GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Transcription

1 Discipleship DCA Advance Edition THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Volume 2 Nashville, Tennessee Report of The General Board of Discipleship A vital and vibrant church on fire to transform the world. GBOD vision statement Introduction The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) equips world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ. Established by the 1972 General Conference to serve local churches and annual conferences, the General Board of Discipleship consists of fifty-eight (58) elected members in accordance with 1105 of The Book of Discipline, 2008, and of the General Provisions. GBOD is responsible for the nurturing and spiritual care of church leaders and leads the second focus area in full partnership with other boards and agencies, the Council of Bishops, the network of congregational developers, and the national plans by helping to Create New Places for New People and Transform Existing Congregations. The agency also has a portion of its work aligned with the first focus area, Developing Principled Christian Leaders. To carry out GBOD s vision and to fulfill the goals of the focus area it leads, six specific strategies guide the agency s work: 1. Equip leaders to start new churches and faith communities 2. Transform existing churches into vital congregations 3. Equip leaders to build life-sustaining networks with youth and young adults and those who work with them 4. Foster spiritual practices in local churches 5. Create sustainable resourcing systems in central conferences and the United States 6. Deliver excellent teaching and learning resources Based on these strategies, GBOD is: Re-evangelizing the United States by equipping church planters who are starting new churches through the groundbreaking Path 1 initiative Resourcing entrepreneurial clergy and lay leadership in existing local congregations to become vital, vibrant, and transformed Working with young people and their adult workers to bring them closer to the church and to God Publishing the world s most widely read daily devotional (Upper Room daily devotional guide) Helping provide essential Christian resources to congregations in North America, Africa, the Philippines, and Europe Offering widely acclaimed weekly online sermon and liturgical resources to millions of United Methodist worship leaders worldwide Leading, co-leading, and sponsoring some of the most mission-critical training events in the denomination, such as the School of Congregational Development, Youth 2011, and the Children s Ministry Forum Providing theological guidance to the denomination s Sunday school and other types of curricula... and offering virtually a thousand other ways to equip world-changing leaders GBOD believes that for The United Methodist Church to witness successfully and to transform the world, the church needs leaders who are deeply rooted in personal Christian formation, accountable for the fruit they bear, and who can guide and lead others on their spiritual journey. GBOD strives to instill new energy in clergy and lay leaders who feel depleted and offers passion and purpose to those who feel that they have little faith to share. In order to renew the church and to strengthen 373

2 374 DCA Advance Edition passion for making disciples of Jesus Christ, GBOD helps form faithful leaders who are grounded in Wesleyan faith and tradition. With such leaders, United Methodist churches will be vital, witnessing, and transforming faith communities. To fulfill GBOD s mission and to achieve its vision, the agency engages in a full range of resourcing, training, events, and networking. Agency-wide Initiatives Flexible and Effective: During the quadrennium, GBOD experienced an explosion of strategic initiatives leading to effective leadership across the denomination that is measurably making a difference. For the new quadrennium, anticipating possibly more limited apportionment funding, GBOD again stands ready to fulfill its vision of providing transformative ministries even if resources are reduced. In coordination with the Connectional Table s guidelines, the General Council on Finance and Administration, the agency evaluation documents, and the Call to Action Report and Recommendations, GBOD staff and its board of directors have developed a process to offer a flexible array of ministries and resources that can be altered dependent on available apportionment funding. With increased funding, GBOD can help plant more congregations, train more young people, provide additional training for pastors and laity, and offer more services to more central conference leaders. Regardless of funding levels, GBOD will continue its most successful initiatives and add additional ministries all with increased energy and in deeper partnership with agency and annual conference leaders on nearly every level of the church. Among the many strategic initiatives that will be offered, the following are especially critical for this time in the life of the denomination: New Church Starts (Path 1) provides collaborative leadership that re-evangelizes the United States by starting new congregations so that The United Methodist Church reaches more people, younger people, and more diverse people. Path 1 consists of key partners who work together to lead this important work the Council of Bishops, conference developers, other general agencies, and all of the US National Plans. It began work in 2008 with a specific measurable goal to train and equip 1,000 church planters and start 650 congregations in partnership with annual conferences within the United States. GBOD s New Church Starts initiative has already exceeded portions of that goal with more than a year remaining of the quadrennium. As of July 2011, at least 440 churches have been planted over the past 45 months (2008-present), which represents a 58 percent growth over when The United Methodist Church planted 256 churches. In addition, 1,278 prospective planters have been assessed through Path 1 s online assessment tool and 854 planters have been equipped through a multitude of national training events. Support for this goal includes the development of jurisdictional boot-camps for church planters and the creation of the Lay Missionary Planting Network. This network, with a focus on planting Hispanic/Latino and other racial-ethnic congregations, helps lay people start new congregations and work with clergy to start new congregations by serving on launch teams. Young People s Ministries is a multifaceted and global effort to train and expand networks with a new generation of youth and young adult leaders. With a central and regional staff presence in the United States, and indigenous staff also in the Philippines, Europe, and Africa, Young People s Ministries has experienced a wave of success in reaching young leaders, creating new networks and strengthening existing connections between young leaders globally. Staff, for example, has provided leadership and training for the Africa and West Africa Central Conference Youth Networks with participants from 18 African countries involved. They are also working collaboratively with GBGM to reestablish the East Africa Youth Network. Young People s Ministries at GBOD hosts some of the largest young people s events in the denomination, including two quadrennial events Youth 2011 (the next event is Youth 2015) and the Global Young People s Convocation and Legislative Assembly (the next event will be held in 2014). GBOD also offers a variety of young people s grants and administers the Youth Service Fund. Leadership development resources from the division include the Youth Leadership Development Resource, the Africa Youth Training Manual (in three languages), and a new faith and sexuality resource for United Methodist youth. The division s online presence has expanded to include reg-

