One piece of clarity that came from the recent General
Conference in Tampa is that almost everyone is ready for end of guaranteed
appointments in the UMC. The vast
majority of the UMC is ready for a renewed sense of accountability for
elders.
A number of people have expressed concern to me about the
implications this change will have regarding the appointment of women and
people of color, including many at the Claremont School of
Theology where I teach. In reality,
guaranteeing appointments for Elders in full connection did have the effect of
mandating some churches receive women and people of color as pastors who
otherwise would not have hired them. But
it also hindered accountability for elders.
Ineffective elders kept receiving appointments while competent seminary
graduates were often held back in the ordination process. Making accountability and effectiveness in
church leadership the priority will, I think, actually make it easier for highly
competent new seminary graduates (including women, people of color, and men) to
receive full time appointments. Here are a few reasons why.
First, bishops will still make appointments. As many women and people of color are aware,
racism and sexism are still alive and well in pockets of the UMC. My wife is an Elder and can attest to
this. And yes, there are a few churches that
prefer a young white male. But the majority
of bishops have clearly demonstrated their willingness to lead in helping make
the UMC clergy very inclusive of women and people of color. UMC bishops are
(though some might cite a few exceptions) highly committed to a diverse clergy
and will not stand for racist and sexist SPR committees. (See Bishop John R. Schol’s thoughtful letter
to the clergy in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference regarding how he
will lead.) If the UMC were a called
system like most Presbyterian and Baptist churches I’d be very concerned for
competent women and people of color. In
called systems the local church has almost total say in who is hired. But with the UMC’s current bishops, and the new
accountability built into the appointment process, women and people of color
will be highly valued in appointment making.
Second, competence will now be the primary trait churches
and cabinets look for, and they will not be forced to keep appointing clergy
who have been ineffective for years.
This is important because recent seminary graduates. I’ve noticed that people on the Elder track
who receive a “not at this time” from their Board of Ordained Ministry tend to
respond in one of two ways. Students in
annual conferences that are short on clergy know they have to take their contingencies
seriously and tend to acknowledge that the issues they need to address are
legitimate. On the other hand, students from
annual conferences that have too many clergy, and which are having trouble finding
appointments to all the existing clergy who are guaranteed an appointment, tend
to respond much differently. They tend
to believe, often errantly, that the reason for their “not at this time” has
less to do with real issues they need to address, and more with a lack of
appointments. The result is that they
often don’t take their contingencies seriously, often to their detriment. With the demise of the guaranteed appointments
applicants are assured that a “not at this time”, and corresponding contingencies,
relate to legitimate concerns that must be addressed.
Third, while it is rare for an Annual conference to have a
shortage of clergy, the need does arrive occasionally. Students who are willing to move to a new
annual conference will have greater opportunities for appointment. Most noticeable is the Detroit Annual Conference
that was looking this year and may be looking again for more clergy later this
year. Getting rid of the guaranteed
appointment will give effective clergy more incentive to move to seek
appointments across conference lines that can use their specific gifts. Women and people of color, who are willing to
move, will have greater opportunity than ever to serve in churches that need
their gifts for ministry.
The picture that emerges then is not a perfect one for women
and people of color, but is an improvement, especially for recent grads. All applicants will have to demonstrate
competence and creativity as the UMC seeks its way forward. The demise of the guaranteed appointment is,
however, a problem for one group of people.
That group is Elders who have served ineffectively for years as senior
pastors. Most of these persons happen to
be white men. The current malaise and
decline of the UMC will simply not support clergy who don’t demonstrate gifts
for leading local churches, be they white, men, women, or people of color. But graduates and pastors who have gifts, and
are willing to work effectively, will find plenty of opportunities to serve in
a full time capacity for years to come.
