Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Annual Conference Wrap-Up (Warning - LRP!)

Other than the ordination service on Saturday night, this year’s Annual Conference left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. You could say that I have mixed emotions about what happened last weekend. On the one hand, I am so excited about innovation, creative changes, and a renewed focus on outreach and evangelism. But on the other, the astonishing lack of transparency in the process, the insensitivity to those hurt by the changes, and the continued emphasis on numbers – dollars and bodies – rather than on discipleship really disappoints me.

So that you won’t necessarily have to read the entire, long, ranty, post (LRP), I have categorized my larger rant into little mini-rants by topic. Read whichever portions you choose:

1- Money: When the chair of the Finance and Administration Team has to repeat the phrase, “It’s not about the money” a dozen times during his report, you begin to wonder whom exactly he is trying to convince.

2 - Petition Mess: We spent an hour and a half in confused and unorganized debate on a petition that affirmed the definition of marriage that we already have in our Book of Discipline. (Contrast that with a half an hour discussing the 2008 conference budget, which contains in it some huge, radical changes that are going to impact local churches’ disciple-making ministries.) A proud moment in Missouri Methodism it was not.

3 - Pathways Task Force: The speeches from the floor against the two proposed amendments to the budget we actually were allowed opportunity to debate were given exclusively by members of the “Pathways Task Force,” an ad hoc group whose initial task was to envision the future of the Missouri Conference. As they have continued to meet and act, the power assumed by this group has continued to grow, and its work has been done in the shadows from its beginning. One pastor commented, “If the Annual Conference was given a quiz on ‘Pathways,’ we would all flunk.” We have essentially been told, “Pathways knows best; don’t ask questions; just trust us.” Their decisions have spanned areas of budget, apportionment formula, reorganization of conference teams and boards, and changes in conference staffing, in addition to the visioning work that I understood was their initial task. One could argue that this group simply made recommendations that the conference then approved, but I would reply that the conference basically rubber-stamped their work, with little opportunity for open conversation.

4 - Apportionments: In the new apportionment formula, First UMC North KC will be apportioned more than $37,000 for 2008, an increase of more than 11%. That is two and a half months worth of offerings! In the Heartland Central District (the urban Kansas City area) over half of the churches are increasing their apportionments, whereas across the conference around 17% of the churches are increasing, two districts have about 7% of the churches increasing, and one has 5%. Debate on the budget was quickly closed, however (as noted above), before Bishop Schnase glanced my way long enough to notice my card in the air. This is clearly a justice issue, and our rush to approve of the Pathway changes swept it from any chance of honest, transparent conversation.

5 - Insensitivity: In spite of Missouri’s decision to eliminate the Commission on Higher Education and close down most of the Wesley Foundations in our state, there was never any time to honor the ministries and ministers who have served our campuses or the students who felt the calling to ministry there over the years. In fact, the changes were presented in a celebratory attitude that completely neglected the grief the changes are causing so many people. In fact, Higher Ed was not allowed to make any presentation at all, which they discovered only when they inquired a few weeks back as to the length of time allotted them this year. Furthermore, the conference staff position of Director of Communications was eliminated (see Pathways) despite her wonderful work in recent years to facilitate new and innovative communications across the state, and with no offered plan of how communications will be managed in the future. The announcement of these two changes was one of the most poorly handled situations I’ve ever seen.

6 - Just bodies, baby:
We were given the standard “Change or die” spiel by Adam Hamilton: change what we are doing to get more bodies in the pews, or the denomination will die. I respect Rev. Hamilton a bunch, but living by the “change or die” paradigm is a formula for death. How do you spell “Self-fulfilling Prophecy”? I prefer “Change to live a life of faith!” (I have written about this before.)

