Lay speakers workshop helps clarify UM structure

BY MELINDA SMITH, CLS
New Covenant UMC, Sunnyvale

The Board of Trustees in a local church is the only committee that has to have a quorum of its members present and voting to carry or defeat an issue. All other committees, or ministries in the church, including the annual conference, have only to have a majority vote of members present in order to carry or defeat an issue.- Who knew?

United Methodists no longer have new candidates becoming Diaconal Ministers - they become ordained Deacons, not Diaconals. United Methodists recognize current Diaconal Ministers; the denomination just doesn't consecrate new Diaconals any longer.- Who knew?

These are just a couple of the many bits of wisdom a group of approximately 60 laity and lay speakers learned in a North Texas Conference-wide training session on Saturday, April 14 and again on Saturday, April 21. Information was based on the book, The Organization of The United Methodist Church, written by Bishop Jack M. Tuell, but most of the facilitators spoke directly from the book that United Methodists consider "the book" just below the Bible - The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church.

UMC foundation
Provost Rev. Jim Dorff began the morning, sharing the history, the foundation, the legal documents of the UMC. Richard Hearne, Lay Leader of the Dallas-Denton District, spoke on the laity involvement in the Church.

Conference Director of Lay Speakers, John Barham, allowed only a short lunch break each of the two days before he had the group studying again on the organization and policies of the Church. Rev. Reid Fade told those gathered at First UMC, Richardson, about the local church and the way it is organized and administered.

Day two
Day two began with Dallas Northeast District Superintendent Rev. Pat Beghtel-Mahle explaining the Ministry of the Ordained and the Superintendency of the Church. Rev. Beghtel-Mahle jokingly stated she didn't think she could speak three hours. With the enormous amount of information, and the questions that resulted, Rev. Pat was still skillfully teaching at the end of the three hours!

The person who knows what seems like all there is to know about the General Agencies of the Church, NT Mission Director Mary Brooke Casad, went through the full gamut of the Annual Conference, the General Conference, the Jurisdictional Conference and General Agencies of the Church.

Associate Director for Property and Risk Management Tom Christian closed the gathering, speaking on church property and judicial administration. Are you aware that a specific church may be given a piece of property for a church, but they become only the keeper of that piece of real estate? Churches hold all property in trust for the Annual Conference.- Who knew?

Each of the topics taught could have filled a full day, or more, of teaching. Each instructor was knowledgeable and wise in his or her specific areas, and the group of laity was eager to learn.

Church members, you now have a more knowledge-based laity within the laity of the NTC, who are better able to speak on the organization and structure of the UMC and who will, when questions arise, go directly to The Book of Discipline for answers.

Sincere appreciation to Conference Director of Lay Speakers John Barham, the District Lay Speaking Coordinators, and those who helped organize and host this extraordinary event.

Thanks are also due First UMC, Richardson, for the use of their beautiful facilities. Accolades to those six facilitators who very skillfully educated and drew the individuals into the body of the Church as a living, growing, ever changing entity with only one purpose: to make Disciples of Jesus Christ.

Note: Photo were taken by Nita Rathburn