Our Membership class includes a lesson on the organization of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. I am having a difficult time finding "real-life" examples of the cases and type of cases that have gone to the Judicial Council. I know what the Discipline says but real cases are more meaningful. I know that there was an issue in 2000 General Conference concerning The Minister's Bill of Rights vs the Bishop's authority in assigning pastors. However,I have not seen the final outcome. Can anyone give examples of actual cases that have been brought, without names? Also, does anyone know if the Judicial Council's decisions published anywhere? God Bless Bob McCain

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2003

Answers

Bob: I don't have an answer to your question but I would like to make a comment. I believe faith and confidence in the the Judicial Council's workload is directly proportional to the degree of openess and access. I interpret the work of this Council as similar to dispute resoultion activities where disputants are seeking some alternative form (eschewing the judicial system) for arbitration and adjudication. While I agree that anonymity encourages the integrity of the process, I do not think the interests of the Connection are best served when the results are quarantined in the basement cabinet desk of a Council Member. The case for treating the results of the Council as classified or top-secret promotes unproductive speculation and worse, suppresses the truth. Hiding behind the cloak of confidentiality signals the wrong message to our youth about responsibility and accountability. QED

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2003

Brother McCain,

The January 6th Edition of "The Christian Recorder" published the results of a Judicial Council decision RE; In the matter of Jerome J. Davis. Also, the publication "The Combined Minutes of the 2000 General Conference" as well as a simular publication from the 1996 General Confereence (the only two that I have) carry the rulings on the cases that came before the Council in that Four year period. Both are publications of the AMEC Publishing House.

If you do not have access to any of these, e-mail me your fax number and I will be happy to try and Xerox the applicable pages and get them to you.

Yours in the Joy of Jesus, Mike Barta

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2003