General Conference 2004

Rocky Mountain Conference News and Resources

Day 10

General Conference authorizes study of United Methodist men

May 5, 2004

By Melissa Lauber*

PITTSBURGH (UMNS) - The mystery of why men are missing from United Methodist pews may soon be unlocked.

On May 5, General Conference delegates voted 469-443 to allocate $35,961 to implement a 2005-08 study on men across the denomination. The request for funds will be reviewed by the Council on Finance and Administration. That fiscal agency will present its budget recommendations for all general church funds to the May 8 closing plenary session for final action.

The study will be implemented by the Commission on United Methodist Men and the research arm of the General Council on Ministries (or its equivalent structure).

According to Bill Smith, a delegate from South Carolina, research shows that when a man is the first one in a family to come to Christ, the family follows him 93 percent of the time, compared to 17 percent when children are the first to attend and 27 percent for women.

"We need to find out why," Smith said.

The men’s commission reports that studies by researcher George Barna have found that women are 54 percent more likely than men to be lay leaders, 54 percent more likely to be in a small ministry groups and 39 percent more likely to have personal devotional time.

The study will enable the commission to "develop effective resources, respond to current needs, challenge long-held assumptions and develop effective strategies" for reaching men. The study committee will report its findings to the 2008 General Conference.

*Lauber is a news writer for United Methodist News Service.

News media contact: (412) 325-6080 during General Conference, April 27-May 7. After May 10: (615) 742-5470.

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

General Conference links:

General Conference 2004 Web site

If the main General Conference site is slow or busy, you can also try some of the General Church agency web sites below, or the unofficial ones listed on the main RMCUMC GC2004 page.

• General Board of Global Ministries GC2004 site
• General Board of Church and Society
• General Board of Discipleship
• General Board of Pension and Health Benefits GC2004 Information
• General Council on Finance and Administration

Please keep the Rocky Mountain Conference Delegates in prayer: Janet Forbes, Youngsook Kang, Olon Lindemood, Chuck Schuster, Aaron Gray, Judy Hill, Brad Laurvick, Dan O'Neill, Liwliwa Robledo, and Peggy Sewell.