The commercial items to be settled by the delegate organization of the annual conference of the church church of the 2025 brothers have been announced. There are three elements of unfinished activities and six elements of new companies on the agenda, including recommendations for renewing the Bethany theological Seminary, EDER Financial and on Earth PEACE agency status, and two new requests – with numerous reports and the annual election.
This year, the annual conference returns to the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC, on July 2 to 6. Register and find out more to www.brethren.org/ac2025
Unfinished affairs
Request: Standing with people of color: In 2022, the annual conference approved a two-year study / action process “status with people of color” with the leadership in the southern Ohio-Kentucky district and on Earth Peace. A committee was created to coordinate the process and provide resources. This year, the committee brings its final report.
Request: Decompose barriers – growing access to denominational events: The annual conference of 2022 elected a study committee to examine the theological, philosophical and practical implications of the request and to do a feasibility study. The committee provides its final report, including several pages of recommendations and suggestions.
Request for an annual conference study on the call of denominational leadership: The annual conference of 2023 elected a study committee which concentrated its work on the annual selection of conference managers, including appointments, ballot and elections. This final report makes recommendations to improve the process and increase the diversity of leadership.
New business
Recommendations for the renewal of the Bethany theological Seminary, EDER Financial and Earth PEACE agency status Are presented by the Standing Committee of District Delegates in response to implementation directives for “updating the politically concerning the annual conference agencies” adopted by the annual conference of 2022. The permanent committee approved an agency clause with each of the three agencies of the annual conference. The relevant reports are also included in the conference booklet for the relevant information of the sub-commies of the Standing Committee. One establishes a “process to respond to the concerns of annual conference agencies” and other reports on the work carried out to negotiate and write agency clauses.
Request: Damage reduction: Provisional steps to resolve suffering: Presented by the Arlington Church of the Brothers and the Mid-Atlantic district, the request cites 1 Corinthians 12: 26A to raise concerns about the treatment and suffering of LGBTQ +people. He identifies three declarations of the annual conference – “human sexuality in a Christian perspective” (1983), “license / ordination of homosexual persons at the Ministry of the Church of the Brothers” (2002), and “Report of the Management team and the Council of District Managers on the Authority of Annual Conferences and Districs concerning the responsibility of ministers, congregations and districts” (2017). Recognizing that the Church is not of a single spirit, it asks: “to help the name to progress towards the objective of respecting and preserving humanity, dignity and spiritual convictions deeply held in our collective declarations and practices, which can be done at present on the language and obsolete science, and a recommendation now mixed, contained in the three annual states cited?”.
REQUEST: concerns about current practices related to questions of sexuality: Presented by the Highland Avenue des Frères church and Illinois and the Wisconsin district, the question cites the significant lack of progress on questions of sexuality during the over 40 years which followed the passage of the 1983 Declaration. He quotes this declaration and “exhorting abstention” (2008) as recognizing the personal nature of these questions and the call to avoid the application. He also cites the approach of the brothers of the Church of the brothers who generally balances local autonomy and denominational authority. He appoints the “important latitude” which has been given for congregation decisions on other questions, as well as “the districts were at best unequal in their decisions to apply policy related to sexuality”. Citing Romans 14:13 He asks: “How can we go from the front in a way that reflects a greater mutuality and a space for different understandings between individuals and congregations?”
Adjustment of the cost of living recommended to the minimum cash salary table for pastors: The advisory committee for pastoral remuneration and benefits will provide a recommendation.
Find links to download complete texts from all commercial documents to www.brethren.org/ac2025/business
Learn more about the conference calendar, costs and other details, as well as a link to register, to www.brethren.org/ac2025
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