02 February 2010
February 2010 meeting of the Methodist Council
The Methodist Council met on 1 - 2 February at the High Leigh
Conference Centre in Broxbourne. This is the second Council meeting
of this Church year. Key themes running through the Council's
discussions were relationships and communication both within the
Church and with the wider world.
The first major issue tackled by Council was that of the Church's
engagement with social media such as Twitter, Facebook and
blogging. Council members considered new guidelines for Church
representatives in using new media. The guidelines seek to
encourage representatives to make creative use of new media, while
at the same time they highlight the potential pitfalls of its
misuse. The Council has requested further revisions to come to the
April meeting before the final version goes to the Conference in
June.
Toby Scott, Director of Communications and Campaigns, said, "How we
relate to one another and to those outside the church is central to
our calling as individual Christians and as a Church. New media
presents exciting opportunities for Christians, but it also
challenges us to behave with integrity and respect as in all other
spheres of engagement."
The Council also discussed the nature of leadership and authority
in the Church and whether the Church's current leadership
structures should be reviewed. In particular, members considered
the roles of President and Vice-President of the Methodist
Conference. Currently, the President and Vice-President are elected
to serve for one year, with the President as a presbyter and the
Vice-President as a lay person or deacon. Council members
considered the possibility of a new a tripartite 'Presidium',
consisting of a presbyteral President and two co-Presidents - one
lay person and one deacon. The report will be considered by the
Working Group in light of the Council's discussion, and a
suggestion that a further option be provided for a two person
presidium (one member being a presbyter and the other either lay or
a deacon). The final report will go to the Methodist Conference in
June for a final decision.
The Revd Ken Howcroft, Assistant Secretary of the Methodist
Council, said; "Clear and effective structures of leadership are
essential for any organisation, and for the Church it is especially
important that our leadership reflects our Methodist identity and
our Christian commitment. As we explore this ground together, we
don't know what the final version of this will look like, but there
is a clear desire for a collaborative leadership, combining the
skills and wisdom of our lay and ministerial members."
Other topics discussed at the Council included urban mission, a
future strategy for world church relationships, the Church's
position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and changes to the
Methodist Ministers Pension Scheme. All of the papers discussed by
the Methodist Council can be found online
here.