By Sept. 11, 2003
Iowa Conference asks U.S. Supreme Court to review case

By United Methodist News Service

United Methodists in Iowa are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court’s decision that a church can be sued for using the term "the spirit of Satan."

The denomination’s Iowa Annual Conference and Shell Rock (Iowa) United Methodist Church filed the request Sept. 9. Earlier, the Iowa Supreme Court had ruled against the conference and the church in a defamation case involving the controversial wording.

The case began in 1999, when a couple attending the Shell Rock church sued the conference and church because of a letter written by then-district superintendent Jerrold Swinton. In his letter, Swinton warned that "the spirit of Satan" was at work in the Shell Rock congregation.

Swinton wrote the letter after visiting the church and hearing comments by a Shell Rock member, Jane Kliebenstein, regarding the pastor. Although the letter did not specifically mention her in connection with the "spirit of Satan" comment, Kliebenstein and her husband, Glen, claimed it falsely attacked Jane’s "integrity and moral character," damaging her reputation in the community.

"It is truly unfortunate that this internal matter of church governance has become such a public issue," said Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, who leads the Iowa Conference.

"It is my hope and prayer that as the writ of certiorari is considered by the Supreme Court of the U.S. that all parties involved can begin to sense God’s healing power in this continuance time," he said. "It will be many months before we know whether the case will be heard, and until that time there is much to be done to further God’s realm here on earth."

"This case has nationwide implications for churches," said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel with Liberty Legal Institute, a legal organization that defends religious freedom and First Amendment rights. "No judge has the authority under our Constitution to drag a church into court for expressing its religious beliefs."

Liberty Legal Institute became interested in the case because of its interest in religious freedom, said Hiram Sasser, staff attorney assigned to this case. "We are concerned about churches being sued over cases like this," he said. He added that other denominations have expressed interest in joining in the case.

In the letter, Swinton wrote: "Folks, when is enough, enough? When will you stop the blaming, negative and unhappy persons among you from tearing down the spirit of Jesus Christ among you?" The letter also called on church members to acknowledge that "the spirit of Satan" was at work in the church.

The letter went on to advise the church’s staff parish committee to call a meeting to propose that Jane Kliebenstein be stripped of church offices.

A lower court had thrown out the case, arguing that the phrase "spirit of Satan" was a "purely ecclesiastical term, deriving its meaning from religious dogma," and for that reason the court could not judge its impact in a civil suit for defamation. The Kliebensteins appealed the ruling to the Iowa Supreme Court.

The higher court agreed that judges could not interfere with matters of faith and internal church discipline. However, the court ruled that the circulation of Swinton’s letter outside the congregation "weakened the shield" for the church. While noting that the phrase has religious roots, the court also ruled that it carries an "unflattering secular meaning."

In their suit for defamation, the Kliebensteins are seeking compensation for damages in a "fair and reasonable amount." Their attorney declined to comment on the case.

Following the state court ruling, the Iowa Annual Conference said it would take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"We are disappointed in the decision and believe it to be an unfortunate erosion of First Amendment rights of a religious organization," the conference said. "We believe that the mere fact that this notice of a church meeting was accidentally sent to non-church members should not constitute a waver of constitutional rights."


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Sept. 11, 2003
Agency proposes cutting number of bishops
By Joretta Purdue*

LOS ANGELES (UMNS) – A United Methodist agency is proposing that the church reduce its number of U.S. bishops next year.

That proposal surfaced as directors of the General Council on Finance and Administration worked on the 2005-08 budget for the denomination. The $586 million budget proposal will go to General Conference, the church’s highest legislative assembly, when it meets April 27-May 7 in Pittsburgh. The finance and administration council also approved other legislation and reports during a Sept. 4-8 meeting.

The budget sets spending limits and projects income for all of the church’s general agencies. It also includes administrative costs, such as General Conference, and supports other ministries and churchwide needs.

The spending plan will include a projected increase of more than 20 percent for the Episcopal Fund, which supports active and retired bishops around the world. In light of that, the finance council will ask General Conference to change the formula used for determining how many bishops are elected.

"Every part of the church is being pressed to restructure and streamline," said Sue Sherbrooke of Seattle, in favor of the proposal.

The church has 50 active bishops in the five U. S. jurisdictions and 18 in the central conferences – regional units outside the United States. In addition, the Southeastern Jurisdiction could elect an additional bishop based on the current formula. With expected retirements next year, officials predict the retiree list could reach 92.

The new formula would reduce by one the number of bishops each of the five U.S. jurisdictions is eligible to elect. If enacted as written, the change would become effective at the end of General Conference, reducing the number of bishops elected next year. Each jurisdiction would still elect one or more bishops to fill vacancies created by retirements next year. All of the jurisdictional conferences will be held in July.