3 Discipleship 375 ular webinars, blog space, online community, and a Resource Hub to provide a multifaceted network of diverse resources for youth, young adults, and their leaders to enhance their ministries. Leadership Ministries is transforming existing churches into vital congregations by resourcing essential ministries, including attracting people to the Christian faith, providing vital and vibrant worship, nurturing people in Christian spiritual formation, and enabling generosity and Christian service. Constant work for a church transforming lives and communities through Jesus Christ is evidenced through research of best practices, digital and print resource production, and leadership training events. GBOD uses advanced technology in areas such as webinars, which are fast becoming the fastest growing area of reaching, training, and networking with annual conference and local churches. This and other types of technology help reduce costs and reduce the perceived distance between the agency and the local church. Networks of leaders are supporting congregations and attend to the ways people come to and grow in faith as children, as adults, and through the family. Staff works directly with leadership networks in congregational transformation, stewardship, small groups, evangelism, worship, and Christian education and formation for identification of bright spots in ministry, renewal efforts, and resource sharing. Events addressing excellence in ministry areas and disciple formation include FOCUS on Children s Ministries, Worship and Song, Preaching from the Center, the School for Congre-gational Development, Symposium on Older Adult Ministries, Wesleyan leadership, and Planned Giving School. Thousands of leaders access information for weekly worship planning, observance of the Christian year in the church and in the home, and special Sundays for Christian Education, Christian Home, Older Adults, and Laity. Central conference resourcing in Africa, the Philippines, and in Europe is the centerpiece of assisting central conferences in building sustainable systems for resource development and delivery wherever The United Methodist Church has churches. Highlighted by Africa Upper Room Ministries, GBOD offers sustained access to resources considered central to the United Methodist way of ministry and Christian formation. Generations of disciples are demanding new forms of content delivery. Content for building Christian spiritual practices, developing spiritual leaders, and ministry with young people is delivered through leading-edge, appropriate media. GBOD, through Discipleship Resources International (DRI), developed and now maintains a United Methodist electronic resource portal by which leaders in the central conferences can access digital files for approximately 70 basic ministry-related resources for United Methodist churches and leaders. Over the next quadrennium, GBOD will continue to develop this portal to include indigenous and multilingual content that comes from and is available to the partner central conferences. GBOD s goal is to continually match demand with responses in a variety of forms and formats. GBOD will also continue to grow the work of Discipleship Resources International, of which the resource portal is a component. Through DRI, GBOD partners with central conference leaders to launch, guide, train, and empower a growing network of publishing teams in central conferences committed to expanding their access to critical resources for forming Christians, developing leaders, and building churches in a United Methodist way; and to achieving increasing sustainability. Upper Room Ministries offers world-renowned spiritual formation resources, books, magazines, and programs (both media-based and experiential) that help individuals and congregations grow in their relationship with God. Recently having published the billionth copy of its coveted devotional guide, Upper Room Ministries celebrated 75 years of publishing in The devotional guide is available in more than 40 languages and 100 countries. Upper Room radio broadcasts the devotional in French, Zulu, and Swahili, publishes six magazines for differing ages and interests, and offers books a year that strengthen and form the spiritual lives of clergy and lay people. Upper Room Ministries is also the home of Walk to Emmaus, Chrysalis, Upper Room Prayer Ministry, and The Academy for Spiritual Formation. Although Upper Room is not funded through apportionment dollars, its ministry is growing, especially in Africa. Teaching and Learning Resources GBOD works closely with The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) to provide local congregations with resources for Sunday school, small groups, and short-term and long-term programs for all age levels. The Curriculum Resources Committee (CRC), organized and administered by GBOD with the support of UMPH, exercises oversight of this work. The CRC reviews plans and proposals with staff; critiques,

