Online Archives

BY MELISSA LAUBER
UMCONNECTION STAFF

Click here to read the vision statement.

Calling for a God-sized vision and claiming the church's potential for vitality and forward-leaning change, the Discipleship Council's vision team will put a $228 million vision before annual conference. It is a vision through the year 2020 that provides clarity, purpose and growth for the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

"This is a big, holy, audacious goal. It has the capacity to stretch us to see what God might do with us and through us," Bishop John Schol told conference leaders at a Connectional Table meeting Feb. 8.

The vision, said the Rev. Ken Walker, builds on the Discipleship Adventure, which has guided the conference for the past eight years, and the Call to Action, a United Methodist plan to create church vitality, as it launches the church into the future.

Walker is a member of the Discipleship Council's Vision Team, a 20-person group that drafted the vision after engaging more than 450 clergy and laity throughout the conference in dreaming about the future of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

At the heart of a four-page executive summary document are 12 goals that center around the incremental and substantive growth of disciples, leaders, congregations and mission. (A list of the 12 goals and the executive summary of the vision document is on the website.)

The new vision stresses the creation of vital congregations, said Cynthia Taylor, chair of the Discipleship Council. Taylor also said that the biggest learning over the last six years is that the conversation has shifted from membership to making disciples.

In addition to meeting the touchstones of increased worship, professions of faith, small group and mission engagement, and the raising of mission funds, "we want to create churches that are fully alive and vibrant," Walker said.

To arrive at the vision, the team, along with other conference leaders, met with more than 450 people in the four regions of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, including two sessions with some non- and nominally religious people online and in coffee cafes.

At these sessions, Walker said, it became clear that "congregations know what they need to do. Their difficulty is in learning how to do it, in getting started." Another lesson learned at the listening sessions is that area congregations want to get outside of their buildings and into the community. "They want to make a difference," Walker said. "They know that discipleship is about authentic relationships."

Churches also expressed interest in becoming more diverse and addressing justice issues. "They realize discipleship is not easy. It's a process, a long road," said Walker.

Making the road an even harder one is the fact that in the United States the denomination has lost more than 30 percent of its membership during the last 40 years and is predicted to lose another 30 percent in the next 20 years or less.

Within the Baltimore-Washington Conference, 100 churches are at risk if they do not take immediate steps to turn their situation around and will likely be discontinued within five to 10 years.

However, we are seeing a different trend in the Baltimore-Washington Conference with more churches remaining stable or growing, said the Rev. Dr. David Argo, Director of Connectional Ministries. "We have more than 400 congregations that are either stable or growing by 2 percent or more a year, Argo said.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference Vital Acts 2 Congregations Initiative, started by annual conference action in 2005, has seen 434 congregations reach the Acts 2 fruit over the last seven years. This has helped the Baltimore-Washington Conference have the highest percentage of vital congregations in the Northeastern Jurisdiction and rank tenth in the United States.

We also make one new disciple for every 15 worshippers, which is one of the highest in the United States, reported Rev. Lovett Weems, professor and director of the Lewis Leadership Center at Wesley Seminary.

A major part of the 2020 Vision is making new disciples and mission. The vision sets a goal of making one new disciple by profession of faith for every 10 worshippers by 2020. It also calls for creating 500 units of supportive housing for the homeless and low income people as well as raising $1 million for our Zimbabwe partnership and $1 million for our Russia partnership. It also calls for raising $1 million for a small church initiative to strengthen our smaller congregations.

Of the $228 million goal, $124 million is in apportionments, which includes reducing the benevolence factor to approximately 10 percent of the total spending by all of our congregations. It also calls for raising funds from foundations, corporations, individuals and government sources, particularly for the supportive housing for the homeless.

The financial goals and fund-raising plan will be reviewed by the Council on Finance and Administration, said Paul Eichelberger, conference CFO/Treasurer.

But this growth is not without its challenges. Because the conference has done so well in its disciple-making goals, the amount it has been apportioned in the 2013 budget by the General Church was raised an unexpected $50,000 from 2012.

This, coupled with reductions in the amount area local churches have in their base for the conference to bring in apportionment revenue, has brought about a budget shortfall of $1 million in the 2013 budget.

The Council on Finance and Administration has taken a number of measures to address the gap between expenses and income but still finds itself with a shortage. The Council will present a balanced budget for 2013 and present a path to a reduced benevolence factor, said Eichelberger. This will require reductions in administrative, staffing and ministry expenditures but will not undermine our core ministry, said Eichelberger.

At the Connectional Table meeting members indicated that any reductions or additions to the conference budget should not undermine growth, leadership development, making new disciples and mission.

The 2020 Vision will be voted on at the May 30 - June 1 annual conference session.

Together, said Bishop Schol, "we seek God's will as we move into the future, seeking to become like Christ as we call, equip, send and support spiritual leaders to make and cultivate disciples, grow vital Acts 2 congregations and transform the world. We pray that God will give us wisdom, courage, confidence and the gifts we need to be the body of Christ for the world."