| Order of Elders meets and reclaims call to ministry by Erik AlsgaardUMConnection Staff A meeting that began with the perfecting of a document on Missional Itinerancy in the Baltimore-Washington Conference ended with more than 70 clergy kneeling in prayer, surrounding the altar at Asbury-Broadneck UMC in Annapolis. The Baltimore-Washington Conference Order of Elders meeting Nov. 19 was a working session to fine-tune a four-page document reflecting the groups best wisdom at this time around the issue of itinerancy. The meeting was also a time for elders to reclaim their call into ministry.  The Rev. Vance Ross, pastor of First UMC in Hyattsville, was the preacher of the morning. Using the Old Testament story of Abram and Sarah, he urged his fellow clergy to remember the divine craving that gets us on the road.
At the end of the sermon, Ross, who has been appointed an associate general secretary of the General Board of Discipleship, based in Nashville, Tenn., effective Jan. 1, issued an altar call. Not one person stayed in their pew. All came forward for a time of remembering the call that caused them to be there. We dont work for any general board or agency, Ross said. We dont work for any congregation. We dont work for any corporation. We dont work for any paycheck. Ill tell you who we work for, he thundered. God! The Order of Elders, mandated by the Book of Discipline, 311, has as its purpose, among many, to hold regular gatherings of ordained elders for continuing formation in relationship to Jesus Christ through such experiences as Bible study, study of issues facing the church and society, and theological exploration in vocational identity and leadership. The Order spent its time before worship shaping a document that arose as a result of conversations and surveys conducted in the last several months. The document has four areas: housing and housing allowances; geographical itinerancies; ethnic, gender, theological and cultural itinerancy; and issues concerning tenure, transition and guaranteed appointment. The Order divided into four groups, each led by a facilitator, to work on a section of the report. We recognize that we have a parsonage itinerancy and a housing itinerancy, the document notes. It is our belief that every churchwhich expects to receive an Elder (sic) as pastor must provide either. The Rev. Richard Hogue, pastor of Liberty Grove UMC in Burtonsville and one of the writers of the document, reported back for his small group. Wed like to add to the document that elders are not stuck in one track or another, he said. Clergy can change their preferences. The Rev. Tony Hunt, executive director of the Multi-Ethnic Center for the Northeast Jurisdiction, housed in the Baltimore-Washington Conference Center, reported for his group on ethnic, gender, theological and cultural itinerancy. We agreed with the spirit of this section, he said, but it needs to be placed first in the document. The section reads, in part, We recognize and find unacceptable that we have multiple limited itinerant tracks determined by gender and ethnicity. The words,and find acceptable, were added by the group Hunt facilitated. One report received many Amens from the elders. The Rev. Bruce Jones, pastor of Concord-St. Andrews UMC in Bethesda, noted that his group pointed out the lack of equity in clergy evaluations. The pastoral annual performance review is ineffective, he reported. And at the same time, clergy dont review the congregation.  The goal of the document, according to the Rev. Roberta Scoville, chair of the Order and pastor at Camp Chapel UMC in Perry Hall, is to share the wisdom of the Order with the whole church. We cant force it on the Cabinet or the bishop. What you do with it depends on you.
A writing team will continue to shape the document into its final form. At the start of the meeting, Scoville announced to the Order that she was stepping down as chair of the Order, effective Nov. 30.  Replacing her will be the Rev. Stephen Tillett, pastor of Mt. Zion UMC in Baltimore. A new leadership team is expected to be elected next May.
Ive been honored to be part of such a thoughtful group, Scoville said. Her leadership was recognized by the Order with a standing ovation. | 
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