Post by Paddy by Grace on Nov 18, 2009 13:46:17 GMT -7
www.tennessean.com/article/20091114/NEWS06/911140320/0/NEWS03/Methodist-pastors-may-not-be-guaranteed-a-job
That's the dilemma facing leaders of the United Methodist Church, and it may bring the long-standing practice of guaranteed jobs for pastors to an end.
Since the 1950s, United Methodists and their ministers have had a deal: Ministers went where they were assigned, even if it meant leaving a church they loved, and the denomination guaranteed ministers they would always have a job.
"It's kind of a sacred trust," said the Rev. Ann Moman, associate general secretary at the Nashville-based Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
But shrinking membership and budgets may make that system unsustainable. Methodist bishops and two denominational committees want to end job security for ministers, known as guaranteed appointment.
"There's a good deal of momentum towards doing away with guaranteed appointment," said Lovett Weems, who runs the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.
Membership declines
Job security for Methodist ministers dates to 1956. At that time, Methodists had begun ordaining women pastors, but at least one bishop refused to appoint them to churches. African-American pastors ran into similar problems.
"It started as a restriction to the power of bishops," Weems said. "A few years later, it became a right of clergy."
But as membership has dropped, so has the number of churches able to afford pastors. In 1960, United Methodists claimed about 10.8 million members. Today, membership is at 7.8 million. Average Sunday attendance is about 95 people. And half of Methodist churches draw 50 or fewer people to Sunday services.
The Methodist job guarantees apply only to full-time ordained clergy, known as elders in full connection. Weems said that a church needs about 125 people to support a full-time minister. In some cases, elders serve two or more churches at a time. Many churches are served by part-time or local pastors who have no job security.
One downside of the guaranteed job is that it's very hard to fire a bad pastor. Getting rid of a pastor who commits adultery or has another moral failure is a pretty straightforward process. But ineffective pastors — those ill suited for the ministry — often keep their jobs.
To fire an ineffective pastor, a bishop has to file formal charges. That leads to a drawn-out battle in Methodist Church courts.
"We are not talking about moral indiscretions," Weems said. "We are talking about someone who may be a fine person but is no longer fulfilling the basic responsibilities of the pastor."
Removing an ineffective pastor has become more trouble that it's worth for some bishops. But that means that clergyperson takes up a spot that could go to another, more effective pastor, Weems said.
Accountability is issue
Even though the United Methodist Council of Bishops wants to end guaranteed appointments, Bishop Richard Wills of the Tennessee Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church opposes the idea.
Instead, he would like to see more training and resources available to struggling pastors.
"If we are going to exit someone, we should help them develop new skills to move into a different area of ministry,'' he said.
The Rev. Rosemary Brown, pastor of Monroe Street and Jordonia United Methodist Churches in Nashville, also objects to ending the guarantees.
Brown, a pastor since the 1970s, is concerned that women and minorities may get fewer appointments. And she feels that pastors who train for years and who agree to move where their bishop sends them need some commitment from the denomination.
She said there's already a way to deal with ineffective pastors: by bishops' bringing charges against them.
"The whole system of guaranteed appointment hinges on the quality of
the pastor's work. And that is how it should be,'' she said.
The Rev. Herbert Lester, 61, of Blakemore United Methodist in Nashville, on the other hand, thinks it may be time to rethink guaranteed appointments. He want pastors to be treated fairly but says they also need to do good work.
"I don't see any problem with being held accountable," he said. "Part of being a Christian is being held accountable."
No changes in the Methodist system will be finalized until 2012, at the next United Methodist General Assembly, which takes place once every four years.
That's the dilemma facing leaders of the United Methodist Church, and it may bring the long-standing practice of guaranteed jobs for pastors to an end.
Since the 1950s, United Methodists and their ministers have had a deal: Ministers went where they were assigned, even if it meant leaving a church they loved, and the denomination guaranteed ministers they would always have a job.
"It's kind of a sacred trust," said the Rev. Ann Moman, associate general secretary at the Nashville-based Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
But shrinking membership and budgets may make that system unsustainable. Methodist bishops and two denominational committees want to end job security for ministers, known as guaranteed appointment.
"There's a good deal of momentum towards doing away with guaranteed appointment," said Lovett Weems, who runs the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.
Membership declines
Job security for Methodist ministers dates to 1956. At that time, Methodists had begun ordaining women pastors, but at least one bishop refused to appoint them to churches. African-American pastors ran into similar problems.
"It started as a restriction to the power of bishops," Weems said. "A few years later, it became a right of clergy."
But as membership has dropped, so has the number of churches able to afford pastors. In 1960, United Methodists claimed about 10.8 million members. Today, membership is at 7.8 million. Average Sunday attendance is about 95 people. And half of Methodist churches draw 50 or fewer people to Sunday services.
The Methodist job guarantees apply only to full-time ordained clergy, known as elders in full connection. Weems said that a church needs about 125 people to support a full-time minister. In some cases, elders serve two or more churches at a time. Many churches are served by part-time or local pastors who have no job security.
One downside of the guaranteed job is that it's very hard to fire a bad pastor. Getting rid of a pastor who commits adultery or has another moral failure is a pretty straightforward process. But ineffective pastors — those ill suited for the ministry — often keep their jobs.
To fire an ineffective pastor, a bishop has to file formal charges. That leads to a drawn-out battle in Methodist Church courts.
"We are not talking about moral indiscretions," Weems said. "We are talking about someone who may be a fine person but is no longer fulfilling the basic responsibilities of the pastor."
Removing an ineffective pastor has become more trouble that it's worth for some bishops. But that means that clergyperson takes up a spot that could go to another, more effective pastor, Weems said.
Accountability is issue
Even though the United Methodist Council of Bishops wants to end guaranteed appointments, Bishop Richard Wills of the Tennessee Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church opposes the idea.
Instead, he would like to see more training and resources available to struggling pastors.
"If we are going to exit someone, we should help them develop new skills to move into a different area of ministry,'' he said.
The Rev. Rosemary Brown, pastor of Monroe Street and Jordonia United Methodist Churches in Nashville, also objects to ending the guarantees.
Brown, a pastor since the 1970s, is concerned that women and minorities may get fewer appointments. And she feels that pastors who train for years and who agree to move where their bishop sends them need some commitment from the denomination.
She said there's already a way to deal with ineffective pastors: by bishops' bringing charges against them.
"The whole system of guaranteed appointment hinges on the quality of
the pastor's work. And that is how it should be,'' she said.
The Rev. Herbert Lester, 61, of Blakemore United Methodist in Nashville, on the other hand, thinks it may be time to rethink guaranteed appointments. He want pastors to be treated fairly but says they also need to do good work.
"I don't see any problem with being held accountable," he said. "Part of being a Christian is being held accountable."
No changes in the Methodist system will be finalized until 2012, at the next United Methodist General Assembly, which takes place once every four years.