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

JCM 1387

ee.umc.org/decisions/81139

Confusion over Request for Decision

Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference was the site for two attempts to clarify whether a resolution to be a “One Church” conference was aspirational or contrary to the Discipline.  First, a verbal question of law not presented in writing was apparently resolved by the bishop.  Then another pastor presented a written “appeal  to the Judicial Council” on the legality of the resolution that the bishop had called “aspirational” earlier in the conference in response to the question verbally raised.

The bishop took the written appeal to be under ¶ 2609.7 (question of law voted upon) and called for a vote.  She did not send in her ruling other than what was reported by the minutes of the conference and assumed the motion was referring the question of law to the Judicial Council.  

The biggest difference between a question of law (¶ 2609) and a request for a Judicial Council ruling ¶ 2610) is who answers the question.  (Emphasis added.)

Here is another case where the bishop should have called a five minute (or longer) break to get the questioner together with someone who could make sure the differences in the two processes were understood and the choice made before proceeding.  Then the bishop and secretary and questioner should have made sure how to properly report the matter to the Council.

Annual Conferences are especially hectic for the bishop and even experienced bishops can get confused about keeping these processes sorted out.  

Would the Council be wise in setting up training for conference parliamentarians, secretaries, or even bishops on the details of the handling of law questions?  This case would be a wonderful example to use as a teaching aid!

The Council could have simplified everything by taking jurisdiction under ¶ 2609.6 and the minutes’ report of the bishop’s response to be adequate, given the confusing nature of getting rulings.  But, “going by the book” is the way this Council rolls and it has had too many times where the mishandling of questions has fouled up the cases..

BTW, the legal effect of the Council taking no jurisdiction is that the bishop’s advice to the conference that the resolution was aspirational is as much law as the conference is going to get.  It does not protect anyone from culpability if they violate the Discipline as revised in 2019.

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