It happened today.
One of the mainstays of the United Methodist system of deploying clergy,
the guaranteed appointment, was ended.
Frankly, I’m not all that alarmed. I love what I do, I work hard at it,
and some days, by the grace of God, I may actually be pretty good at it.
But, in reality, which of us was not already only one phone
call away from losing our appointment status?
“We are offering you a 12-point charge in Timbuktu. Take it or leave it.” The morning’s action to end the guarantee was
followed by the afternoon’s action to implement a system of closely monitoring the
ethnicity, gender, age, etc. of those persons who are not appointed. Perhaps we will be better for naming,
systematizing, and monitoring what had been happening informally for decades.
What I am missing, though, is a little context.
This General Conference began as one of Grand Ideas for the
Bettering of Our Denomination. There
were plans to revise our structure, our episcopacy, and our ordination process.
The ending of the guarantee seemed like
one piece of a larger, noble plan of widespread change and shared sacrifice.
At this point, every other Grand Idea has fallen victim to
institutional inertia. If the only major
change that comes out of this General Conference is the ability to ditch
clergy, then it begins to feel a smidge punitive. We cannot come together around
any other strategy, or social issue, or even the ability to agree that we
disagree- but we can vote to end the guarantee?
Yep, it feels like clergy are the only scapegoats we can agree on, and,
to us sensitive types, it doesn’t feel good.
Make it count. Make this change part of a bigger picture,
something that we can believe in and support and maybe be proud of. Grab hold of one of the other Grand Ideas. Be open to additional strategies for change. I
want to be part of the solution, but I don’t want to be the only solution.