4 376 DCA Advance Edition advises, and acts on the plans for resources, and engages with staff about the curriculum and learning/study needs of the church. Africana Music Study GBOD and UMPH were authorized by a 2008 General Conference petition to determine the need for an official United Methodist hymnal for North American Christians of African descent in the Wesleyan heritage. The study was conducted in partnership with The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) with input from Africana worship leaders in the United States. The Africana Study Committee was constituted and has led the effort. Research data was collected in three major ways: 1. A comprehensive online survey, designed for pastors and church leaders in music and worship 2. A more subjective short survey distributed to laity in churches and major events 3. Standardized listening sessions conducted in each of the 5 jurisdictions within the United States The Africana hymnal study results reveal a rich portrait of worship that honors both Wesleyan and Africana Christian traditions. The predominant worship style is blended meaning a mixture of traditional music and newer worship and music styles highly participatory with a variety of groups participating regularly in weekly worship. Black United Methodist congregations place high value upon congregational singing, choirs or other singing groups, and diverse instrumentation. The findings of the study indicated that the music for worship comes from a variety of hymnals and that no single existing United Methodist hymnal or song book is being used more than 30 percent of the time in worship. In light of these and many other findings, GBOD and UMPH, in coordination with the Africana Hymnal Study Committee, are proposing legislation to General Conference that offers a multimedia DVD/CD music and worship resource series that will serve as a bridge between traditional and emerging music and worship practices in Black United Methodist congregations. Worship & Song a new songbook for The United Methodist Church Following the 2008 General Conference, a joint project was undertaken with The United Methodist Publishing House to discover if a new hymnal were needed for the denomination. The result was a change of direction that has resulted in a new, forward-thinking, and relevant songbook for The United Methodist Church. Working directly with UMPH, both agencies developed a new resource for worship and congregational singing that was published and successfully introduced in March The new collection had input from nearly 10,000 church leaders in various forms of ministry and includes separate volumes for singing and worship. Racial Ethnic Initiatives and National Plans Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century The Office of African American Ministries provides primary leadership for GBOD s response to the General Conference initiative on Strengthening the Black Church for the 21 st Century (SBC21). The SBC21 offices are located at GBOD. Specific partnerships to support the transformation, renewal, and growth of Black churches provide learning through Congregation Resource Centers and personal coaching to Partner Congregations, including provisions of needed materials. Both entities (SBC21 and GBOD) are working extensively in a covenantal spirit to strengthen and enhance the vitality of Black churches and ultimately all United Methodist churches throughout the connection. National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry GBOD works with the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (NPHLM) and coordinates a comprehensive effort to focus on the development and strengthening of Hispanic/Latino ministries through the creation of new faith communities and new churches. Through the National Plan, some of the ministries The United Methodist Church seeks to do are: Develop new leaders who are able to start new Hispanic/Latino churches and faith communities Develop lay missionary planting leaders who start new congregations and strengthen existing ones as part of the Path 1 initiative Prepare and distribute Spanish language resources needed for new church starts and renewal of existing churches Native American Comprehensive Plan Housed at GBOD, the Native American Comprehensive Plan (NACP) enriches United Methodist Native

5 Discipleship 377 American ministries by Partnering with New Church Starts (Path 1) to: 1. Develop and support existing and new United Methodist Native American congregations ministries and fellowships, enabling them to become a vital part of The United Methodist Church 2. Develop Native American leadership for service to The United Methodist Church 3. Affirm the value and strengthen the role of traditional, cultural, and spiritual contributions of Native American people for the expression of Christian faith and faith development among the membership of The United Methodist Church Korean American National Plan, Asian American Language Ministry Plan, and the Pacific Islander Ministries National Plan. The Korean American, Asian American, and Pacific Islander Ministries office offers training, resources, and networking for a growing number of Korean and Asian American clergy and lay people, as well as Pacific Islanders. The office at GBOD touches or trains nearly all these constituency groups each year, works closely with leadership across the denomination, and works with three of the national plans that provide ministry support to Korean Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other Asian Americans. The Future The General Board of Discipleship has strategies that allow for changes in apportionment funding yet allow the agency to remain nimble and evolving in its ministries. Board and staff welcome any new vision of the general Church that reduces the perceived distance between general agencies, annual conferences, and local churches in order to increase the making of disciples of Jesus Christ. Praying that new reality into existence is part of the staff s daily prayer practices, conversations, strategic planning, and the board of directors diligent oversight. As God places a new vision upon all United Methodists, GBOD will be there to offer resources, networking, learning events, skill training, and additional newly developed efforts in both traditional and cuttingedge ministries. It is the board s goal to be fully poised for any partnership that causes people to be in full relationship with Jesus Christ, and by doing so, grows, stretches, and expands The United Methodist Church and its outreach into the larger world. Note: GBOD Response to 2008 General Conference Referrals GBOD has taken action on all 2008 General Conference legislation items referred to the agency as noted in the minutes of the Daily Christian Advocate. GBOD: Equipping World-Changing Disciples

6 378 DCA Advance Edition Hymnal Revision Committee Report The Hymnal Revision Committee was constituted by the 2008 General Conference and formed in accordance with the approved legislation. The Committee held its initial meeting in January A quadrennial work plan was developed; sub-committees were formed; and a public website was designed and launched. By May 2009, dramatic changes in the world economy and uncertainty about financial circumstances were affecting whether and how congregations could pay for major new resources. Spending constraints also affected The United Methodist Publishing House and the General Board of Discipleship, restricting the ability of the committee to complete its work and deliver proposed content for a new hymnal in time for review and action by the 2012 General Conference. Therefore, the work of the committee was halted. Since that time, the General Board of Discipleship and The United Methodist Publishing House have collaborated in developing additional supplementary resources for the music and worship life of The United Methodist Church. The decision to suspend the work of the committee was made with great regret and was unwelcome for all involved in the project. Meanwhile, technologies (particularly electronic/digital) for compiling and delivering music and worship resources continue to evolve, and an additional new supplementary resource, Worship & Song, is now available to our churches.

