There's a common complaint in Congress that bills are voted on before anyone has a chance to read them. We have all had a chance to read the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline (BDD). It has been available online for several months and modified a handful of times. Although it is available, my hunch is it hasn't been read by many. I get it - it's a big, boring document. Just like the Book of Discipline. But if you are considering joining the new GMC it would be good to see what the foundational document really says.
This series of posts are intended to share with you some of what is in the BDD that you may not realize is there. It is not intended to be mean-spirited. In fact, I hope that some of what I found will be modified by the GMC, either before or during their first General Conference (or equivalent). You may find some of what I point out to be features of the new denomination, not bugs. I just want you to go in, if you choose to do so, with open eyes. There are many misrepresentations and misinterpretations of what the book really says. So, with that, here's the plan:
Pt 1 The Good
Pt 2 Power
Pt 3 Bishops
Pt 4 Judicial Process
Pt 5 Social Concerns and Issues of Inclusion and Representation
Pt 6 Theology and Sacraments
Pt 7 Apportionments and Money
The Good Stuff
1. Scripture References: As a denomination that is basing its existence on the idea that they hold Scripture in higher regard than the rest of us, one would hope the BDD would reflect this by referencing Scripture. It does. It isn't completely consistent in this (and I don't think God has spoken on issues like how many people should serve on a committee) and there is, in my opinion, some occasional proof texting, but on the whole I appreciate that there is appropriate Scriptural justification for various positions. We have this in the current Book of Discipline (BOD) as well, but not quite like the BDD does.
2. Organizational Freedom: Recently our office manager found a church newsletter from the week following the Uniting Conference of 1968. Among the listed ways that the new denomination would impact local churches: organizational freedom within the local church. I mention that only to note that we've been working on this one for a while. There is far more freedom now than there was in 1968 or 1998. the BDD gives a little more, and I think that's mostly a good thing.
3. General Conference Petitions: This is almost entirely inconsequential, but it still stuck out to me. A petition to General Conference through "unofficial" channels must have 10 signatures of members instead of only 1. There are so many odd petitions that general conference has to deal with. This would help a little with that. And, honestly, if you can't get nine friends to sign on to your petition it's pretty clear that it doesn't need to be discussed.
4. One aspect of inclusion: If you've read anything I've written you already know that I am very much on the side of LGBT+ inclusion. As you'll see in the future, that gets even worse in the GMC. But I do appreciate one piece of inclusion. The BDD specifies "tribal" inclusion. In the U.S. this is unnecessary. In some other parts of the world, this is a critical issue that should not be ignored. I may have overlooked it, but I don't remember seeing anything of this clarity in the current BOD.
5. Size: The BDD is substantially shorter than the current BOD. I would love to have a very short BOD and a somewhat larger "Book of good ideas" that are not mandated but strongly encouraged. It's nearly impossible to cut things out of the current book, so the GMC is appropriately taking advantage of this moment to cut out a great deal of material. Having said that, I think it's important to note that books like this tend to grow over time. The BDD will never be shorter than it is the day it is officially adopted. So this is also my first "Buyer Beware" moment. Remember when comparing the BDD to the current BOD that both documents will change over time. The BOD will actually change first. Some of the ideas that we find in the BDD will likely find their way into the UMC's organization and structure. So every comparison of the two, including this one, cannot help but be a little bit of apples and oranges.
Next Up: One of the complaints we hear a lot is the power that groups within the UMC have. General Boards and Agencies, Bishops, and people with the purse strings allegedly control denominational decisions. The GMC is supposed to fix this. I think, at least in the short term, it may make the power dynamics worse.
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