BWC readies for annual session
About 350 laity and clergy gathered in four locations April 25 to be briefed on upcoming issues for the annual conference session June 4-6.
The meetings in each region addressed the same agenda: the 2010 conference budget; 32 proposed Constitutional amendments; and the report of the Cabinet’s Task Force on Appointment Policies, Compensation Expectations and Practices with its extensive changes and definition regarding appointments, church mergers and closures and clergy compensation.
Members, both clergy and laity, in all regions, expressed concern over implications of the policies for the church mergers and closures and moves to part-time pastors.
Among the changes to the task force’s policies, which are on pages 60-68 in the Pre-Conference Booklet, are additions that congregations must show growth through professions of faith on an average of 1 per 25 worshippers; and that tithes and offerings must account for at least 75 percent of the church’s income, or if the church’s operating budget relies on more than 25 percent from outside sources, the church must have a five-year financial plan in place to show how the church can fund its ministries.
The question of what happens when a church receives a default decision that it must close or merge and then refuses to do anything was asked more than once.
“We work hard with congregations to make that decision,” said the Rev. Karin Walker, superintendent of the Baltimore Suburban district.
Some questioners clearly had their own churches in mind and were dealing with various changes or potential changes. “The Guides and the district superintendent will help a church develop so it doesn’t have to go into closure,” said the Rev. Ianther Mills, superintendent of the Washington East District.
But in the end, conference leaders in each region referred back to pages 63-65, which spells in detail the necessary steps a church must take to show its viability. These steps will be voted on at annual conference.
Members of Conference Finance and Administration presented the proposed 2010 budget.
It was pointed out at the beginning of the budget presentations that the Baltimore Region budget was inadvertently omitted from the Pre-Con Booklet, but would be available for annual conference. The final budget numbers as printed are correct, said Bill Isberg, Conference Treasurer, who did the budget presentation in the Washington and Western Regions.
This budget is an effort to increase transparency and eliminate jargon, Pier McPeyten, the conference finance officer, told the Annapolis-Southern region.
The jargon issue still raised questions in some of the gatherings. “What does benevolence factor mean?” “What does apportionments mean?” “Why is a focus on 90 percent apportionment collection instead of actual collection?”
As members faced the 32 Constitutional Amendments to be voted on, their job was simplified a bit by learning that 23 of them, not in consecutive order, all dealt with a change of language that would create “regional” conferences, as a replacement of the “central” conferences and would include the United States as one or more “regions.”
“The effort is around a name change, not adding layers,” said the Rev. Chris Holmes, superintendent of the Annapolis District, who presented the topic to the Annapolis-Southern Region. The structure of jurisdictions, conferences and districts would remain.
It’s to reflect the global nature of the church, “to make church global and equal across the globe,” said the Rev. Evan Young, a Guide in the Washington Region.
There is no opportunity to amend or change any of the constitutional amendments. Each must be voted up or down at annual conference.
In addition to the presented Constitutional Amendments, members in most of the regions raised questions about the “Human Sexuality” amendment on page 69 and asked for more information.
An FAQ developed from questions asked at the preconference sessions can be found at www.bwcumc.org.
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