7 Discipleship 379 Strengthening the Black Church for the 21 st Century Quadrennium Report This report is presented with great love, admiration, and deep concern for the Black church. Many General Conference delegates and many readers of this petition were raised in and nurtured by the Black church and have served as pastors in several Black congregations. Out of the recesses of our hearts Strengthening the Black Church for the 21 st Century has come to terms with its crisis as church; thus its ultimate objective is to halt membership decline, stamp out complacency, and where possible will pay attention to reversing complicity in the ongoing demise of Black congregations and the oppression of Black people. Throughout the quadrennium the SBC21 Coordinating Committee and staff have charted some new courses of action for comprehensive solutions that included the creation of new Congregation Resource Centers (CRCs) strategies and approaches that blends the best practices across all major competencies of a vital congregation. Moving forward, SBC21 expected more from each CRC including New Accountability After attending a CRC event it is the expectation of SBC21 that a covenant is agreed upon and goals are met in order to translate characteristics of the CRC to the Partner Congregation (PC). It is the responsibility of the CRC to model the way and facilitate the generation of ideas and ministry goals that will be successfully implemented at the PC. This process greatly enhanced consistent accountability, follow-up, and achievement of Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely (S.M.A.R.T.) goals. The CRC and/or assigned coach(es) partnered with their PCs for a time not less than one year... but during that year stayed engaged with the PC through monthly review of progress being made toward achieving their goals. This process provided support and strategic allocation of resources that ensured desired outcomes. With these expectations the national office provided new resources and technology, including webinars, instructional DVDs, handbooks, and a distance learning portal. With the assistance of resources and experts in the field of organizational learning and communication, a comprehensive strategy has been created to enhance the CRC experience and drive results. This new approach is providing an infrastructure designed to expose partner congregations to new ministries, support, and follow-up through the completion of mutually agreed upon goals. Consistent emphasis upon accountability is a fundamental aspect of our strategy and will ensure transformation and growth of existing congregations as well as providing impetus for new church starts. Accomplishments of the Initiative The most important and illustrative examples of how SBC21 executed its strategic action plans, goals and objectives are listed below: SBC21 is very proud of the affirming results of the General Council on Finance and Administration s Internal Audit Report on SBC21 Operations/ Program. Also, we are equally proud of the results of the Independent Auditors Report on consolidated statements of the financial position of SBC21, and thus strong affirmation of both reports by the General Board of Discipleship and its Finance Committee. Created the e-learning modules for the learning portal and released it to CRC members in March with 8 titles. Also, as added value enhancements to the portal, partnership explorations are ongoing with UMPH (Abingdon Press, Cokesbury) for acquiring additional curriculum and resource materials. Planned and conducted a very successful Annual Conference Director of Connectional Ministries summit that has set the stage for sustainable momentum resulting in active partnerships with The UMC Ebony Bishops, the South Central College of Bishops, and the following 21 annual conferences: Alabama West Florida, North Alabama, West Virginia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Arkansas, Central Texas, North Texas, Illinois Great River, Northern Illinois, Peninsula Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, North Georgia, East Ohio, West Ohio, Greater New Jersey, Detroit, Florida, Tennessee, Baltimore-Washington, and Oklahoma. Launched a Coaching Network of 23 coaches and 7 mentor coaches for Equipping to optimize the

8 380 DCA Advance Edition leadership acumen, innovative skills, and ministry impact of each high-potential pastor and their church; Strategic Planning to collaboratively create a vision-driven and mission-focused Strategic Ministry Action Plan for each church; Accountability to establish activity-driven accountability relationships with monthly coaching calls. To stay focused on goals that generate measurable outcomes in average worship attendance, congregational stewardship, new leader development, and ministry involvement by members over a 12-month period. Developed new protocol for presentations and content at CRC Training events. Developed a process for collecting and analyzing program evaluation data. Re-faced the website. Sustained seventeen Congregation Resource Centers (CRCs) that are housed in selected Black congregations and in all jurisdictions across the United States. Their primary role is to covenant with Partner Congregations to train lay and clergy teams for congregational transformation. Three CRC Training Seminars were held for more than one hundred trainees during the quadrennium. Intensive training was provided on how to conduct training events on-site for Partner Congregations. A revised training manual was introduced to guide lay/clergy teams in the design of training events built around goals of the Initiative. While the primary purpose of the CRCs is to facilitate growth for participating congregations, reports have shown that most of the Congregation Resource Centers experienced significant growth in their own ministry and mission. They discovered new ways of performing their ministry and identified new gifts and talents in members of their congregations. Members of the CRC congregations gave many volunteer hours to provide transportation, planning, hospitality, etc. for the training events. While grants from the SBC21 budget were allocated to CRCs to cover the expenses for hosting such training events, many congregations invested their own financial and human resources to insure the event was properly hosted. Throughout the quadrennium the initiative continued to execute the Faith Partners Model, which meets the needs of Black churches that are the only, or one of a few, Black churches in their annual conference. The model was developed to strengthen their connectional relationships, reduce isolation, and facilitate collaboration with other churches. Nine Oklahoma Conference Partner Congregations, including resident Bishop Robert Hayes, the DCM, and Cabinet members of the Oklahoma Annual Conference (Oklahoma City), participated in this model of ministry. These have increased and enhanced the quality of worship service with a focus on higher quality music (instrumental and vocal). Many partner congregations have made changes to their music ministries and worship including inclusion of praise teams and praise dancers; engaging services of new or additional musicians; incorporating new types of music and forming choirs that involve younger members; and involving more persons in the worship services. CRC training events have generated many activities and deliverables for more than 500 participating PCs including increased worship attendance and membership; the development of hospitality programs; activation of praise and worship teams; liturgical dance teams; additional worship celebrations; new media ministries; new young adult ministries; establishment of new youth groups and Sunday school classes; sustained/reactivated delinquent members; launched new community outreach programs such as food and clothing banks, after-school tutoring and recreation; development of vibrant rural church ministries; building construction and renovation; stewardship accountability that has resulted in higher percentages of paid apportionments; expansion of age-level ministries including the establishment of nursery and daycare; initiated children s church; more intentional communication with college students and young adults; leadership development by sending them to various workshops; and spiritual formation mid-week Bible study and focusing on spiritual disciplines (prayer, fasting, faith); establishment of 501c(3) corporations, development of community-based entities, engaged in grant writing, utilization of connectional and community resources and their resource leaders; creation of new and more meaningful vision and mission statements that

