THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS

If church growth were to be measured by the number of resolutions a denomination passes United Methodism would long since have passed Southern Baptists, Roman Catholics, and everyone else in America.   The Book of Resolutions of 2004 runs to 368 resolutions in 960 pages.  That is a resolution for every day of the year.

To put this in perspective: the Methodist 1952 Discipline carried a total of 10 resolutions, three of which were about alcohol (we urged abstinence for all persons nominated for any official position in the church), one on the Christian home, one on public morals, one on War and Peace, one on evangelism, and one on Race.   E.U.B.s did not report resolutions but included a section on “Moral Standards” in their Discipline. 

But times change.  In the heady days of the 1960s when the world was setting the agenda, and when seminary classes debated the death of God and the Secular City, a number of persons in the church became enamored with resolutions.  How better to bring in the kingdom than to instruct the government, the schools, and the church on matters of public policy and how the world should be run.  The General Conference of 1968 provided for a “book” of resolutions.  The Methodist-EUB merger provided the church with some superboards which felt anointed with wisdom from on high.

Ten resolutions soon became fifty.   By 1980 The Book of Resolutions carried 84 resolutions in 221 pages.  This increased to 181 resolutions in 608 pages by 1988.  From then on resolutions multiplied until they were like sand of the sea.   In the 50-year period of time during which the percent of United Methodists in the general population decreased by half (from 6% to 3%) the number of resolutions increased more than 30 times (10 to 368).   

Who do we have to thank for the glut?    An analysis of where petitions originate reveals that 67% of the petitions in the 2004 Book of Resolutions originated with three general boards: Church and Society, the Women’s Division, and the General Board of Global Ministries.  We can thank these agencies also for redirecting the church’s priorities during the time of membership decline.   In 1996, when the Book of Resolutions still had space for an index, 298 resolutions talked about “community,” 250 about “government,” 116 about “women,” 64 about “United Nations,” 79 about “racism,” and 51 about “native American.”   By contrast, “gambling,” and “alcohol,” once major concerns in Methodist morality, received a total of 10 and 22 mentions respectively.  Only 19 resolutions made a reference to “evangelism.”

Do we really need so many resolutions? Is our social witness any stronger with 368 resolutions than with 10 resolutions?   Have we heard about the Law of Diminishing Returns?  If the church insists in talking about everything from Chief Wahoo (p. 369) to the evils of privatization (p. 937) to Taco Bell (p. 511) to “processed chlorine free” paper (p. 108), to pollutants from photocopy machines (p. 101), do we come across more like busybodies than as prophets?   Do we really need, as in the 2004 Book of Resolutions 30 different resolutions on “Native Americans,”  12 on “Peace,” 11 to “Women” (0 on “Men”), and 9 different calls for church-wide studies.    

To make the case that The Book of Resolutions is out of control, the 2004 edition calls us to dialogue on homosexuality during the period of 2000-2004 (p. 149), hold consultations on the ministry in  the years 2000-2004 (p. 118); instruct the General Council on Ministries (no longer in existence) to recommend to the 2004 conference how to live into the future (p. 117).  We are also to study communion, which was done, approved and published in the same book that tells us we ought to do it. 

How about if the delegates to the 2008 General Conference got together and said it is time to be responsible about The Book of Resolutions.  No more accepting resolutions after three minutes’ debate.  Delete the irrelevant resolutions.  Give the church resolutions that it can take seriously.  

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