Missionary Church Heritage Commission ~ Dr. Paul Erdel

1.      Why might a Heritage Commission be appropriate and needed?

 

         a.      The Missionary Church has a great heritage worth celebrating and preserving.  It has its roots in at least three great Christian movements.  It has produced an unusual number of interdenominational leaders and thinkers for a denomination of its size.  And its very name spells out its deepest identity.

b.      People need to celebrate their heritage in order to be themselves and to remain free.  This was true for Israel:  “There arose up a new king…which knew not Joseph.”  It is true for us, also.

c.      Even in the Missionary Church there is at times confusion or ignorance about our heritage and its relation to each new generation which needs to be addressed honestly.

 

2.      What might be the responsibilities of a Heritage Commission?

 

         a.      To be a resource for the denomination and its leaders by offering insights from previous generations as each new generation faces its own opportunities and problems.       

b.      To challenge all our people by accounts of great lives and deeds in our MC/UMC/MCA history through occasional bulletin inserts.

        c.       To help facilitate an annual heritage Sunday in all of our churches.

        d.      To be whistle blowers when the Commission members agree deviations from our heritage endanger the denomination.

 

3.      How might a Heritage Commission be formed and function?

 

         a.      One suggestion is that the Executive Committee of the General Board (or the GOC of a restructured denomination) appoint five people who are keenly sensitive to our MC heritage to a Heritage Commission, with care to select a group that would include people with field experience as missionaries, at least one person from a district in the West, at least one historical scholar, at least one person with pastoral experience, and at least one person with executive experience at the national or district level.  Obviously, one individual might combine several of these qualities.  To give names as examples of who might be Heritage Commission members would be to consider persons such as Larry DeWitt, John Moran, Dennis Enbrecht, Tim Erdel, and Timothy Warner.

b.      Such a Commission might meet annually or more often if needed, and might keep in frequent contact by modern communication.  Commission meetings might be scheduled during denominational conferences or during sessions of the General Board (or the GOC or MLC).

c.      The Executive Committee of the General Board (or the GOC) might well have the responsibility to elect new members to the Heritage Commission when necessary or appropriate.  At their discretion the electors could ask the Heritage Commission to offer appropriate nominations for their elections.

         d.      The members of the Heritage Committee could affect its own internal schedules, organization, and goals.

         e.      If necessary, funding for the Commission could be sought outside the denominational budget.

Dr. Paul Erdel served as a missionary with World Parters in Ecuador.  Now retired he resides in Mishawaka, IN with his wife Ruth and currently serves as Director of Hispanic Ministries for the North Central District of the Missionary Church.