NEWS | by John W. Coleman
UMConnection Staff 
John Coleman/UMConnection
The Rev. Fidel Compres, left, speaks with the Rev. C. Anthony Hunt, center, superintendent of the Baltimore-Harford District, and Bishop John R. Schol, during the bishop's tour of the district last month. |
Bishop John R. Schol spent a full day on the Baltimore-Harford District Jan. 13, meeting with clergy and laity, and visiting 11 churches and ministries, stretching from Baltimore to Bel Air. It was one of his last daylong introductions to a district since his arrival last September. In each case, he toured churches and met with pastors, accompanied by the district superintendent. He also led morning and evening dialogues with clergy and laity, where he talked about his life, philosophy and initial goals for the conference, while fielding questions and inviting participants to share their concerns and expectations of him. 'The church is addicted to its institutional ways,' Schol told about 50 Baltimore-Harford District pastors. 'The real question is, are we going to kick the habit? Complaining of too many conference boards and committees, with more than 600 elected members, the new bishop said one of his goals is to 'get out of the bureaucracy business. ? We keep our large bureaucracy going to make us think we're controlling things. But now we're going to trust people more and let them do ministry without having to give so much permission.' Speaking later to about 180 people, mostly laity, he added, 'I want to free staff up from going to all these (committee) meetings, and get them out into churches where they can resource pastors and laity for disciple making.' Among the requests and expectations Bishop John R. Schol heard during dialogues with Baltimore-Harford District clergy and laity were: - to focus on nurturing spirituality and discipleship as a priority;
- to be open, candid, supportive and compassionate to clergy as a leader;
- to help churches be more welcoming and responsive to the concerns and contributions of young people as leaders;
- to be a force for greater unity and a builder of relationships;
- to ensure that resources reach inner-city churches;
- to be 'a good listener, with thick skin and a sense of humor.'
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Bishop Schol suggested that conference staff would work more closely with clergy, helping to coach peer learning and support groups. 'The more we equip and support clergy, the better resourced laity become through the efforts of their leaders,' he explained. The bishop also said he wants to increase the use of technology by the conference and its churches to help improve efficiency and stewardship. He announced that by July 1, to curtail the cost of postal mailings, every pastor should have access to a computer with an e-mail address to receive correspondence from the conference. Responding to questions about budgets, Schol said his goal would be to lower the benevolence factor each year, referring to the figure that determines what apportioned amount a church pays to support the work of the conference. He also promised to convene a meeting of pastors in the fall to discuss the appointment process, its challenges and opportunities. 'It's not that complicated. We will break open the secret so you can know how it's done and what considerations are involved,' he said. |
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