Proponents of the plan point to a potential reduction of about $1 million per bishop for the next four years in costs for salary, benefits, office, support staff and travel, as well as additional savings in what annual (regional) conferences contribute to expenses such as the parsonage and office.

The Rev. Reuben Wilbur, Missouri Conference treasurer, opposed the proposal. Instead, he called for a four-year study to clarify the bishops’ role and reconsider the jurisdictional structure. Some metropolitan areas -- such as St. Louis and Washington -- have more than one bishop because the city straddles annual conference and even jurisdictional boundaries. Effective urban ministries must deal with a metropolitan area as a whole, he said.

The Rev. J. Philip Wogaman of Washington said he supported the change not only because of the $5 million in savings per four-year period but for the savings in future pension obligations. The growing number of retired bishops makes providing adequate support for all difficult, he said.

"This is a rare opportunity for equal impact to all the jurisdictions," he said. Members who worked on the plan said they did not think the 2008 election would provide the same opportunity to allow each jurisdiction to elect at least one new bishop while at the same time decrease the number of those serving in an equitable way.

Robert Meyers, treasurer of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference, objected to the proposed change. "I think we need to look past the numbers (and) at the ministry.

"I’m not sure that even with advance notice this is possible that a jurisdiction can reorganize itself in two months," he said. "It’s not only a matter of losing a bishop, it’s a matter that a jurisdiction is going to have to reorganize itself." He suggested having a task force study what bishops do and what their job descriptions ought to be.

In explaining the proposal, the committee wrote that the change "establishes church membership and financial stewardship as measures of jurisdictional and central conference effectiveness in fulfilling mission."

The number of central conference bishops is fixed at the current numbers for 2005-08, but the legislation also specifies additions or reductions in those areas based on increases or decreases in church membership.

The income for the $586 million budget will be supplied through seven funds that are apportioned – that is, supported by each annual conference in amounts set by a formula.

General Conference sets the "base percentage" used to compute the apportionments that are asked of each annual conference and, through the conferences, of each congregation.

In other business, the council continued discussing the possible move of its headquarters from Evanston, Ill., to its offices in Nashville, Tenn., where the cost of living could result in eventual savings.

*Purdue is a United Methodist News Service news writer.


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Sept 11, 2003
Councils support agencies’ budget increases for 2005-08
By Joretta Purdue*

LOS ANGELES (UMNS) – Each of the United Methodist Church’s program agencies stands to get at least a modest funding increase for the next four years, despite the tough economic times, under a proposal that will go to the denomination’s legislature.

The church’s General Council on Finance and Administration had earlier decided to recommend to General Conference that $222 million be approved for these agencies during the 2005-08 period. Voting members of the finance council and the General Council on Ministries approved a plan for dividing the money at a joint meeting Sept. 8.

The $222 million is channeled through the World Service Fund, the church’s largest account for funding worldwide mission and ministry. The fund is a primary source of support for the four program boards and four smaller commissions, but the agencies also receive income from other sources.

The joint meeting also voted to recommend moving Heritage Sunday from its current April date to Aldersgate Day, May 24, or the Sunday preceding it. The groups decided to ask General Conference to continue the six churchwide Sundays with offerings and Laity Sunday without an offering, to discontinue Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday, and to retain four special Sundays for observance by annual conference designation.

All these decisions are recommendations to General Conference, which will meet in Pittsburgh April 27-May 7.

Effects of the economic crunch are evident in the denomination’s decline in revenues last year and in 2003, but members of the councils reminded one another that their budget for the next four-year period won’t begin for another 15 months.

Members of the finance council’s World Service Task Group were "trying to understand what would resource the program agencies" to keep up current ministries and add new ones, said Bishop Robert E. Fannin, who heads the group.

The agencies received almost $186 million in World Service funds for the 2001-04 period, but that amount was augmented by reserve funds and other sources of income that are no longer available.

Part of the financial squeeze results from the fact that General Conference instructed the program boards to spend down their reserves during the 2001-04 period. That financial hit was worsened by the stock market downturn, which socked the agencies’ portfolios. The market’s fall also hurt the denomination’s trust fund income, budgeted to help fund retiree health insurance, so agencies had to make up the lost revenue from other parts of their budget. Projected income from that source is being budgeted for the 2005-08 period at half the amount specified for the current period.

The proposed spending allocations that the two councils approved reflected a restoration of spending power to the agencies, along with an increase of less than 2 percent.

"When money’s tight, people are uptight," Fannin said, as he introduced the budget. He noted that the eight program agencies had originally requested $265 million, but they cut their proposals to $230 million at the finance council’s request. The finance agency reduced that further to $222 million.

