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Petition to 2008 United Methodist General Conference to Research and Evaluate the Current Effectiveness of the GBHEM Campus Ministry Section and the possibility of the Campus Ministry Section being moved to the General Board of Discipleship

Whereas, there has been a continual reduction of staff in the Campus Ministry Section of General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) over the last 10 years, and;

Whereas, there has been decreasing resources for Wesley Foundations and United Methodist related campus ministries, campus ministers, chaplains, boards of directors and campus ministries from the Campus Ministry Section and GBHEM, and;

Whereas there have been cuts and reductions in research and publications by GBHEM on current trends and issues facing our Wesley Foundations and campus ministries and the United Methodist Church, and;

Whereas, there have been few resources developed by GBHEM for student ministry --worship resources, Bible studies, campus outreach, student leadership development, and social justice programming, and;

Whereas, GBHEM has not provided guidance nor even minimal staff development and constantly has not met the annual educational needs for new campus ministers & chaplains, and;

Whereas there are more young adults enrolled in college and university settings than at any time in USA history, and;

Whereas the need for the church to be present on the campuses where students are making decisions about their vocations, lives and future, and;

Whereas, Wesley Foundations and United Methodist Campus Ministries provide for the leadership development of young adults in the United Methodist Church, and;

Whereas in 2004, the United Methodist Church created the Division on Ministries with Young People (DMYP) within the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) to directly address the needs of young adults, and;

Whereas the DMYP is more involved and engaged in the needs, concerns and resourcing of young adults which comprise a majority of college and university students,

Therefore Be It Resolved, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church direct a study committee on campus ministry be formed to study campus ministry within the structure of the United Methodist Church. The committee is charged to study whether United Methodist campus ministries, students, and local boards, as well as campus ministers are best served by the Campus Ministry Section being located in the General Board of Higher Education and Ministries or in the General Board of Discipleship where the Division on Ministries with Young People (DMYP) is located and where the church is focusing her resources on young adults. This study group would include members of local Wesley Foundation campus ministry Boards of Directors, campus ministers, chaplains, students, members of GBOD, GBHEM, and representatives from the Council of Bishops. It would present a report with findings and recommendations to the 2012 General Conference.

--This Petition was Submitted to General Conference, October 26, 2007

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The following is the 50 word rationale sent in with the Petition to General Conference:
“The Church needs to make a more focused effort on reaching college students and a study of the effectiveness and Division placement of campus ministry is needed to make sure that we are reaching students and providing resources for those in campus ministry settings.” (End submitted rationale)

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Additional Info:
This petition was created and endorsed by several United Methodist Campus Ministers and Chaplains who see the need for an independent review of the Campus Ministry Section of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM). With the establishment of the Division on Ministries with Young People (DMYP) within the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) in 2004, the UMC showed that ministry with young adults is essential and vital for the future of the church. The DMYP has showed that it can move quickly and be effective in creating new structures and ways of visioning ministry. This petition calls for a study to see if Campus Ministry could be served better in GBOD than GBHEM—or whatever new structures or ideas the study might find.

The primary concern is that students and campus ministers/chaplains have not been served well by the GBHEM in the past 10 years. Within GBHEM, reduced staff, significantly diminished resources, minimal continuing education or publications, point to the need to focus more energy and resources on the growing number of students in college, something that has not been happening with GBHEM in the last 10 years.
These concerns have been addressed by individuals and even officially by a group of United Methodist Campus Ministers and Chaplains.

The structure of GBHEM does not allow for it to move quickly enough to address the ever changing needs of campus ministry. In the call for this study, it is hoped new structures, ways of being in ministry together and new visions can be formulated. Something must be done to serve students and campus ministers better.

This petition (listed here) that you are being asked to sign calls for the United Methodist 2008 General Conference to establish a study committee to see how students and campus ministers/chaplains can best be served and how the UMC can most effectively reach the next generation of leaders of the UMC.

Your signature will indicate your support at General Conference for this Petition by showing that you agree a study needs to be conducted. The more persons who sign on will help the delegates at General Conference to understand that this is a church-wide concern and needs to be addressed at the General Conference level.

 

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