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VOL. 14, NO. 20

NEWS

The family of the Council of Bishops

BY ERIK ALSGAARDUMCONNECTION STAFF

The fall 2003 meeting of the United Methodist Council of Bishops arrived in the Washington Area this week. Bishop Felton Edwin May, Phyllis May and countless other staff and volunteers have spent hundreds of hours preparing for the councils visit, helping to ensure that the week-long series of meetings, worship services, special events, mission visits and meals go off without a hitch.

But what exactly is the Council of Bishops?

According to Division three, Article III of the Constitution of The United Methodist Church (45 of the 2000 Book of Discipline), the council is composed of all the bishops of The United Methodist Church.

There are 50 active bishops in the United States and 18 active bishops in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Philippines. In addition, there are 75 retired bishops from around the world.

The council shall meet at least once a year, the Discipline continues, and plan for the general oversight and promotion of the temporal and spiritual interests of the entire Church and for carrying into effect the rules, regulations, and responsibilities prescribed and enjoined by the General Conference and in accord with the provisions set forth in this Plan of Union.

Put another way, the Council of Bishops is the chief executive arm to carry out the mandates of the General Conference. Thats how Bishop James K. Mathews described the council in his 1985 book, Set Apart to Serve (Abingdon). Mathews served as bishop of the Washington Area from 1972 to 1980.

All United Methodist bishops are automatically members of the Council of Bishops, Mathews wrote. They are not elected by that body, but to and for membership in it. They must also participate wholeheartedly in the work of the Council of Bishops. This is not optional but obligatory.

In his book, Mathews outlined the history of the collegial nature of the episcopacy.

Since the time of the apostles the corporate nature of the church has been a central emphasis, Mathews wrote. Collegiality relates in a broad sense to the whole people of God.

He quoted Augustine, who once said that he was a bishop for you and a Christian with you.

But more than all this, Mathews noted, the Council of Bishops is a fellowship and a family. It is a circle of leadership that manages to be combined with friendship. This is not too far from the ideal exemplified by the primitive church. (The council) is the only body in United Methodism where the bishops can be said to have membership. The council is a principal support group for its members, and this includes on occasion the spouses of the bishops.

As to what the council does, Mathews described two tasks: being reactive and innovative.

The council, he wrote, is the only body of the church charged with the oversight of the complete range of denominational concerns and interests. As such, it relates to the other councils and general agencies of the church.

Since 1939, the Council of Bishops has played a role in several endeavors, Mathews noted:

• the creation and genesis of what is now the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR;
• the Crusade for a New World Order (1939-44);
• the Advance for Christ and His Church (1948-52);
• The Bishops Call for Peace and Self-Development of Peoples (1972-1976).

The council, since the writing of Mathews book, has also been active in issues of the environment, war and peace, and children and poverty, issuing broad-based statements and study gbwc_superuseres on the topics in conjunction with several general agencies of the church.

Many other duties for the council are outlined by Bishop Mathews, including ecumenical relations, speaking for the church in the halls of government and providing a forum where bishops may share information for practical ways of performing the Episcopal tasks.

For all these things and for many more, the Council of Bishops gathers in Washington, D.C., this week.

On behalf of the more than 200,000 United Methodists in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, the clergy, staff and employees of the conference, and Bishop and Mrs. Felton Edwin May: welcome.