Committee Begins Theological Work

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UMC Future

Feb. 3, 2025 | ATLANTA (UM News) – The United Methodist Committee on Faith and Order is one of the bodies helping to develop the General Book of Discipline. The committee is responsible for guiding the denomination in informed theological reflection and discernment.

The committee, whose members include United Methodist scholars and ecumenical leaders from around the globe, has additional tasks assigned by last year’s General Conference. The group met together immediately before the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters’ meeting in Atlanta to do its work.

“I’m delighted with the committee we’ve got,” said Bishop David A. Bard, the committee’s chair. He also leads the Michigan and Illinois Great Rivers conferences.

“Our meeting has gone very well. People are active and engaged. And there’s a really good energy.”

The committee has four main projects over the next four years, each with its own working group.

  • Revising the proposed theological statement “Sent in Love: A United Methodist Understanding of the Church,” which articulates why United Methodists have church in the first place.
  • Reviewing United Methodist sacramental theology in light of online worship that gained popularity during the COVID pandemic.
  • Drafting a statement on Christian unity and interchurch relationships.
  • Examining the theology of regionalization.

As part of the work on sacramental theology, the committee plans to conduct a survey to determine how churches with online services are handling the sacrament of Holy Communion.

“Not that practice necessarily dictates the theological reflection,” Bard said. “But it’s good to know what’s happening out there.”

The committee is particularly eager to complete its work on “Sent in Love,” a project of more than 16 years. General Conference last year asked the committee to revise the Sent in Love document to better reflect the worldwide nature of the church and make the writing more accessible to people without seminary degrees.

“‘Sent in Love’ is our basic understanding of the church,” Bard said. “We want all of the other pieces to be consistent with that, so we don’t have a statement about unity that somehow doesn’t fit.”

During its recent meeting the committee also sent a letter of support to Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, whose Jan. 21 sermon at Washington National Cathedral has drawn attention worldwide.

The sermon has prompted both vitriol and praise after she urged President Trump to show mercy to vulnerable people. “You inspired and encouraged us,” the committee wrote. “As a committee we found your sermon profoundly rooted in the prophetic tradition of our shared Christian faith, while being delivered with gentleness and respect.” Read letter (PDF).

Unlike general agencies, the Committee on Faith and Order receives its funding through the Episcopal Fund.

Members of the Committee on Fatih and Order (2024-2028)

  1. Bishop Dr. David Bard, bishop of the Michigan Episcopal Area and lead bishop of the Illinois Episcopal Area (North Central Jurisdiction)
  2. Rev. Dr. Ted Campbell, Albert C. Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
  3. Bishop Sally Dyck, former ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops
  4. Rev. Dr. Mark Gorman, Lead Pastor of Calvary United Methodist Church in Mt. Airy, MD, USA
  5. Rev. Matthew Laferty, director of Methodist Ecumenical Office in Rome, Italy
  6. Rev. Dr. Maureen Knudsen Langdoc, University Chaplain and Associate Dean at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, USA
  7. Bishop Daniel Onashuyaka Lunge, bishop of the Central Congo Episcopal Area (Central Africa Central Conference)
  8. Dr. Filipe Maia, Assistant Professor of Theology at Boston University School of Theology in Boston, MA, USA
  9. Rev. Dr. Hilde Marie Øgreid Movafagh, Rector and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at The United Methodist Theological Seminary in Oslo, Norway
  10. Dr. Maaraidzo E. Mutambara, Lecturer in the Institute of Theology and Religious Studies at Africa University, Old Mutare, Zimbabwe
  11. Rev. Hendrik Pieterse, Associate Professor of Global Christian and Intercultural Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL, USA
  12. Rev. E. Amanda Sayers, Lead Pastor of Glen Mar United Methodist Church in Ellicott City, MD, USA
  13. Rev. Dr. Douglas Strong, Paul T. Walls Professor of Wesleyan Studies and Professor of the History of Christianity at Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, USA
  14. Rev. Dr. Stephen Sours, Chair of the Department of Religion and History and Professor of Religion at Huntingdon University, Montgomery, AL, USA
  15. Rev. Dr. Lizette Tapia-Raquel, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Christianity and Culture at Union Theological Seminary, Dasmariñas, Philippines
  16. Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, co-ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops

Staff

  1. Dr. David N. Field, Ecumenical Staff Officer for Faith & Order and Theological Dialogue at the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, Basel, Switzerland

Information from an earlier press release listing the committee's membership was added to this article.