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 1399

ee.umc.org/decisions/81147

Strong Opposition to TP

Mountain Sky Annual Conference also passed a strong resolution in opposition to TP.  Eschewing the subtlety of most other conferences, it included clearly unlawful calls in some points to not enforcing TP.  Its bishop was supported by the Council in her ruling on those particular parts of the resolution while affirming the lawful ones.

There are two things of special interest in this case.

One, the bishop making the affirmed ruling was Bishop Karen Oliveto, United Methodist’s first openly gay bishop.  Her ruling is the same as any other bishop’s would have been.  Enough said.

Two, the Council spells out in succinct terms the argument for the legality of non- prescriptive aspirational and prophetic disagreements under which resolutions like these may be written.  I list their precedents here for your convenience: 

Disagreement: JCDs 96, 886, 1044, 1262

Aspiration: JCDs 1262, 1292, 1120, 

Not prescriptive: JCDs 1340, 

These do not include the above decisions from this session.

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