WELCOME!

Associates in Advocacy now has two sites on the internet. Our primary help site is at http://www.aiateam.org/. There AIA seeks to offer aid to troubled pastors, mainly those who face complaints and whose careers are on the line.

Help is also available to their advocates, their caregivers, Cabinets, and others trying to work in that context.

This site will be a blog. On it we will address issues and events that come up.

We have a point of view about ministry, personnel work, and authority. We intend to take the following very seriously:

THE GOLDEN RULE
THE GENERAL RULES
GOING ONTO PERFECTION

Some of our denomination's personnel practices have real merit. Some are deeply flawed. To tell the difference, we go to these criteria to help us know the difference.

We also have a vision of what constitutes healthy leadership and authority. We believe it is in line with Scripture, up-to-date managerial practice, and law.

To our great sadness, some pastors who become part of the hierarchy of the church, particularly the Cabinet, have a vision based on their being in control as "kings of the hill," not accountable to anyone and not responsible to follow the Discipline or our faith and practice. They do not see that THE GOLDEN RULE applies to what they do.

If you are reading this, the chances are you are not that way. We hope what we say and do exemplify our own best vision and will help you fulfill yours. But we cannot just leave arrogance, incompetence, and ignorance to flourish. All of us have the responsibility to minimize those in our system.

We join you in fulfilling our individual vow of expecting to be perfect in love in this life and applying that vow to our corporate life in the United Methodist Church.

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If you have any questions or suggestions, direct them to Rev. Jerry Eckert. His e-mail address is aj_eckert@hotmail.com. His phone number is 941 743 0518. His address is 20487 Albury Drive, Port Charlotte, FL 33952.

Thank you.

(9/26/07)


Saturday, May 14, 2011

JCM 1186

http://archives.umc.org/interior_judicial.asp?mid=263&JDID=1307&JDMOD=VWD&SN=1100&EN=1189

A California-Pacific Conference pastor was taken before a conference relations committee facing an administrative complaint. Unresolved at the time of conference, the pastor’s advocate presented a request for a declaratory decision on the way the case was being handled and the fairness of restrictions on what the pastor could do in the hearing, among other concerns.

The Council could take no jurisdiction. The matter had not risen to become an action before the conference. Though not mentioned, JCD 1048 lay behind the Council’s decision to not look at the matter because it was not yet part of the business of the conference even though a conference committee and its practices were involved.

By taking this view, the Council leaves no way for it to intervene when something that could be contrary to church law may be going on. The Council leaves itself stuck until the conclusion of the process when it is too late to prevent unjust practices from occurring.

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