9 Discipleship 381 translate into action, thus forging ahead, being prayerful and determined. While significant accomplishments have been achieved in previous quadrennia, the task of transforming, revitalizing, and renewing Black United Methodist congregations for mission and ministry is unfinished. These are very exciting days and pivotal times for SBC21. For more than 10 years SBC21 has provided a critical service to our church, the whole UMC; and historically the Black church has built and sustained a vital and strong foundation for making a greater and more prophetic witness for Jesus Christ in the world today.

10 382 DCA Advance Edition Native American Comprehensive Plan Quadrennium Report The Native American Comprehensive Plan (NACP) has engaged in a wide variety of activities during the quadrennium in pursuit of the mission of making Native American disciples of Jesus Christ. The ministry of NACP is structured to fall within the four focus areas of leadership development (LD), church growth (CG), ministry with the poor (MP), and global health (GH), with the additional category of Disciplinary mandates (DM). The descriptions below are designated according to the pertinent focus areas. It is important to note that due to the demographics of Native Americans, which place the majority of indigenous peoples of the US at or below poverty level, NACP considers all of its ministry to be ministry with the poor. As of the present date, the following has been accomplished: 1. In continuation of the Study on Evangelism in the Native American community, which began in 2008, 15 listening events have been held, covering Native American communities across all five US jurisdictions. (LD, MP) 2. Consultation services provided to over 50 persons under appointment to Native American churches and ministries. These services are ongoing throughout the remainder of the quadrennium. (LD, MP) 3. Curriculum development specific to Native communities as NACP works toward completion of a 10-week small group study resource. Completion of the project is projected for the end of 2011, with the resource being available via on-line publishing. (LD, MP) 4. Empowering Native American writers to produce written resources for UM Native communities and the general Church through sponsoring a Writers Gathering each year. Two gatherings have been held with two more planned. Over 30 writers have participated thus far. (LD, MP) 5. A Native American Lay Speaking School, with a special emphasis on young persons, will be held in the spring of (LD, MP) 6. A directory of Native American UM resource persons will be made available to local churches and throughout the UM connection in (LD, MP) 7. A Teaching, Learning, Skill-building intergenerational gathering will be sponsored in (LD, MP) 8. An evangelism resource based on the experience of Native Americans in the US will be produced by the end of (LD, MP) 9. Assisting annual conferences in establishing new Native American churches/faith communities as of this date NACP has worked with five conferences in efforts to initiate new Native American churches and ministries. (CG, MP) 10. Sponsorship of the first ever Gathering for Native American New Fellowships, New Ministries, and New Church Starts, which was held in January, Representatives from twelve existing and planned new church start attended. (CG, MP) 11. Ongoing provision of support services for the strengthening of existing Native American churches and faith communities. (CG, MP) 12. Development of Voices II, a new worship resource for the Native American community and the general Church the alpha version will be available in (CG, MP) 13. A conference on alcohol and substance abuse in the Native American community will be held. Focus will be on ways the Native American local church may be educated and empowered to deal with this critical issue. This event is planned for August (GH, MP) 14. Empowering and assisting in the development of annual conference Committees on Native American Ministries (CONAM s). On-site consultations have been held in four conferences. (DM, MP) 15. Offering the gifts of the Native American community to all levels of The UMC this is done by (a) assisting churches and annual conferences locate Native American resource persons in their areas and (b) by providing scholarships for Native Americans to attend national and jurisdictional events. At present, over 50 individuals have been assisted. (DM, MP) 16. A national CONAM training conference has been sponsored with over 75 attendees from 21 annual conferences. (DM, MP)

