Bishop Ann Sherer, 2005-2008 president of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC), prepares to address commissioners and the congregation of St. James UMC in Birmingham, Ala. GCORR conducted a monitoring review of the agency in the summer of 2008. UMNS photo by David Dapcevich

The General Commission on Religion and Race periodically reviews general church agencies to monitor their affirmative action and racial inclusiveness policies and related actions. We assist these ministry partners in monitoring their policies, programs, products, personnel and procedures for racial/ethnic inclusiveness and in planning and evaluating efforts toward improvement.

Monitoring reviews may result from requests by agency general secretaries, or from a determination of need by the General Commission.

The Commission monitored general agencies in a variety of ways during 2005–2008. General Agency Desk Audits were conducted at the close of each year, and all agencies were in compliance. All general agencies are also in compliance with ¶811.1 (General Funds, General Policies) of the Book of Discipline.

The following monitoring information on general agencies is excerpted from the General Commission’s report to General Conference.

Employment

The employment of staff at general agencies in 2006 was 1,967. This figure shows a decline of 13 percent since 2002. During this same period, a decline of 14 percent in racial/ethnic employees occurred.

GCORR’s 2006 General Agency Desk Audit revealed an employment field that was: 4.7 percent Asian; 23.9 percent Black; 6.4 percent Hispanic/Latino(a); .7 percent Native American; .5 percent Pacific Islander; and 64.1 percent White.

The 2006 Desk Audit rankings of general agencies in terms of percentages of employees who are racial/ethnic persons ranges from over 80 percent of the staff at the General Commission on Religion and Race down to no racial/ethnic fulltime employees at the General Commission on Archives and History and the General Commission on United Methodist Men. This 2006 ranking of racial/ethnic employment at all agencies included:

Eleven of the thirteen agencies achieved Affirmative Action goals at or better than the demographics of their respective surrounding Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas in 2006.

Boards of Directors Membership

Racial/ethnic persons composed 41 percent of the voting members of general agency boards of directors. Central Conference members are not included in this data. Figures show a 1.5 percent decline from the previous quadrennium.

There continues to be unevenness among the experiences of general agencies. Three general agencies had significant gains (10 percent or more) in racial/ethnic board membership during this quadrennium: the United Methodist Publishing House, General Commission on Archives and History, and General Commission on Finance and Administration. Three had significant declines (10 percent or more) in this quadrennium: the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and the General Commission on Communications.

The board election processes and outcomes still need to be more inclusive to maintain the 30 percent racial/ethnic membership goal recommended in the Book of Discipline (¶ 705.3i). The racial/ethnic membership of three general agencies—the General Commission on Communications, the General Commission on Archives and History, and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits—ranges between 22.6 and 29.6 percent.

Additional Involvement with General Agencies

While monitoring through reviews and desk audits is a central responsibility in our interaction with general agencies, our participation in and support for their many ministries is more than just about adding up statistics. By meeting and working closely with our general agency partners, we can gain and offer profound insights into how the goal, the challenge and the benefits of achieving racial/ethnic inclusiveness can fit into their respective contexts.

Consultations and training events were held for the Higher Education and Ministry, Archives and History, and Discipleship. GCORR also participated in board meetings and forums of various general agencies. Staff members also serve on numerous agency and inter-agency committees and task groups, offering racial/ethnic perspectives, concerns and experiences in their work. Examples include the Committee on Older Adult Ministry (General Board of Discipleship) and the National Urban Strategy Council (Global Ministries).

In April 2006 GCORR held the Quadrennial Consultation for Human Resources Managers and Affirmative Action Officers for United Methodist General Agencies, with the theme “Building Effective Multi-Cultural Organizations.” Participants joined in workshops addressing different facets of living with the complexity of multiculturalism.

In addition to the network of support between GCORR staff and the HR/AA staff of the United Methodist General Agencies, significant partnerships exist between GCORR staff and each agency’s Committee to Eliminate Institutional Racism (CEIR) to assist in their monitoring for institutional racism and progress in this area.