New booklet interprets United Methodist 'Book of Discipline'
8/25/1998
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- It's been said that a good United Methodist has the Bible under one arm and the Book of Discipline under the other.
But for many church members the daunting Book of Discipline is like a phone book or encyclopedia --- you don't read it until you need it.
To help United Methodists - clergy and lay - become more familiar with it, A Brief Introduction to the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church has been produced by Discipleship Resources, the publishing arm of the churchwide Board of Discipleship. Author of the 48-page booklet is Branson L. Thurston, a former editor of church school publications, who retired after19 years as a staff member of the United Methodist Publishing House.
The Book of Discipline is revised every four years by the General Conference. The current volume, produced by the 1996 General Conference, has 742 pages. It includes the church's Constitution, Doctrine and Doctrinal Statements, General Rules and Social Principles. It also has sections on the church's mission and ministry, the denomination's structure, the local church, the ministry of the ordained, the superintendency, the conferences, administrative order, church property and judicial administration. It has a full list of bishops and the year they were elected.
Written in plain language, the booklet addresses how to use the Discipline as a tool for ministry. It explains how the book is developed, organized and changed, and where it should be used within the church. The new booklet may be used individually or in group study and exploration.
A Brief Introduction to the Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church (order #DR243) is available from Discipleship Resources in sets of 10 ($19.95 per set). Order from Discipleship Resources, P.O. Box 1616, Alpharetta, GA 30009-1616; phone: 1-800-685-4370; online: http://www.discipleshipresources.org. The books may also be ordered from Cokesbury, 1-800-672-1789 (ICOP # 971006).
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