General Assembly Reset

The resurrected “Anderson Campmeeting” that took place a couple of weeks ago (more on that coming soon) provided the Church of God in the United States and Canada an opportunity for a timely, specially called General Assembly meeting on Thursday, June 4^th.

Since moving to a biennial convention, the General Assembly also switched to meeting only once every two years. This has reduced the frequency of our interactions on important matters concerning the movement and how we take care of business. Even prior to this change, one of the greatest challenges has been getting meaningful attendance from across the church. Recent efforts to permit online participation and voting have helped, but overall participation from our diverse constituencies remains tragically low. To meet the challenges of today and the future, it is vital that we take a serious look at how we maximize the effectiveness of the Assembly.

This month’s meeting can be seen as a small step in the right direction. The agenda set out to further modernize our bylaws to adopt a technology-first approach for special meetings of the Assembly. Previously, meeting notifications and ballots for such meetings needed to be sent by postal mail. A bylaws amendment was presented and passed to allow for the sole usage of electronic methods, if necessary. This should allow for greater efficiency and lower costs. Pressing matters can now be addressed by the larger church with relative ease.

As valuable as this decision is, it is only part of the story related to the June 4^th meeting. This was not just about approving a procedural change, which under normal circumstances could have waited until 2027. In actuality, there are some stronger winds of change in place, and this specially called meeting was the first step in an unfolding process that will continue over the next year.

The Assembly began with a “Statement of the Movement Address” by Church of God Ministries Interim Director, Monté Dillard. With a captive audience, both in Anderson and online, this was a valuable opportunity to keep the movement abreast of current challenges and opportunities. Dillard’s presentation was passionate and energetic, indicative of the bold leadership he is providing during this time of massive transition.

In his speech, Dillard reassured us that “the church is alive;” but pointed out we are facing some significant challenges. He reminded us that within the next decade a majority of pastors will be retiring or close to retirement, highlighting the “urgent need to raise up emerging leaders.” He also pointed out that “we must speak honestly about our need to strengthen pastoral and congregational health across our movement,” and used this opportunity to announce Joshua Brandt as the Director of Congregational Vitality, a new position, reimagining the role previously held by Handel Smith.

Our Interim Director also celebrated improved financial health at Church of God Ministries, and the continued impact of Global Strategy.

This presentation was timely, and set the stage for the relatively brief business meeting that followed.

As stated above, two bylaws amendments were approved, but we were also given greater insight into why this meeting was held at this time. Members of the Structure and Policy Task Force were also invited to report their progress at this meeting. This body was established to address the deeper change that is needed before we move forward with the hiring of a new General Director. Their report emphasized that this is ultimately about more than just structure. Task Force member, Jake Zaski, stated that from the research done it was obvious that people across the movement “weren’t disengaged because they didn’t care, but … people felt disengaged because they didn’t see the reason to lean in.” In other words, they saw this as more than a matter of participation or even relationships; but one of direction: “A cry for mission in our churches.” Church of God members are not sure where the movement is moving.

The Task Force revealed that they have developed a major new proposal for how the General Assembly and Ministries Council function, and that new bylaws will be presented, and hopefully voted upon as early as August. The amendments passed at this specially called meeting are intended to facilitate this important impending vote.

To this point, I have tried to summarize the content of the meeting without much commentary. I believe it is important, however, to offer some much-needed reflection on the process and what this means for us going forward as the Church of God in the United States and Canada.

First, I commend the tone of this meeting, and the opportunity that it provides us to forge ahead in a positive direction. We dealt with some important procedural business, but we also heard from key leaders who challenged us to look ahead. As Dillard stated, “let us honor our past not by preserving memories alone but by carrying forward the faith, by carrying forward the courage and the commitment that shaped this movement in the first place.”

That being said, I am seriously concerned about the decision-making process ahead of us in regards to the proposal from the Structure and Policy Task Force.

To be sure, I am genuinely excited about the prospect of a reorientation of the way we conduct our collective ministry. I am not content with the status quo, nor do I find it necessary to preserve the ways we do things now as a General Assembly.

Nevertheless, I see some major red flags waving before us that we must contend with if we are to implement a new vision with unity and integrity.

I have regularly bemoaned that fact that the Ministries Council has often done a terrible job of communicating its actions and processes to the larger church. Take the impending proposal coming out of the Structure and Policy Task Force. We were told that the General Assembly may be called again in as little as two months to vote on a massive structural change.

TWO months?

While we were assured that there will be opportunities given to explain the proposed new changes once they are distributed to the church (i.e. currently only the Ministries Council has considered them), there is no way that in roughly eight weeks (in the summer no less) that this vision will be adequately communicated to our congregations and pastors. I am sure there will be some webinars, massive explanatory documents (including FAQs), and likely even a compelling video to aid in the marketing of this proposal. But, herein lies the problem: It will be marketed to the church, with little opportunity for true dialogue, engagement and revision.

For quite some time now, the General Assembly has been used as a “rubber stamping” body to formalize decisions that are made elsewhere. Of course, the Ministries Council is mandated to do the heavy lifting of the Assembly between meetings, and they should. But, ultimately, in order for this new structure to work (even if it is the best, most clever design ever) there must be buy-in and ownership of the overwhelming majority across North America.

I know there is urgency to move forward, but we cannot do so without adequate consultation across the church. Trust needs to be built and earned. And, this will only happen with respectful and transparent communication. It cannot be rushed.

Sadly, such communication is lacking. For example, it has been the common practice in recent years to send out Assembly agendas and resolutions just a few weeks before the meetings, thereby limiting the possibility for meaningful engagement on weighty matters. Or, sometimes information is missing altogether, such as for this most recent meeting. It would have been so much more impactful for the meeting announcement to indicate that the Task Force would be providing an update with an eye to the future. The Ministries Council has also failed to follow through with and update us on its other commitments to the church, as in the work that was promised to address sexual ethics.

Yes, we need an organizational reset, but more importantly we need to re-establish trust if we are to see movement cohesiveness. It all begins with communication.