AMEZ, CME churches move step closer to possible union
6/15/2001 News media contact: Linda Green · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn By United Methodist News Service Two historically African-American Methodist denominations are making progress toward possible merger, which could become a reality in 2004.
Representatives from the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) and the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) churches met May 29-30 to begin a process of defining and detailing areas in a proposed plan of union. If the top legislative bodies of both denominations approve the plan, a new Christian Methodist Episcopal Zion Church with more than 2 million members could be created.
Essential to the plan of union, which was adopted as a working document by the AMEZ 2000 General Conference, are eight proposed Commissions for Implementation, said Mary Love, general secretary for the AMEZ church.
According to Juanita Bryant, general secretary of the CME church, each commission's task is to decide in specific detail what the plan of union should contain. When completed, the stated components will be compiled and incorporated into a written document that will be submitted to the CME General Conference, meeting in Atlanta in 2002. If adopted by the CME church, the document will be presented to the top legislative body of the AMEZ Church in 2004 for adoption. If adopted by that body, the plan of union must be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the annual conferences in the two churches.
AMEZ Bishop Cecil Bishop of Charlotte and CME Bishop Nathaniel L. Linsey of Cincinnati chaired the two-day session.
"I am pleased with the progress being made in the process of union between the AMEZ and CME churches," Linsey said. "I am impressed with the increase in dialogue between the two denominations and the growing interest manifested in uniting the two churches. I am confident that we are moving in a very positive way toward uniting our churches and that through prayer, we will be one."
Each commission, comprising seven members from each denomination and co-chaired by a bishop from both denominations, organized and began discussions during the recent meeting. The commissions on implementation are: Ministerial Standards and Qualifications; Higher Education and Theological Training; Ministry to Women; Nomenclature (name); Connectional Departments; Budget and Finance; Alignment (property); and Worship, Ritual and Hymnal. Each commission must present an interim report to the Task Force on Union by Dec. 1. The task force will meet Dec. 10 at the Israel Metropolitan CME Church in Washington.
The commissions are working to establish principles and procedures, define duties, specify authority and indicate time-lines for things that need to be accomplished.
Several attempts have been made through the years to bring the two denominations together. An attempt in the early 1900s failed. In 1918, representatives of the two churches, along with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, produced a document called the "Birmingham Plan" which passed by the CME General Conference, but was not ratified by the annual conferences.
Another attempt was made when the 1986 General Conference of the CME Church and the AMEZ 1988 General Conference adopted principles union, which remained inert for 11 years. Discussions around merger again arose in 1999 when the bishops of both churches engaged in conversations. At the World Methodist Council's Millennium Event in November of that year, the bishops reaffirmed the 1988 Principles of Union and a task force was created to draft a plan of union.
The AMEZ Church has 1.2 million members and the CME Church has 886,000. The AME Church, with 2 million members, is the largest African-American Methodist denomination.
Bishop expressed optimism for the union process. "It should be understood that all the t's cannot be crossed and all the i's cannot be dotted at this stage (but) we will have a clearer picture and the new church will begin to emerge as we move from a working document to the approval of a tentative document and eventually to a final draft."
The three black denominations originated through acts of exclusion or discrimination by white Methodists in the 18th and 19th centuries. The three are exploring possible union with the United Methodist Church through a Commission Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union.
The predominately white United Methodist Church counts 383,000 African-Americans among its 8.4 million U.S. members. The four denominations have cooperated on many programs and projects and engaged in cooperative efforts and discussions. In May 2000, United Methodists formally apologized for the racist acts that caused blacks to leave and also for the racism involved in creating the segregated Central Jurisdiction in the former Methodist Church.
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The majority of information for this article was provided by Juanita Bryant of the CME Church and Mary Love of the AMEZ Church.
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