11 Discipleship A CONAM Resource Directory has been produced and made available on the NACP website. (DM, MP) 18. A comprehensive CONAM project review will be made available to annual conferences and their CONAM s by end of (DM, MP) Additionally, NACP serves The United Methodist Church by working as a partner within the UM connectional system. For example, NACP is taking part in a joint effort by the five national plans to sponsor a Racial-Ethnic Consultation in February Also, the NACP director serves as a resource person for the UM general agencies and commissions, taking part in national events such as the upcoming Conference on Cross-Cultural/Cross-Racial Appointments sponsored by the GBHEM and GCORR. Finally, it important to share that NACP is working hard to be a responsible part of our global connection by acting as good stewards of the resources invested in our organization. Many cost-cutting strategies have been implemented such as the freezing of staff salaries, utilizing of online publishing for newsletters and by piggybacking NACP events on events already scheduled by general agencies, commissions, and annual conferences this allows NACP to take advantage of the gathered group and offer a second training opportunity to participants without the expense of travelling a second time. NACP looks forward to continuing this vital ministry into the new quadrennium. Respectfully submitted by: Rev. Anita Phillips Executive Director

12 384 DCA Advance Edition Executive Summary Africana Hymnal Study Committee Report Rationale for the Study Through 2008 General Conference Petition 80217, the General Board of Discipleship and The United Methodist Publishing House were authorized to conduct a study to determine if the need exists for an official United Methodist hymnal for people of African descent worshiping in United Methodist churches in the United States. People of African descent have been part of the Methodist church since its earliest class meetings. Presently, in The United Methodist Church there are 450,000+ members of African descent in the United States, scattered throughout all five jurisdictions. Slightly less than 400,000 of this group of Black United Methodists worship in churches that are predominantly Black. The word Africana was chosen, following the earlier example of W. E. B. Dubois, to reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of 21 st -century Black worshipers in the United States who now come from several countries. (See the FAQs at the end of this report.) General Conference Legislation The committee was charged to examine the following areas: 1. Music 2. Worship 3. Liturgy 4. Ritual Needs and Development 5. Wesley texts and tunes 6. Service music 7. Hymnody (from several Africana languages and cultures within the US) 8. Emerging Technologies and Alternative Delivery Systems Committee Members Bishop Julius C. Trimble, Iowa Area, Chairperson Dr. Lisa Allen, PhD, ITC, Vice-chairperson and BMCR representative Rev. Marilyn Thornton, UMPH Rev. Stephen Handy, Pastor, McKendree UMC, Nashville, for UMPH Ms. Cheryl Walker, GBOD Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua, GBOD *Rev. Dollie Pankey (CME) *Rev. Roderick Belin (AME) *Served for a brief time Methodology The study was designed to encourage input from both laity and clergy through the use of a comprehensive, objective, online survey; a more subjective short survey; and listening sessions held in each of the five jurisdictions of The United Methodist Church in the United States. When the 2009 economic crisis made it necessary to reduce budgets, the committee was able to continue its work by supplementing two yearly face-to-face meetings with monthly online video conferences. How the Data Was Gathered invitations to the Online Survey were sent to 2,276 persons with 1,775 being sent to pastors and the remaining 501 invitations sent to district superintendents, bishops, and persons serving in extension ministries or cross-cultural pastoral appointments. Short surveys were collected at 10 different national, jurisdictional, or annual conference events from October 2009 to August Also, SBC21 (Strengthening the Black Church for the 21 st Century) resource center churches were contacted for clergy and laity input. Listening sessions were held at the SEJ BMCR/SBC21 Worship Explo at Lake Junaluska, NC; the NCJ BMCR meeting in Milwaukee, WI; the Baltimore-Washington BMCR/SBC21 event Begging for Real Church in Baltimore, MD; for the SCJ at St. Luke Community United Methodist Church, in Dallas, TX; and for the WJ at Jones Memorial UMC in San Francisco. Because of the high concentration of Black churches in South Carolina and Mississippi, additional sessions were held at the Mississippi Annual Conference s Mission and Media event in Tupelo, MS, and at St. Mark UMC, in Sumter, SC. The Africana Hymnal Study Committee set 1,000 touches as its goal to have input from one thousand or more people in The United Methodist Church. This goal was exceeded; we received 575 surveys online and 838 short paper surveys not counting the people who attended listening sessions! In spite of the economic challenges faced by the United States from 2008 to the present, the committee was able to complete its task