If General Conference approves the operating budget breakdown as prepared by the two councils, the four-year totals in World Service Fund money for each agency will be:
Board of Global Ministries, $126 million.
Board of Discipleship, $31.75 million.
Board of Higher Education and Ministry, $25.7 million.
Board of Church and Society, $11.7 million.
Commission on Religion and Race, $7 million.
Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, $5.5 million.
Commission on the Status and Role of Women, $3.04 million.
Commission on United Methodist Men, $1.5 million.

The $222 million budget also includes allocations for several funds administered by the agencies. The Board of Discipleship oversees two efforts – the Shared Mission Focus on Young People, $3.1 million, and the United Methodist Youth Organization, $900,000. The Hispanic, Asian and Native American (HANA) Scholarships, $2.2 million, are awarded by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

The Commission on Religion and Race administers the Minority Group Self-Determination Fund, $3.45 million, and the denomination’s contribution to Project Equality, $160,000.

*Purdue is a news writer for United Methodist News Service.


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Sept. 16, 2003
Girl Scouts strengthen link with United Methodist churches

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) – When Sarah was 7, she got 17 sisters.

It happened when she joined the Girl Scouts and became a Brownie.

The United Methodist Church has a long history as a supporter of scouting. In 1996, the church formed a partnership with the national Girl Scouts organization, committing all United Methodist churches to hosting or supporting a Girl Scout group.

In August, United Methodists and Girl Scout leaders in Tennessee formed an alliance in hopes of providing a model that other faith groups could use in hosting scout troops.

Judith Plummer, scout leader for Troop 2500 and a member of Belmont United Methodist Church, says the concept of family – that all Girl Scouts are sisters – is important to her troop.

"I'll never forget the day when I had gone in to pick up my children from Eakin (elementary school in Nashville) and I overheard one of my Brownies, Sarah, say loudly to a classmate, ‘I do too have 17 sisters! Hey, there’s my leader. Just ask her!’"
The denomination’s Tennessee Annual (regional) Conference formed the alliance with the Cumberland Valley Girl Scout Council, which has 26,000 members and 8,000 volunteers. The Commission on United Methodist Men, responsible for scouting programs in the church, has a representative on the alliance.

Jean Lyon, a troop leader and member of Belle Meade United Methodist Church, has participated in the discussions between the Tennessee Conference and the Cumberland Valley Girl Scout Council.

The national agreement makes forming the alliance and helping troops find a place to meet easier, Lyon said. "People are not tapping into the national level," she said. "It makes a lot of sense to let the church and the Girl Scouts know what is going on and finds ways to help each other."

Belle Meade had as many as 14 troops operating in the church at one time, said Lyon, who has been involved in scouting for many years.

"Scouting is a ministry opportunity for the church," she said.

"I’m excited about the alliance forming," said Larry Coppock, national director of civic youth ministries for the United Methodist Church. "I believe it will really help promote the Girl Scout program in the church. We hope that Cumberland Valley’s model will be the first of many around the country."

Girl Scout volunteers, including United Methodist scouting coordinators and members of the Commission on United Methodist Men, met Aug. 28 with Valeri Otey-Nellis, adult development manager and diversity specialist with the Girl Scout Council.

Otey-Nellis said the alliance could be a model for the Girl Scouts in developing closer relationships with other faith communities.

"We selected the United Methodist Church to begin this effort because we already have approximately 35 churches hosting Girl Scout troops," she said. "The Tennessee Conference and the General Commission on United Methodist Men have also been very supportive of Girl Scouting."

During the meeting at the Girl Scout office in Nashville, the group agreed to take several steps to strengthen the relationship, including:

Studio 2B, a new program from the 3.9 million-member Girl Scouts of the USA, empowers teen girls to design their own program experience through interest groups, clubs or troop meetings. Meeting in age groups of 11-13, 13-15 and 15-17, the girls engage in "high adventure" outdoor recreation, such as mountain climbing and rafting, along with career development and other activities. The alliance hopes a Studio 2B activity can be introduced to youth during the Warmth in Winter retreat.

"The opportunities for girls involved in Girl Scouts are endless," Plummer said. "They learn about themselves, their strengths, and about others. They learn how to cooperate and organize to get things done. Working together with other girls gives them opportunities to try new things and new behaviors.

"I have come to learn that the United Methodist Church is progressive and proactive," she said. "I like that. The opportunities for growth and fulfillment for adults and youth are limitless."

Jim Hardin, Tennessee Conference scouting coordinator, said every local church should have a scouting coordinator responsible for four youth programs – Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, Camp Fire USA and 4H. The coordinators serve as liaisons between the youth organizations and the church, and they coordinate these programs with church activities. The volunteer coordinator also serves on the church council and encourages participation in "God and Country" and "Good Samaritan" award programs.

Hardin said he is recruiting sub-district scouting coordinators who will be responsible for four or five churches. Members of the alliance suggested that would be a way to encourage churches to host Girl Scout troops.

*Richard J. Peck, communications coordinator for the Commission on United Methodist Men, contributed information for this story.