INDIANAPOLIS - A general unit, two ministry committees and the Office of General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will explore new ways to work together under a proposal chiseled out by representatives of the four in a meeting here April 23.
The proposal calls for a three-year exploratory period. During that time the OGMP, the Council on Christian Unity (CCU), the Week of Compassion and Reconciliation Mission will work closely to advance four core ministries of our church: reconciliation, compassion, unity and justice, with the goal of greater coordination and more effective mission.
The proposal could lead to two important changes in structure by the year 2010, which will be the 100th anniversary of the CCU:
The exploration would not lead to substantial changes in operations of the OGMP, or Week of Compassion and Reconciliation Mission, except through their participation in the new church council along with a transformed Council on Christian Unity.
"I am grateful to the CCU board for initiating this dialogue," said Dr. Sharon Watkins, Disciples general minister and president. "Joining the voices of reconciliation, compassion, unity and justice will help us to live out our vision of wholeness where compassion includes justice as well as mercy, and Christian unity involves reconciliation across the divides of race, class and culture as well as ecclesial differences."
The meeting was held at the invitation of the CCU, whose board last November voted to "live out Christ's call to unity" by putting "the vital work of Christian unity before structure and organization." After a lengthy discussion that considered the importance of the ministries in relation to the core mission of the Disciples of Christ in seeking unity, wholeness, and reconciliation, the group considered new ways to function within the Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and current church structure. The eight persons in attendance discussed the roles of boards, councils, committees and commissions within the church and how they might relate more intentionally for the sake of the church's mission.
"The pivotal moment in our meeting came when Johnny Wray suggested we read carefully the 'Mission Imperative' statement of our church," said David Wayne Brown, chairman of the CCU board. "A section under the heading 'Our Imperative' states that we Disciples intend 'to serve from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth, engaging in ministries of reconciliation, compassion, unity and justice.'
"A light came on and we saw that within the OGMP, a Council could be established where all our ministries, which are so inter-related, could come together and could carry out more faithfully our specific callings to ministry through greater collaboration and cooperation in mission."
The proposal next goes to the board of the CCU for action, and eventually will be considered by the Standing Committee on Renewal and Structural Reform of the church's General Board. Besides Watkins, Brown and Wray, others present were host Robert Welsh, President of the CCU; and Tim James, associate GMP and administrative secretary of the National Convocation; Amy Gopp, of the Week of Compassion; and Sandhya Jha and David Bell, co-moderators of the Reconciliation Mission Commission.
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