13 Discipleship 385 with a minimal budget by supplementing face-to-face committee meetings with the use of Internet video calls and conference calls. Putting the Data in Context All jurisdictions were represented proportionally in both the online and the short surveys collected. The distribution of surveys collected by jurisdiction fell within 1 to 5 percentage points of the distribution of Black United Methodists within the five United Sates Jurisdictions. The committee received 41.91% of online surveys from the SEJ (compared to the 45.45% of Black church membership reported by GCFA s most recent 2008 statistics). Other jurisdictions: 27.45% NEJ/22.17% GCFA; 16.26% SCJ/21.62% GCFA; 10.14% NCJ/7.43% GCFA; and 4.20% WJ/3.33% GCFA. Short surveys were distributed in a similar fashion: 45.22% of short surveys were received from the SEJ, compared to the distribution of 45.45% of Black worshipers in the SEJ; 19.93% NEJ/22.17% GCFA; 21.48% SCJ/21.62% GCFA; 8.11%NCJ/7.43% GCFA; and 5.25% WJ/3.33% GCFA. The age demographics of our response group greatly resemble those of the larger church. The majority of our responses (68.35%) came from participants Significantly, 15.48% of participants in the survey were over 65, 10.61% of participants were 36-45; an additional 5.56% of participants were 35 and under. Age data was not collected for the short survey but the committee is able to verify that 212 surveys were completed by Youth Harambee participants ages Distribution of ages in congregations, reported by the online sample group compares favorably to figures reported in the 2009 Congregational Life Study. Our sample group reported 27% of their church members over 65 compared to an average of 34% for the entire UMC reported in the Congregational Life Study. site/c.lwl4knn1lth/b /k.7acf/2010_state_ of_the_church_congregational_life_survey.htm. Church membership demographics: of the 575 online surveys collected, 72% of respondents attend a church with less than 300 members. Of the 838 short survey participants, 51% attend a church with less than 300 members. (2008 General Commission on Finance and Administration statistics report that 89% of Black churches have membership of 300 or fewer.) Small churches are represented more heavily in the responses collected from the more comprehensive online survey, while the subjective attitudes about worship collected from the short survey reflect those of both small churches and larger churches. Clergy/Laity responses: The dominant group in the online survey is clergy (57%); compared to the 87% laity that completed the shorter paper surveys. People from all adult generational groups attended the listening sessions. The majority of responses to questions in the online survey came from churches in the $35,000-50,000 household income range. The National Statistical Abstract estimates the 2007 median income of Blacks at $34,000 (vs. $50,000 for all US Households) 10s0674.xls; online survey participants report income hovering just above and just below that figure. Participants in the online survey report gender balance in the Black church at 66% women, 34% men compared to UMC averages of 57% women, 43% men No gender data was collected from those who completed the short survey. Summary of Responses Worship Survey results indicate that 30% of Black churches have a second Sunday worship service. Slightly more than 10% of churches represented in the study have a third or fourth worship service on Sundays. The dominant worship style reported is blended worship, usually observed in the first (61%) and second (53.3%) services, with contemporary being the dominant style for third services (40%). The dominant worship style reported in the United Methodist Music and Worship Study was traditional, reported at 56%, with only 36% of that survey group reporting blended worship. The committee is indebted to the members of the Music and Worship Study Committee for providing recent baseline data for The United Methodist Church. Less than 10% of Black United Methodist worship services are led by the minister alone and less than 45% by minister and liturgist alone. The survey revealed that large numbers of people take an active part in worship at the Black church to include: ushers, musicians and choirs, (communion) stewardesses, prayer counselors and altar workers, evangelists, nurses, mothers of the

14 386 DCA Advance Edition church, armor bearers, plus significant numbers of volunteers in worship arts, like dancers, flaggers, step team members, and members of mime and drama groups. Black United Methodists continue to observe traditional Black church special days. Women s Day (different from Mother s Day) is observed by 70% of our survey group, Men s Day 69%, church anniversaries 64%, Watch Night 78%, and spring or fall revivals 37%. Other observances specific to the Black church, like rites of passage, black history month, Kwanzaa, and Juneteenth were observed with much less frequency. Of note is the emphasis that the Black church places upon holy days in the Lent/Easter cycle like Ash Wednesday reported at 82%, Maundy Thursday at 63%, and Good Friday at 73%. Less than half report Christmas Eve or Christmas Day services suggesting that the Black church attaches greater importance to Easter than to Christmas. The survey group reports that more than half of their churches enjoy traditional call and response singing. Several of the older, historically documented worship practices of the Black church also continue, albeit with less frequency, like long-meter songs or Dr. Watts-style singing and, in a few places, ring shouts. Perhaps one of the more significant changes seen through both the data and the participants open-text reporting at the end of the online survey is a sharp increase in the use of contemporary music in the Black church. Liturgy The average worship service in the Black church lasts from 90 minutes to 2 hours and slightly more than one-half of the pastors choose the 1966 United Methodist order of worship that places the sermon at the end of the worship service. Roughly 90% of Black United Methodists have altar calls (invitations to Christian discipleship) in worship and 72% have corporate prayer at the altar, while 62% offer opportunities for private prayer at the altar. More than half of worshipers sing during the offering often along with choirs who sing during the offering 69% of the time. Over one-third of congregations (37%) have the congregation walk to the offering table, and 76% sing a dedication song once offerings have been received. Holy Communion is celebrated monthly by 86% of Black United Methodists. Less than 10% receive Communion more frequently. The Black church tradition of small cups and small wafers or bits of unleavened bread offered at the altar rail continues in 60% of the congregations. Roughly 30% of worshipers line up for Communion to be offered bread with intinction in a common cup. Nearly 16% of Black United Methodists report that the majority of their baptisms are by immersion. Music Though 72% of the people responding to the online survey attend small to mid-sized churches (with the majority coming from members who worship with fewer than 100 in attendance on Sunday morning), more than 90% of the churches have one or more choirs, with 47% reporting 2 to 3 choirs. The majority (60%) have a choir singing every Sunday. Both the online and the short survey groups report that 4 to 6 songs are sung with worship, with the congregation singing 3 to 4 songs in a typical worship service. Most Black churches (89%) have one or more church musicians that both read music and play by ear, and who play an instrument for weekly worship. The Black church uses a wide variety of instrumentation in worship. Acoustic pianos, keyboards, electric pianos, Hammond organs, pipe organs, and other kinds of organs head the list followed by drums, guitars, brass, strings, and woodwinds. Laity report strong support of the use of instruments in worship and a desire for even broader instrumentation and more time allotted in worship for the instrumentalists. The online group reports that their congregations sing an average of eight different Wesley songs a year. What kind of music does the Black church experience? Genres of music reported with frequency by the online survey group were (in order of frequency) hymns, spirituals, praise music, traditional (black sacred) music, gospel, contemporary, hymn choruses, and urban gospel. The laity s list was slightly different with gospel music heading their list followed by hymns, contemporary music, spirituals (usually sung by men s choruses or choirs), classical music, traditional (black sacred) music, and praise music. Black congregations are not adverse to learning new music, and most report learning one to two new songs per month. More than half of the time, the choir learns new music from sheet music; 44% of the time choirs learn new music by ear. Conversely, the congregation is slightly more likely (52%) to learn new music by ear than from printed music.

