Draft Basic Provisions of the Indianapolis Plan
Frank Holbrook Uncategorized
Here is a copy of the Draft Basic Provisions of the Indianapolis Plan. This plan is copied from the post at peopleneedjesus.net.
Here is a copy of the Draft Basic Provisions of the Indianapolis Plan. This plan is copied from the post at peopleneedjesus.net.
The United Methodist News Service has released a story that summarizes the “Indianapolis Plan.” The story may be found here. One of my former partners used to caution younger lawyers against jumping to conclusions by using the phrase “Don’t intuit the facts.” He’s a lot smarter and more concise in his language than…
I’m writing this on August 13, 2019. It’s hard for me to believe that on July 24, 20 days ago I started trying to figure out how to write a blog. I had a partner who once told me “Once you know how to do something, it’s easy.” I’m not to the easy stage…
If one assumes that some plan will emerge at GC 2020 that will result in providing for new expressions, one of the challenges will be the administrative work of sorting out assets and liabilities. Yesterday’s post concerning the Plain Grace Plan suggested several contexts where delegating authority to a working group is necessary; for…
My last two posts considered the Gracious Exit provision adopted by GC 2019. On August 10 the General Conference Commission issued a press release concluding that the adopted provision is void. The press release also noted a suggested plan of action: In accordance with the policy of the General Conference that votes are to…
I’m not much of a mathematician. But I can do simple algebra. I remember one of, if not the first, equation I saw in pre-algebra. It looked like this: A = B Pretty simple right? And then one of the variables was provided. The problem then looked like this: A =…
Today I’m going to put you into the shoes of a hypothetical law student. Here is a final exam question you are given to answer: Consider the following fact pattern: A family has owned a vehicle for a number of years. They aren’t wealthy, we might even describe them as a family of…
One of the important topics GC 2019 addressed was the “Gracious Exit.” It is now codified at ¶ 2553, page 776 of the Book of Discipline (“BOD”). Today’s post will be the first of several that consider the current Gracious Exit provisions and the additions or modifications that may be needed in 2020. A…
In several posts concerning GC 2020, I have suggested that new expressions should commit to a shared common core. The main posts are An Alternate Approach to Unity – An Effort to Avoid Ruling from the Grave and 1784 – The Christmas Gift that Keeps on Giving . I also have identified the Common Core identified in…
Yesterday’s post proposed creating a new status for Annual Conferences and Local Churches called “Provisional Affiliation”. The relevant portion of the post read as follows “the General Conference should consider creating a status called Provisional Affiliation. This status would only exist for a given period of time. Provisional affiliation would allow an Annual Conference or…
In an earlier post I suggested that Bard Jones’ proposed sequencing of creating new expressions was less than optimal. This post expands on that earlier point. At some future date under the Bard Jones plan and any other plan allowing new expressions, Annual Conferences and/or local churches will be offered an opportunity…
Yesterday’s post considered labels. Labels are a way we define not only others, but ourself. This post is a short variation on that topic. It doesn’t specifically relate to GC 2020, but to the extent it applies to the Category “Life in General” it could be read that way. Thinking back to long ago…
Labels matter. In How Should We Then Live?, Francis Schaeffer begins his work with the following observation: “People have presuppositions, and they will live more consistently on the basis of these presuppositions than even they themselves may realize. By presuppositions we mean the basic way an individual looks at life, his basic world-view, the…
I’ve been reading Kevin Watson’s book Old or New School Methodism? It’s a well written history of a difficult period in the life of the Methodist Episcopal Church (“MEC”). The Book of Discipline recognizes the MEC as a theological ancestor to the United Methodist Church: “In December 1784, the famous Christmas Conference of preachers was…
As GC 2020 approaches, many are in the process of discerning the future of the Wesleyan expression called the United Methodist Church. There are many competing visions and opinions. For some, the vision is about denominational unity. For others the vision is about creating space, either by new expressions or by providing space within the…
The Bard Jones Plan (“Bard Jones”) recognized a number of possibilities for “moving into the future to address our division and the animosity which often accompanies it”. The possibilities listed by Bard Jones are summarized as follows: Move into the future as we have lived in the recent past, relying on the legislative processes…
As it turns out, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet. A week or so ago I started thinking about writing a blog. It seemed like a good idea. After searching “how to start a blog” it seemed like an even better idea. Once I knew that I could get a blog…
This is another post thinking about GC 2020 using the context provided by the Bard Jones Plan. Why the seemingly obsessive critique of the Bard Jones plan? Does it really merit such ongoing fascination? The Bard Jones Plan is the starting point for discussion because it is the most widely circulated, if not the…
I am a new, self-taught blogger that has spent the last week or so trying to get a site up and running. I’m jumping into the deep end of the pool today. If you see something that needs fixing or improvement let me know. I hope you enjoy.
Frank Holbrook July 25, 2019 Originally posted at peopleneedjesus.net “If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there”. Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland As a first time delegate to General Conference, I’ve turned serious attention to the Book of Discipline (“BOD”) and the polity it creates. I’ve always been a…