This Week's Current Week in Review

The Current Week in Review

April 9, 2021

Annual Conference registration delayed

Registration for the 2021 Annual Conference has been delayed as the Conference is awaiting confirmation from individual churches that have been asked to be remote sites for the virtual gathering.

Registration was to open April 6 and run through June 1. However, registration will open once all of the remote sites are confirmed. In all, there will be eight sites around the conference for those that need assistance in order to attend the Annual Conference.

The dates for the 2021 Annual Conference will be June 11-12.

The theme for the 2021 Annual Conference is A Time to Heal, based upon Ecclesiastes 3

Utilizing the knowledge gained from the virtual 2020 Annual Conference, participants will be able to offer speeches for and against and ask questions during the plenary session, slated for Saturday, June 12 from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. The Annual Conference will be using the Zoom platform, utilizing the polling feature for voting (the same as last year) and the Q & A feature for posting questions or asking for recognition to speak for or against the motion.

No amendments or changes to the legislation will be possible. However, the Sessions Committee will be holding Pre-Conference meetings to address both technological issues as well as answer questions on the legislation.

Once registration is open, persons will need to register in order to obtain credentials once the screening process is completed the first week of June. Because of needing secure access to the room, persons will register, been confirmed as voting members and receive two log-ins – one for either the clergy or laity session on Friday, and one for the joint plenary session on Saturday.

Racial diversity linked to church growth

A Baylor University-led study, published in the journal Social Forces, found that racially diverse United Methodist churches are more likely to have higher worship attendance over time than their white counterparts. The research also found that white churches in nonwhite neighborhoods fare the worst in attendance.

To reach that conclusion, the study’s authors tracked local worship attendance data of more than 20,000 U.S. United Methodist congregations from 1990 to 2010. They paired that information with neighborhood data from the U.S. Census Bureau to investigate the effect of demographic change on congregations.

Behind Gallup's portrait of church decline

As Holy Week began this year, a Gallup Poll found that church membership in the United States had declined to less than half of the population for the first time. The headline grabbed attention, but it’s mostly unsurprising: In a country where 90% of the 350,000 congregations in the U.S. have a profile older than the general population, time brings an inevitable decline.

Christians have also suffered self-inflicted damage: Surveys show that the identification of many white evangelicals with former President Donald Trump drove many millennials away, as did the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church over the previous decades. “Nones” — those claiming no religious affiliation — are growing, now roughly equaling the number of evangelicals or of Catholics in the U.S.

Restructuring legislation gets a hearing

Nearly 300 Filipino United Methodists joined a virtual conversation to talk about the Christmas Covenant and other plans for the future of The United Methodist Church.

“Amid uncertainties and predictions on separation and disaffiliation, our unity makes our witness credible,” said Bishop Ciriaco Q. Francisco of the Manila Area during the webinar.

“Why should we focus on what divides us?”

He shared why he believes the Christmas Covenant is important for the future of the denomination, noting that it focuses on the fruits of unity, celebrates diversity and “allows each part of the church to offer its best in doing mission and sharing the love of God for all.”

The hearing comes just three weeks after a group of FIlipino clergy and laypersons signed a statement rejecting the Christmas Covenant and embracing the Protocol of Reconcilation and Grace through Separation.

READ THE CHRISTMAS COVENANT

READ THE PROTOCOL OF RECONCILIATION AND GRACE THROUGH SEPARATION

United Methodist Men executive to retire

Gil Hanke, general secretary of the General Commission on United Methodist Men, announced April 1, that he will retire before the end of the year.

Having served as top staff executive of the Nashville-based ministry since 2010. Hanke is subject to a ruling by the 1988 General Conference that limits elected general program staff to a 12-year term of office.

A search team including Mississippi Area Bishop James Swanson, president of the commission, and Arkansas Area Bishop Gary Mueller, vice president of the commission, will begin a national search sometime after Easter.

How do United Methodists fund mission?

United Methodists clearly hear our call as disciples of Jesus Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves and bear one another's burdens. Together, by sharing our resources, United Methodists support remarkable ministry around the world.

The United Methodist Church's special giving structure ensures that together our gifts bless as many people as possible in sustainable, strategic ways. Every contribution makes a difference in this important work.

Here are the five primary ways United Methodists fund mission beyond the local church.

Native American Ministries Sunday

April 18

Native American Ministries Sunday can be observed on any Sunday, although the official observance is the second Sunday after Easter (April 18 in 2021).

This offering helps to develop and strengthen Native American ministries in the Annual Conferences, Native American rural, urban, reservation ministries and communities relating to the General Board of Global Ministries. It also provides scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist schools of theology. This fund is distributed by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministries and The General Board of Global Ministries.

Resources to assist your congregation's promotion of this Special Sunday offering is now available.

A pastor's and leader's kit can be ordered as well as resources for the congregation in English, Spanish and Korean.

Click the button below to order what you need free of charge.

Click on the graphic above to learn more

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United Methodist Center Contact Information

USPS (U.S. Postal Service)

P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207

Office Phone: 217-529-2040

Email: info@igrc.org

UPS and FedEx deliveries only use the street address:

United Methodist Center

5900 S. 2nd Street

Springfield, IL 62711

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