15 Discipleship 387 The diversity of music styles reported raises questions about the use of hymnals in the Black church. In the short survey, the laity survey group reported that only 30% of their churches had two hymnbooks in the pews with another 16% reporting three or more hymnals. Most of the laity (68%) report that their congregation uses the denominational hymnal, 26% report that their church uses a hymnal other than the denominational hymnal. This same group expressed opinions that hymns are theologically important (46%) and are an important contribution to the church (61%). Only 34-35% of the survey group answered that their denomination s hymnal reflected their ethnic or racial group. In spite of the importance attached to hymns by the laity, the committee found it difficult to discern which hymnal had been adopted by the majority of Black United Methodist congregations and was forced to conclude that no one hymnal was in use as a primary source of music. Hymnals reported regularly in use for worship include (in order of frequency) the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal, Songs of Zion, the African American Heritage Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, Zion Still Sings, and The New National Baptist Hymnal. Though 90% of the pastors and church leaders online survey group reported using The United Methodist Hymnal, only 28% of the survey group reported using it % of the time. Neither the Songs of Zion songbook or The African American Heritage Hymnal was reported in use more than 50% of the time, raising significant questions about where Black United Methodist are finding sound Wesleyan resources. Service Music, Ritual Needs, and Development When asked about the use of existing United Methodist liturgical resources, 86% of the survey group reported use of Word and Table II for Communion and the United Methodist baptismal liturgy. Only 35% reported use of the service music for Communion; still fewer, 20%, report use of the service music for baptism. The confirmation ritual was used by 70% of the survey group, use of the ritual for the reception of new members by 75%, the marriage ritual by 61%, and the death/resurrection materials by 67%. A significant portion of the Black church diverges from some of the theological changes suggested by the last set of rituals as evidenced by the widespread practice of altar calls and by the many allusions to atonement theology found in many of the songs preferred for Communion. In the listening sessions several expressed concerns about liturgy and service music that did not quite fit the Black church and expressed hopes that the work begun through GBOD s Africana worship series continues and broadens. This suggests the need for more ritual resources that reflect the theological needs and cultural preference of the Black church. Hymnody (from several Africana languages and cultures within the US) The online survey group was asked to list the top ten hymns sung in their churches. The most frequently mentioned hymn in this list was Blessed Assurance followed by Amazing Grace. The remaining hymns in the top ten could be classified as traditional hymns. There were no songs in Creole, patois, or in another language in the first 25 songs on that list, nor were there any songs from Jamaica, South Africa, or any of the cultures of the African Diaspora. Traditional hymns or African American traditional music continue to culturally dominate the music of Black United Methodist churches. However, music from Africa or the Caribbean was requested in the open text responses from laity. Emerging Technologies and Alternative Delivery Systems Only 49% of the online survey group reports that they use the Internet for worship planning, with 52% of that group using the Internet for worship resources, 49% for choir music, and 26% looking for congregational music. The online survey group reported that they were much more likely to use hymnals, copies of music/lyrics, or music learned by ear than to download music. Slightly more than one-fourth of the group uses projection for congregational singing, with 91% of that group projecting words only. Most that use projection do so weekly in the main worship service and create their own slides. One half of the survey group reported that they were using about the same level of technology as they were using three years ago. Many reported that they expected to be using more technology in the next three to five years. Those who noted fundamental changes in their worship in the last ten years did cite the addition of projection or other technology. Most responses to that question dealt more with the increase of instrumentation and choirs, or with the broader use of resources. Perhaps one of the more significant changes seen through both the data and the participants reporting is an increase in the use of contemporary music in the Black church. On