To Serve the Present Age: The Work of the AME Church General Departments in a Time of Global Pandemic

By Reverend Garland F. Pierce, Executive Director, Department of Christian Education

To serve the present age, My calling to fulfill

O may it all my powers engage To do my Master’s will!

-AMEC Hymnal, 1242

It is accepted without debate that the COVID-19 global pandemic has changed life as most of us have known it. The church and its ministry have not been immune to these effects. The general departments, those program responsibilities of the African Methodist Episcopal Church sufficient to be denominational entities to serve the entire Church and headed by General Officers elected by the General Conference (BODD 2016, pg. 817), also have been affected yet have been diligent in continuing to offer leadership and needed support services to our Zion while pivoting when necessary.

Serving with Diminished Resources

On May 29, the 2020-2021 Connectional Budget was passed by the General Board with 78 percent voting (75 percent was needed). On June 1, 2020, the budget was formally approved by the Council of Bishops. Per t General Board procedures outlined on page 199 of the 2016 Book of Discipline, was forwarded to the Council Bishops, where two-thirds of the active Bishops needed to concur. The one-year budget lasts from August 2020, to July 31, 2021, in the interim of the 2021 General Conference, with a cut of 25% lowering the annual budget from $14,371,890 to $10,788,426 due to the financial impacts of the pandemics on AME members a congregation.

The general departments have been working creatively and strategically to maintain programming and services even while working with a 25% reduction in operational budgets and the same amount of reduction the salaries of the General Officer. At the very moment when the general departments are called to respond the unique and increased needs of the denomination during these critical and uncertain times, financial resources have been reduced in response to the financial impacts on the whole of the church. The general departments, therefore, in effect, are called to do more with less in order to respond faithfully to the denominational ne Many of these needs are likely to continue and even increase as we all reimagine church in the months and y to come. The denomination will have to reflect strategically and prayerfully on the church’s priorities and what resources are available and what realistically is needed to support ongoing vital programming partners publications, and services. Hopefully, General Officers will be strong partners in these conversations about future ministries of our global church.

The pandemic has affected how and where the general officers work. Most now out of health, programs for staff have moved to various models of remote working spending little time in traditional office spaces More work has moved to online and virtual platforms. However, the work has continued. Services and production have continued even if at times delayed or modified.

Travel has been an important part of the role of the General Officer, allowing connection with AMES in their local contexts around the world. In these exchanges. work can be assessed partnerships established and needs identified. While travel restrictions have affected in person gatherings technology has allowed many General Officers opportunities to connect with AMEs, with whom they might not have been in contact before. For example, the Department of Global Witness and Ministry has maintained partnerships and support virtually through the Executive Director’s monthly communication to aid pastors and visitations to pastors and lay members in Districts 14-20 as well as participation with mission partners and mission agencies in preparation for the department’s Annual Christmas in July. Such virtual connections are more economical but are not perfect nor do they replace face-to-face encounters. Nevertheless, they will likely remain an important way of relating even in the future when travel increases.

In a similar vein, technology has allowed many General Officers to pivot and even ramp up their programming amidst budget cuts. The church marked historic moments and achievements in our common connectional life. The virtual groundbreaking service the construction of a new, state-of-the art AMEC Publishing House (Sunday School Union) in Nashville, USA was viewed by AMEs across the globe. Likewise, as traditional graduation ceremonies were disrupted by the pandemic, AMEs still celebrated emic excellence but this time with a virtual Connectional baccalaureate and graduate recognition ce sponsored through the Department of Christian Education.

The AMEC Publishing House, working closely the Department of Christian Education, now a virtual connectional church school for adult learners on the Zoom platform every Sunday with a different guest teacher from across the connection every week. The Department of Research and Scholarship, The Christian Recorder in partnership with the publishing house, and the Department of Christian Education all have been sponsoring periodic webinars, dialogues, and interview broadcasts on a wide variety of social, political, historical, and ministry themes and issues. They have done this in addition to the other programming and publications that they vere producing pre-COVID-19. These new programmatic initiatives are offered at no extra co to AME members.

Electronic distribution has made resources produced by the various departments more available to many during the pandemic recognizing that there are still digital divides that exist and must be addressed so that such resources can reach even more throughout the connection Since the pandemic started, the Department of Christian Education has produced weekly intergenerational resources for individual and family devotion and study while many continue to practice social distancing, Four of the current General Officers have had to postponed their planned retirements to give leadership over ongoing central services and programming until the next General Conference.

Dr. Jeffery Cooper, General Secretary/CIO and President of the General Officers Council sums up the work of this period, saying,

This is a time of great loss and suffering. The world needs the church more now than ever. The AME Church has a unique witness at this moment. The General Officers, as servants of the church, seek to help the church continue to offer bold witness and relevant mission and service, even if we are called to do so with less resources, new tools, and in new and different ways. All parts of the church must pray plan, partner, and sacrifice. All must work together and be in conversation as we plan. The pandemic has highlighted the important roles of the General Officers in the life of the church and the willingness of all the colleagues to serve our global church and by extension the world at this critical moment in time.

Reprinted with permission from the Voice of Missions.

Reprinted with permission from the Voice of Missions.