MFSA plan not folding entirely into Plan B

Since last week, rumors have been swirling that the Methodist Federation for Social Action, which drafted one of the restructuring plans, would throw its support behind Plan B, another alternative put together by an ad hoc group of United Methodists.

It turns out those rumors are greatly exaggerated.

Last night, MFSA releasedastatement saying that while MFSA leaders have engaged in fruitful discussions with Plan B leaders, “There are some areas where we disagree.”

In its statement, the progressive caucus said it encourages those who have offered Plan B to:

• Strengthen the collaborative nature of the Connectional Table and lessen its control functions
• Expand the membership of central conference and racial /ethnic participants in the Connectional Table and the agency boards – including at least one member from each central / jurisdictional conference on each agency’s board and specifically including racial / ethnic caucus representatives on the Connectional Table
• Relocate some agencies in the organizational structure, notably the General Commission on Religion and Race, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, and United Methodist Communications.

The group’s statement also outlines its guiding principles in evaluating restructuring proposals.

The group is already making changes to its organizational plan. Tracy Merrick announced Monday that MFSA would recommend the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits remain on its own, rather than being folded into the General Council on Finance and Administration, the denomination’s finance agency.

To read MFSA’s fullstatement:4-21-12 Response to Restructure including Plan B

You can see charts of the agency reconfiguration under each plan’s current legislation (before the changes announced this week).

Connectional Table/ Call to Action Interim Operations Team’s plan

MFSA’s plan, “A New UM Administrative Order”

UMC Plan B