Council of Bishops Concordat Working Group requests submissions of case studies from churches ministering with migrant/diaspora groups

Since 2018, the ecumenical and interreligious staff with the Council of Bishops have been working to renew and invigorate the concordat agreement we have with the Methodist Church of Britain (MCB). 

For 2021 one of the foci the Concordat Working Group selected was migrant and diaspora ministry. Bishop Patrick Streiff has worked with his counterpart from the MCB to create a method to collect information about migrant ministries. The information collected will be used to learn how migrants are faring in our United Methodist churches and in areas in which The United Methodist Church exists. A teaching document will be written and shared, so we might see best practices and possibly develop principles we might agree to apply as we minister to and with global migrants. 

In order to collect this information, we are sharing with you a case study form. We are asking that all United Methodist churches who minister with migrants consider submitting one or more case studies. Further, we are asking these churches to share this case study form with migrant/diaspora churches in their communities.

The case study form asks the writer to share a story. Those stories will be collected by March 31, and from them, the Concordat Working Group will begin to discern both the pains and the joys of migrants in The United Methodist Church.

Please note persons filling out the form have the option of whether or not to include their name and email address. Should they choose to include that information, it will only be used if there is a need to clarify something they have written.  The information will not be shared outside the bishops' staff and the Concordat Working Group.

Blessings,
Bishop Sally Dyck
Council of Bishops, Ecumenical Officer

Download the case study form here. 

UMC Concordat Working Group:
Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey
Bishop Kenneth Carter
Bishop Patrick Streiff
Ms. Harriett Olson
Mrs. Lisa Hunt