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)


Tuesday, July 20, 2021

JCD 1417

ee.umc.org/decisions/81544

 

Three more questions

 

The bishop of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference receieved many written questions of law, as seen in this cluster of five Council decisions.  The fifth one here covers much the same ground in its summary of the main arguments raised against the conference committee’s report and its ten recommendations.

 

As I read the three concerns listed in this decision, one asks if the annual conference can delegate the modifying of church law as set by General Conference, another asks if the annual conference may offer resource people to work on congregational covenants, and finally, one asks if recommendation number 7 is legal.

 

The Council backed the bishop’s replies that, one, the recommendation and report did not delegate any authority to change anything set down by General Conference; two, the annual conference provides resources to help congregation with a lot of things already; and, three, the Council didn’t even bother to note the bishop ruled number 7 null and void, saying that without the vote on the whole report, nothing really happened.

 

Thus, the guerilla warfare against the prejudicial church laws against the LGBTQIA+ community won this skirmish.  

 

Given how often a bishop has to bring the whole report before the plenary after perfecting and voting on any issues noted in the report, it is impossible for me to presume that it was accidental that there was no vote on the whole report.  Just that one parliamentary maneuver provided legal cover for everything that happened that day.  But it could have been accidental!  The Church is a very human institution.


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)