February 2010 meeting of the Methodist Council

The Methodist Council met on 1 - 2 February at the High LeighConference Centre in Broxbourne. This is the second Council meetingof this Church year. Key themes running through the Council'sdiscussions were relationships and communication both within theChurch and with the wider world.

The first major issue tackled by Council was that of the Church'sengagement with social media such as Twitter, Facebook andblogging. Council members considered new guidelines for Churchrepresentatives in using new media. The guidelines seek toencourage representatives to make creative use of new media, whileat the same time they highlight the potential pitfalls of itsmisuse. The Council has requested further revisions to come to theApril meeting before the final version goes to the Conference inJune.

Toby Scott, Director of Communications and Campaigns, said, "How werelate to one another and to those outside the church is central toour calling as individual Christians and as a Church. New mediapresents exciting opportunities for Christians, but it alsochallenges us to behave with integrity and respect as in all otherspheres of engagement."

The Council also discussed the nature of leadership and authorityin the Church and whether the Church's current leadershipstructures should be reviewed. In particular, members consideredthe roles of President and Vice-President of the MethodistConference. Currently, the President and Vice-President are electedto serve for one year, with the President as a presbyter and theVice-President as a lay person or deacon. Council membersconsidered the possibility of a new a tripartite 'Presidium',consisting of a presbyteral President and two co-Presidents - onelay person and one deacon. The report will be considered by theWorking Group in light of the Council's discussion, and asuggestion that a further option be provided for a two personpresidium (one member being a presbyter and the other either lay ora deacon). The final report will go to the Methodist Conference inJune for a final decision.

The Revd Ken Howcroft, Assistant Secretary of the MethodistCouncil, said; "Clear and effective structures of leadership areessential for any organisation, and for the Church it is especiallyimportant that our leadership reflects our Methodist identity andour Christian commitment. As we explore this ground together, wedon't know what the final version of this will look like, but thereis a clear desire for a collaborative leadership, combining theskills and wisdom of our lay and ministerial members."

Other topics discussed at the Council included urban mission, afuture strategy for world church relationships, the Church'sposition on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and changes to theMethodist Ministers Pension Scheme. All of the papers discussed bythe Methodist Council can be found online here.