Compensation if an appointed Pastor chooses to remain with GNJ while the congregation disaffiliates, there may not be an immediate open appointment for that Pastor, yet they will continue to be paid. WebProcess Following Decision to Disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church--If the church conference votes to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church, the terms and conditions for that disaffiliation shall be established by the board of trustees of the applicable annual conference, with the advice of the cabinet, While paragraph 2553 authorizes the conference Trustees to develop the terms, they quickly realized that congregations leaving the denomination has a broad range of impact across the conference which they may not fully understand without obtaining feedback from a larger group and vetting the options. 0:58. The pastor meets with the committee, but cannot be a voting member. Facilitators keep the group focused on the process and enable participants to hear what is being expressed in the best possible light. The Annual Conference must approve the disaffiliation for the congregation to disaffiliate. As best as possible, give answers to the questions or suggest where comments and questions can be directed. If so, will they be offered an age-appropriate presentation about whats happening? Do you find yourself more of a compatibilist (allowing for a wide range of disagreement) or non-compatibilist (needing more unity in beliefs)? Notifications about the meeting are to go to all members as outlined and provided to the church. Adjust as needed. The Term Sheet is not negotiable. All unfunded retiree health care liabilities as apportioned by the GNJ Board of Pension and Benefits. Reinforce that this is slow work. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. Talking sticks should guide the conversations. It can be helpful to distinguish a safe space (where participants are cautious with their language so as to not offend) from a brave space (where exploratory questions are encouraged). GNJ congregations are required to begin this process no later than September 30, 2022. One way to do this is to share a Google Document (make sure the permission is set for each person with the link to be an editor) through the chat panel with all the participants before breaking them into groups. Before the third reading: What is God calling you to do or be? All property and congregational transfer costs including GNJ legal fees. A congregation can only vote on and go through the disaffiliation process once. Read over the baptismal covenant. Understanding why we grieve and how to grieve at this time in the denominations history when some congregations are voting to leave may be key to moving toward a hopeful season for The United Methodist Church and ourselves. If we can grieve well and honor the feeling of loss or disappointment, it does in fact free up space and energy for the next good to emerge, Johnson shares. For groups that are less mobile, designate a corner of the room and allow participants to point to designated areas. Any other fees and costs identified by the GNJ Board of Trustees including but not limited to the determination that a contribution is in order related to the congregations real property. Authentic storytelling and holy listening combined with a safe community are the keys to moving through grief in a healthy way, says Brenda Buckwell, a spiritual director and founder of Living Streams Flowing Water spiritual formation ministry. Our work is slow, but it has begun. One option is for participants to spend two minutes in silent reflection, writing down their answers before opening a large-group dialogue. Review the covenant. I want to receive newsletters and other email from Discipleship Ministries, The Path of the Disciple: Learning to Grow, The Path of the Disciple: Imagining a New Reality, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/prayer-guide-for-courageous-conversations, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/new-service-of-reaffirmation-of-the-baptismal-covenant, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCnqDcYVIG0, DOWNLOAD Polarity Management Worksheet 1 (PDF), DOWNLOAD Polarity Management Worksheet 2 (PDF). This is to maintain the relationship between the churches, annual conferences, and other bodies of The United Methodist Church. From what I read, it appears that a church can spend a lot to go through the process only to have the request arbitrarily rejected. Pay attention to how youre feeling, including if you are easily angered, more tired than normal or if your prayer routine or time you normally spend with God has changed. (If there is time available and enough participants, the process could be repeated a third time.). Scott Hughes is the Executive Director of Congregational Vitality & Intentional Discipleship, Elder in the North Georgia Conference, M.Div. Even with these variations, the number of church exits is The largest church this year to vote for disaffiliation is Madison United Methodist. A Term Sheet, which is developed by the GNJ Board of Trustees, is an agreement of the basic terms and conditions of the disaffiliation. Successful Guides will be those whose theology or viewpoints are not detected by congregations in the discernment and decision process. [If using a videoconference platform, have participants submit their questions through the chat panel to an assigned person.]. It is a time to share what they have learned or are still wrestling with. All clergy are to complete and submit their clergy profile and requests to the superintendent by the end of the year. And however it comes to completion, This was denied and we were told that the guides would represent the UMC. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here. Establish a time limit for each speaker (one to five minutes normally). It is possible that some of the costs were overlooked or the conference was comfortable drawing from other designated funds/reserves to cover these costs, or possibly increasing Shared Ministry to cover the costs. While it would be easy to think nothing was accomplished in this meeting, more was achieved than at first glance. Post the questions for all to see. General Conference Primer Bishops discern ways for churches choosing to separate from UMC; seek court's In breakout rooms, participants speak one at a time for no more than two minutes. It is normal for participants to feel slightly constrained or frustrated. Amen. Repeat as often as needed. You may read the Judicial Council ruling here:ResourceUMC | Judicial Council Decision Number 1449. This content was published March 17, 2023. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here. Session Four will focus on discerning the next steps in the churchs relationship with The United Methodist Church. [If using a videoconference platform such as Zoom, it is recommended to make use of the breakout rooms so that conversations can be more intimate and allow more participants to speak. Korean-American United Methodist Church is the latest Colorado Springs congregation to part ways with the denomination, citing Isnt fair that a portion of their tithing be used to support this cost, or should we increase Shared Ministry apportionments or draw from GNJ designated funds to cover this cost? The biggest tool that people need right now is self-compassion, Holbrook believes. With the postponement of the 2020 General Conference to 2024 and the announcement by the Wesleyan Covenant Association that it will launch the Global It is acceptable to make one by simply cutting a slot in a cardboard box or we suggest purchasing one similar to this one found online. Understanding why we grieve and how to grieve at this time in the The church council should first determine: do we as leaders of the congregation believe our congregation wants to leave The United Methodist Church. Before we make such a declaration, lets recall who makes up the annual conference membership. Key points: United Methodist annual conferences have a lot of leeway in administering church disaffiliations. And however we now decide What is connectionalism? [If doing this in a virtual setting, instead of using chairs, allow for participants to volunteer to sit in a virtual chair by unmuting. After reading (or posting on a slide) the question above, pause for one minute of silent reflection. El siguiente bosquejo de cuatro sesiones tiene el propsito de guiar las conversaciones sobre las relaciones con la iglesia local sobre la Iglesi. Facilitators keep the group focused on the process and enable participants to hear what is being expressed in the best possible light. Encourage all participants to use a microphone in case anyone is hearing impaired. When does the Annual Conference vote to on a congregations disaffiliation? Clarify if some of the things you love might be found in other places or in other ways.. Our workforce began working from home permanently in 2020.

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