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Current articles Thoughts on Eliminating Guaranteed Appointments |
Thoughts on Eliminating Guaranteed Appointments The Jan. 11 issue of Newscope, published by the United Methodist Publishing House, includes a list of requirements for consideration by the Council of Bishops or the Connectional Table. The list was proposed by Dr. Lyle Schaller, the noted church growth expert. Unfortunately, it is without any commentary or argument to support his suggested requirements. 1. Eliminate lifetime elections for bishops. Require that they be up for re-election every four years and that they return to a local church every eight years.While we are at it, let’s eliminate tenure for university and seminary professors. And let’s make Congress and former presidents have to buy private health insurance. I do not mean to appear to make light of one “requirement.” However, I think that a change as suggested by Dr. Schaller has ramifications that, if made without full consideration of all the other elements of a system, will lead to further breakdown of the whole system. If pastors do not have guaranteed appointments, they are completely at the mercy of the appointment power of the bishops. By allowing bishops a lifetime election but eliminating the guaranteed appointment, the General Conference would be giving bishops even more power over their conferences. Each pastor would be even more tempted to seek to please the bishop because it would enhance their moving. Without a guaranteed appointment, the bishop could arbitrarily take a pastor's career away completely. Imagine the consequences of that kind of dependence built into the system. I always wondered how medieval governance by lords over servants evolved from more democratic Christian structures. That’s what Dr. Schaller's suggestion looks like to me and I don’t want it to happen in our denomination! The Rev. Jerry Eckert of Port Charlotte, FL, is a retired clergy member of the Wisconsin Annual Conference and a member of Associates in Advocacy, a volunteer group that aids clergy facing complaints. This article is adapted with permission from a blog posted on the Associates in Advocacy web site. Send comments |
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