Day 5 Believe

Day 5 Believe
Today was a fascinating but very very long day. Again, I started the day by going o the speakers for seminarians. Then, immediately at 8 AM, we broke into the legislative groups. I continued to observe Higher Education and Ministry. Today, they zipped through legislation as fast as possible, had a short lunch and dinner time, and still did not manage to get everything done before the 9:30 cut off time according to the rules of the General Conference. There really is not much to say about what happened today, except that there was a lot of it.

There were a few petitions that are very significant in my mind. 1) the legislative committee voted to not support the petition that would get rid of commissioning and move ordination to right after seminary. The reasons were a) the question about whether ordination makes an ontological change or not, b) it does not fix the issue of giving sacramental authority to non-elders, because local pastors still have sacramental authority, and c) young people and Board of Ordained Ministries were surveyed by several delegates, and there was no consensus in either demographic about the good or bad nature of this petition. The main reasons given for it are that a) we have not developed a theology for commissioning, and b) it would put us in line with other denominations, helping our ecumenical relations.

A second petition that is near and dear to me and my life is the addition of questions for the examination of an ordination candidate. The main addition is that the candidate for ordination must answer additional questions detailing their effectiveness in ministry. Originally, the petition called for an elimination of the theological examination of ordination candidate, because they are already examined theologically before commissioning. For example, next July, I will be given the paperwork to start answering theological questions in order for me to be commissioned upon graduation. Next February, I will have to be examined orally regarding those theological questions I answered. I will be examined by a few members of the Board of Ordained Ministry. If I pass, I will be commissioned in June 2013. As it currently stands, in 3 years I will then be brought back before the board to answer questions and about theology and practice of ministry. The original form of this petition would remove the theology questions, because I would have answered them three years previously. It would also add the questions about effectiveness in ministry. The petition as it currently stands added back in the theological questions, because people’s understanding of theology can change quite a lot in 3 years, especially in 3 years that are as formative as these.

The day ended with a post-legislative meeting by some of the young delegates of the conference. All young delegates were invited to come to discuss a proposed amendment to a certain petition. The petition is non-Disciplinary, which means it is not one that affects the Book of Discipline. Therefore, it is more of a strong recommendation than a requirement. This petition was sent by the Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly in Berlin. I was there in Berlin and did vote for this petition. It calls for all boards, agencies, and committees to schedule their meetings at times that take into account the school and work schedules of young people, because young people are put on committees then unable to go because of the scheduling. I, for instance, am missing two weeks of classes to be at General Conference. I was lucky that this was a possibility. I have seen things that meet in the middle of the day on a weekday, which will exclude most young people, and most non-retired working middle and older adults. The petition as amended in our proposal will make the language stronger. I enjoy seeing a group of young people collaborating and also checking each other’s ideas. Sometimes we can be idealists, and by checking with each other, some of the ideas that would not be well accepted can be stopped. This was a beneficial process, and I look forward to seeing what happens.

Well, I am very tired, but tomorrow is Sunday! We get most of the day off, until evening. Monday morning, it is back to work again! Good night all!!