A restructuring of the board of directors, the approval of an internal publishing office and matching funds for a new endowed scholarship headlined the meeting of the Board of Directors of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), February 24-26, in Nashville.
General Secretary’s Address
In its first order of business, the board voted unanimously (20-0) to re-elect the Rev. Dr. Kim Cape to her second quadrennium of leadership.
In her address, Dr. Cape reiterated the mission of Higher Education and Ministry, laying the case for diversity of thought, perspective and approach in the process.
“Friends, we are given the most important mandate in the whole church: To raise up principled Christian leaders, lay and clergy, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” Cape said. “The complexity of our work has increased dramatically as we are invited to become more and more international in our scope.”
“The true work of GBHEM is to be the think tank for The United Methodist Church, to discern God’s desired future for the church and the world and help the church call forth the leaders who can lead into that future,” she added.
“It will be helpful for us in the next quadrennium to reframe our task and talk in different terms, recognizing the danger of a single story. As we move into a global church, a general church polity, we must have clarity of purpose and flexibility of strategy. With God’s help, we are able to respond to challenges and opportunities of our day, just as faithfully as our forebears.”
Dr. Cape announced successful implementation of the three mandates from the 2012 General Conference: The Young Clergy Initiative, the Central Conference Theological Education Commission and the Clergy Indebtedness Task Force.
Click here to read or watch the General Secretary’s Address.
Board Actions and Other Notable Information
- Restructuring of the Board of Directors. After living into its smaller size during the last quadrennium, the board voted to reconfigure its meeting and committee structure.
- Establishment of Publishing Office, Revival of Publishing Ministry. A non-legislative proposal to reignite the academic publishing ministry of GBHEM was approved. The publishing office will produce fresh resources for Course of Study, for pastors and teachers, and include these resources in the E-Reader Project.
- Division of Higher Education Action Item. The Division of Higher Education nominated Mark La Branche, President, Louisburg College, to serve as a member of the University Senate, 2013-2016 quadrennium. This nomination fills the position vacated by Cameron West, Huntingdon College.
- Division of Ordained Ministry (DOM) Action Items.
- DOM approved United Methodist Parish Nurse Ministry as a new certification area
- DOM approved The United Methodist Endorsing Agency Endowment Fund
- DOM approved the following Course of Study Directors:
- Dr. Laceye Warner, Course of Study Regional Director at Duke Divinity School
- Dr. Israel Kamudzandu, Course of Study Regional Director at Saint Paul School of Theology
- Rev. Stephanie Scott, Course of Study Extension Director at Texas Course of Study
- Declaration of Call Sunday. GBHEM invites every congregation in the UMC to declare a “Call Sunday” where the invitation is issued to listen to the call and claim of Christ and to respond with a commitment to serve in ministry.
- Candidates for Associate General Secretary for the Division of Higher Education. The interview team will be conducting interviews with four candidates March 22-23 and is very pleased with the quality of applicants.