Lay Speakers Offer Conference Churches and District Committees An Opportunity to Better Understand "The Book of Discipline" & the Apportionment system

Joe Williams, Tennessee Annual Conference Lay Leader

Lay Speakers in the seven districts of the Tennessee Conference have prepared to make presentations on The 2004 Book of Discipline and 2006 Apportionments. The Lay Speakers are attempting, through the presentations, to make United Methodism’s rich polity and structure more meaningful to present day church members. These presentations will provide interesting explanatory material for district and local church councils and committees; local church United Methodist Women, United Methodist Men, and United Methodist Youth fellowships; interest groups following weekly fellowship suppers, etc. The presentations can be described as follows:

The Book of Discipline

Most United Methodists know our church has The Book of Discipline. Few understand much about it, or how it is applied to the ministry of the United Methodist Church. A presentation has been prepared that provides a roadmap for laity and clergy of the flow of church law that constitutes most of the 832 pages of the 2004 Discipline. This presentation should provide a better understanding of the Discipline, and how it is applied to our church life. Every person attending this presentation will be given a copy of a 17- page Nutshell Summary of the 2004 Discipline for future reference. It is sincerely believed this presentation will fill a gap in communications with the membership that will be beneficial for our church.

2006 Apportionments

Most United Methodists understand that the United Methodist Church is a connectional church and because of that each of the 600+ churches in our Conference are asked to pay its apportionments every year to as its proportionate share of the costs of supporting the UMC beyond its congregation. This presentation consists of a definition of “apportionment,” and a break-down by category and by dollars of the General and Conference ministries supported by apportionments. Every person attending this presentation will receive a copy of the presentation and a booklet and a pamphlet published by United Methodist Communications which elaborate on the material covered in this presentation.

Don Ladd, Tennessee Annual Conference Director of Lay Speaking Ministries









To Schedule A Presentation

These presentations will be provided during Calendar Year 2006 by the Tennessee Annual Conference Board of Laity and the Tennessee Annual Conference Lay Speaking Ministries. For further information or to arrange for a presentation on either or both topics, please contact one of the following:

Joe Williams, Conference Lay Leader
931.455.8133, jaw72@bellsouth.net
124 Oak Park Drive, Tullahoma, TN 37388

Don Ladd, Conference Director of Lay Speaking Ministries
615.234.7526, c.d.ladd@ampf.com
One Burton Hills Blvd, Suite 150, Nashville, TN 37215