The Acts of Convention

House of Deputies

Original Text of Resolution:

(A153)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the staff position for Rural and Small Town Ministry be made a permanent position, with responsibility to encourage, develop and coordinate services to lay and clerical ministries in rural areas and small towns; and be it further

Resolved, that the activities of this office include the responsibility:

1. To affirm and encourage the leadership of rural and small dioceses and their congregations;
2. To provide resources to diocesan, congregational and individual leadership of rural and small town ministry;
3. To develop programs for rural and small town ministries and to train persons for such ministries with the continued assistance of a Rural Program Team made up of leaders of a variety of rural ministry programs;
4. To provide staff support for programs funded by the Church and other agencies, such as New Directions Ministry, the Resource Center for Small Churches, Coalition 14, Appalachian Peoples Service Organization, and other agencies such as Taucross Farm, the East Coast Migrant Network, and the Rural Workers Fellowship;
5. To provide for the preservation of the story of rural work in the Church, to be knowledgeable about the development of rural work, and share the story of rural work with the whole Church;
6. To be an advocate for specialized rural ministries, such as seasonal and resort ministries, minority ministries and indigenous ministries, and to assist the Church in responding to economic and cultural crises affecting the life of small town and rural people;
7. To be the staff support to the Standing Commission on the Church in Small Communities, the Advisory Committee to the Office of Rural and Small Town Ministries, and other committees as assigned.

Whenever possible each of these concerns will be addressed through ecumenical cooperation and in close cooperation with the ethnic and metropolitan ministries offices.

Proposed Committee Amendment:

#3, following the words "ministry programs," add "including dissemination of information about successful programs."

#6, following the words "minority ministries and," delete "indigenous" and add "local ordained."

#7, delete the period at the end and insert a semicolon.

Add #8: "To coordinate the programs of the various agencies of the national Church that relate to rural and small town concerns."

Add #9: "To represent the rural and small town churches to the national Church structure, and the national Church structure to churches in small communities."

Motion carried

Resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #258)