7a- Young Adults: This is one of the most confusing, unorganized parts of the whole thing for me. First off, two college students made a presentation about a new idea they are calling “MC-Squared” (I have forgotten what the M.C.C. stands for, now.) that is going to be, in a nutshell, a college-aged connection across the conference. The bishop immediately stood up and praised the idea, touting it an emerging thing that has an energy and vitality all its own, and the worst thing we could do was impose structure and hierarchy on it. But later on, we approved conference reorganization plan (read, “rubber stamped a Pathways decision”) that included an entity called the “Young Adults Ministries Council,” which included an imposition of structure and hierarchy. I asked from the floor if “MC-Squared” was the same thing as this “Young Adults Ministries Council,” which no one on the stage could answer, and so they referred to our Conference Youth Coordinator, who said that it was. I then remarked that it sure seemed like we were imposing structure and hierarchy on something that the bishop had just said should not get structure and hierarchy imposed on it. The bishop replied that he would take that as a word of caution and we moved on.
7b - Young Adults on Campus: The budget presented included $920,000 for the Commission on Higher Education and Campus Ministry in 2007 and $400,000 allotted them in 2008. I asked in the budget workshop how was it we were allotting resources to a group that we were disbanding. The next day on the floor, the chair of Finance and Administration instructed us to strike the words “Commission on” from the budget so that the remainder of the $920,000 and the $400,000 would be administered by the newly created (by Pathways) “Center for Congregational Excellence” in the form of the Congregational Development Team, I think. It was almost parenthetically mentioned that this money is to be granted by Congregational Development to congregations with campus ministries in the works.
7c - Young Adults in the Budget - There was another line item allocating $1,500 to a group called the “Commission on Young Adults,” but there is no group named “Commission on Young Adults.” I asked about this at the workshop, and was assured that this was the aforementioned, “Young Adults Ministries Council” aka “MC-Squared,” we think. So it looks like, whereas the Youth Council gets $32,000 next year, the Young Adults Council/Commission/Squared gets a mere $1,500. (There's a priority for you!)

Confused? I sure am, and I know I’m not the only one!

If you have made it to this point in this blog post, give yourself a pat on the back for your diligence and dogged determination. When I read back over this thing, I sound so incredibly cynical! I’m really not. It’s not about being opposed to change, either. There has been so much change at the congregation I serve here in Northtown that one member recently remarked, “It feels like a whole different church around here, and I love it!” I just have questions that I feel like no one is answering, and it is frustrating.

The one thing that I am certain of coming out of Annual Conference, 2007 - I am an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, and a Member in Full Connection of the Missouri Annual Conference. That much, at least, I will most definitely celebrate!

11 comments:

TN Rambler said...

Andy,
#2 reminds me of Holston last year. We spent an hour discussing a resolution on parsonages with a good chunk of that time dealing with pets. We took a break. Since we meet at Lake Junaluska, that means that you can stand in line for the port a potty or go across the street to the Terrace Hotel. I chose to go to the Terrace. When I returned about 5 minutes after we resumed, I found that the $15 million budget had been approved.

Wish I could see your book of reports, sounds like we have a couple of resolutions on the agenda that have come from the same source as the one you mention.

Just once couldn't we have resolutions about making disciples?

Anonymous said...

I made it, even read it all 3 times.

Glad to know that someone asked questions in workshops an on floor.

Since I was there just as a visitor I was not in all the sessions.

Thanks for posting the information.

Anonymous said...

Andy, you and I share many of the same concerns about this annual conference. I did not think any of the educational experiences were worthwile, and agree that many issues were just forced through without much thought.

On Pathways, I agree that it seems we are being told to trust them unconditionally and now we are disbanding the Conference Council and turning over the administration of the conference to Pathways, an adhoc group formed by the bishop (though I believe it was formed by the previous bishop, Bishop Sherer). I still do not like how the special session was handled in March, since very little information was available before the session, unless you attended one of the few briefing sessions held around the conference only 2 weeks before the big vote. Most people were not given time to think about it or debate it. As a pastor friend told me this weekend, "This is not a democracy and what we do in this room does not matter one heck of a lot."

As a former peer minister of a Wesley Foundation I too am upset over the handling of campus ministries. My hopes are not high as to how the UM students at my former campus are going to be minsitered to by the local church.

