Analyses Begin of Future Plans

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Policy wonks, this was your week in the journey toward The United Methodist Church’s future, as analyses of the various submitted plans began to emerge.

The Wesleyan Covenant Association kicked off the analysis parade with the Rev. Walter Fenton’s overview of four of the six plans submitted to the 2020 General Conference. Rev. Fenton serves as the WCA’s vice president for strategic engagement. He also is an elder in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, which recently passed a resolution that would allow local congregations to decide how to include LGBTQ+ people in ministry and mission in opposition to increased restrictions going into effect Jan. 1.

Calling the four designs he reviewed the ones most likely to be considered at the 2020 General Conference, Rev. Fenton does a good job with a Joe-Friday-just-the-facts approach to the plans:

  • The Indianapolis Plan for Amicable Separation in which the WCA was a major participant and has endorsed;
  • The New Expressions of Worldwide Methodism created by UM-Forward from the “liberation” document created at its Our Way Forward gathering last May;
  • The New Form of Unity Plan, formerly called the “Bard-Jones” plan for the two bishops, David A. Bard and Scott J. Jones, who drafted it; and
  • The Next Generation UMC Plan, a design prepared by the ad hoc group of centrists and progressives known as UMC Next.

Not to be outdone by the “dark horse” status of his Plain Grace Plan, layman Frank Holbrook started a series of analyses with Next Generation UMC. Unlike Rev. Fenton, Mr. Holbrook offers comments on Next Generation’s Petition 1, its enabling legislation. With his attorney’s background and current standing as a GC2020 delegate from the Memphis Annual Conference, Mr. Holbrook dissects Petition 1’s finest points. For example, he notes the narrow scope of the proposed “Commission for a 21st Century Church,” the group that’s supposed to oversee division of the denomination into three branches:

“The petition fails to include a provision that would normally be expected: ‘make other proposals that would assist in bringing the church into the 21st Century.’ Omission of such a catchall grant of authority limits the work that the commission may do. In other words, the commission has to address the seven subjects but presumably it cannot go outside the listed areas to consider changes for the benefit of the 21st century church.”

In other words, this legislation would limit the power of the commission to recommend any creative ideas that might emerge independently during its deliberations. Be sure to read all the way to the end of Mr. Holbrook’s post for his conclusions about this proposals.

Mr. Holbrook writes that he will continue diving deeply into all the proposals. Meanwhile, the WCA is scheduled to reveal its own drafts of doctrine and development of a separate denomination at its global assembly Nov. 8 and 9 at Asbury UMC in Tulsa, Okla.

Not among the analysts this week is United Methodist Communications. According to a Facebook post from the Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards of Ask the UMC:

“In case you are wondering why we at United Methodist News have not yet released any in depth comparison of the ‘plans’ going into General Conference, this is because we do not have access to the actual legislation in the form it will be considered by the delegates to the 2020 General Conference – only the General Conference Secretary, his staff, and those completing the process of translation do at this point.

“We will provide a lot more information and coverage when the Advance Daily Christian Advocate (ADCA) is released later this year or early next year. The ADCA will contain the legislation that delegates will actually consider. This is how we make sure we report facts, not speculation, about this process.”

We respect UMCom’s determination to be accurate, but it does make one wonder: How is it that delegates such as Frank Holbrook apparently can get copies of legislative petitions for detailed scrutiny while the denomination’s communications agency can’t?

Western Jurisdiction picks project coordinator, posts video

The Western Jurisdiction means business with its “Safe Harbor” proposal. The jurisdiction has hired Gwen Bortner as a part-time project coordinator for the next 11 months, according to a press release. Ms. Bortner’s job will be “to collaborate with existing leaders to provide appropriate support and assistance to the Annual Conferences, Mission Cabinet, Leadership Team, and grassroots movements within the jurisdiction as they determine how best to embody a wholistic, inclusive expression of United Methodism.” She was chosen from a field of 37 candidates.

Meanwhile, with the assistance of veteran media consultant Stephen Drachler, the Western Jurisdiction bishops star in a 6-minute video giving their reasons for establishing the “Safe Harbor” project. Set against a golden autumn background at Lake Junaluska Center where the Council of Bishops met, it’s definitely worth the time to view.

Media Mentions as of 11-8-2019

We have no media mentions this week because all our usual searches turned up duplicate links to articles we’re already publishing.

Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.