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.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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)


Wednesday, March 18, 2020

JCD 1395

ee.umc.org/decisions/81144

“Desires” Is Aspirational and Not a Requirement

Central Texas Conference passed a resolution against the TP legislation now in the Discipline that the bishop ruled in a question law as aspirational.  The Council supported the bishop.

What makes this case unique is not that the word “desires” is understood as aspirational, though other conferences may now wish to use this term.  What is really important is that Central Texas is asking that for all trials, the actual costs are reported.

That is unique in the United Methodist Church.  Even GCFA has not had to be open about just how much church trials have cost.  No other annual conference to my knowledge has actually published the costs of its church trials.  There are many estimates floating around and I have a list of what conference funds would need to cover.  $100,000 is not an inappropriate amount when all of the costs are estimated.  And this does not include what a pastor pays to defend himself/herself in a trial.

I hope this decision will lead to more transparency about what the Church spends to put its pastors in trial.

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