As the pastor of a small congregation, I am quite excited about the change in apportionments, but I feel for the larger churches. I think we need to quit viewing the apportionments as a tax, but as a way to serve God. How many churches would even think of paying more than 100% of their apportionments. The change in vital ministries are good, but my congregation has not paid them for several years and do not see them as a necessity. I've got some preaching to do.

In my opinion, this was quite a lousy annual conference session. Though I have only been to a few sessions, this one I would say is the worst. The mood of the pastors that I was around this weekend was not good and many of the older pastors I know are just biding their time until they can retire.

Though I do not wish to be annonymous, I feel I must since I am not yet a "member in full connection" as you are. Congradulations on your achievement!

Vinny said...

Deep Throat (All The President's Men) always said, "Follow the money." Not sure what that means, but it sounds ominous...maybe them that's got the gold makes the rules!

We've come a long way since the 1999 Missouri East Annual Conference I attended, when we had something like 20 petitions that were debated in committee AND on the floor of the conference AND we spent what must have been hours micromanaging little nits in the conference budget. It's all bread and circuses to distract the attendees from the important issues, which get rammed through without meaningful debate.

When I heard that Monk was attending his 87th annual conference, I wonder whether he could stomach 87 annual conferences like we experience nowadays.

BTW, I learned a new bit of biblical literacy this evening from Church Marketing Sucks. Very apropo to the "measuring success" discussion:
http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2007/06/trust_vs_statis.html

Vinny said...

OK, so that URL in my comment was a pain. Mea culpa. Here's a link.

Art said...

Yeah I read it all;) Sure is making me look forward to the TN Annual Conference next week!

Susan Cox said...

Andy---Bane and Blessing, Pain and Pleasure...have you read the historical analysis of the Methodist movement by David Hempton? He talks about the dicotomies that have really defined the Methodist movement in England and America...and somehow that feels like the issues that are at work in your heart, to some extent...and mine too. Please keep speaking...many of us are listening; though I agree with some of what you are saying, but don't with some. Keep it up.
From one of those on that clandestine Pathways group,
Susan

Anonymous said...

Ahhh. . .the steamroller rolled. It flattened some of us. Despite that, I have faith that people like you, Andy, will continue to bring people to the kingdom--regardless of where the steamroller rolls.
May your voice have more effect than mine did. All along, I told members of Pathways (whenever they would stop to listen) that they needed to make a concerted effort to communicate what they were considering to their audiences. In the end, it didn't matter--communications or no.
Congratulations on your milestone. You--and others like you--are the hope for the future of the UMC for many of us.
Flat K

John said...

We were given the standard “Change or die” spiel by Adam Hamilton: change what we are doing to get more bodies in the pews, or the denomination will die. I respect Rev. Hamilton a bunch, but living by the “change or die” paradigm is a formula for death. How do you spell “Self-fulfilling Prophecy”? I prefer “Change to live a life of faith!” (I have written about this before.)

I would say that in general, the laity needs to hear Hamilton's message and the clergy needs to hear yours.

Willie Deuel said...

It's not often that I am in absolute, total agreement with John, but this time I gots to shout AMEN!

Anonymous said...

Andy,
I'm sorry to hear about your mixed experience at Annual conference. PNW was actually more civil and hopeful than usual this year.

I'm especially sorry to hear about what your conference has done wtih campus ministry. It's an amazingly short-sighted decision that will come back to haunt them in 10 years or so when the clergy supply begins to dry up. I'm on the Board of Higher Ed here, and though we are struggling to deal with some less ecumenical ministries that are less effective than we'd like, we are also blessed to have effective Wesley Foundations at two main campuses and the seeds of new ministries growing at others.

Local church outreach to campus CAN work, as long as the churches involved are clear that their goal is to nurture the faith lives of the students on the campus, NOT to grow them up to be good members of their own congregation.

Despite all the the negatives, Congratulations on your Ordination. Mine was a special moment this year as well.

Keep the faith, and have a good summer!