[Dialogue] code list

[darrell walker]

Here is the list that I requested,    from Paula Philbrook.
    Darrell

THE 20 PRINCIPLES OF CORPORATENESS

1. Corporateness grows out of a mutual calling.

2. Covenant and discipline sustain community.

3. Regular accountability of each member is necessary.

4. Absolution is that without which corporateness fails.

5. Each member has a gift to be developed and offered.

6. Everyone is responsible for the whole mission.

7. Worship of God by whatever name is the most important act of the community.

8. The community has one mission, not many.

9. Sacrificial commitment of time and resources is crucial.

10. Care is provided structurally.

11. The power is in the center of the table.

12. Decisions are made by consensus, not by majority vote.

13. Equity, not equality, is the key to fairness.

14. Effectiveness, not efficiency, is the hallmark of service.

15. The first response is always yes.

16. Indirection is preferred to direct encounter.

17. Only criticize with an alternative model to offer.

18. Only decide or act as a team of two or more.

19. The external situation is never the real problem.

20. The community has local autonomy and global responsibility.

    

Dear Darrell and other colleagues,

In the spring and summer of 1977 I was part of a small task force commissioned by JWM to "write up our Order Polity."  He fully intended to present this, once vetted by him, later that year, because when we presented the final document to him, two months before he died, his question was, "Can I bring this to Rome?"

The task force was a wonderful mix -- David Morton, a brilliant writer and thinker outside the box; John Epps, a solid theologian;  Lyn Matthews, a profound and mature keeper of the memory for decades; Isobel Bishop, one of the first leaders of the movement in Australia, the continent where our work first began to manifest relevance; and me, Marilyn Crocker, member of the OE since 1968 -- and whose credentials others than I can offer.

At that time we five were also functioning as the Global Panchayat, whose universal roles were to "guard the comprehensive; defend the deeps; and watch the election."

The Polity Document we compiled, on behalf of the OE, was 112 pages.  The statements you requested can be found on pages 54 - 62, and are entitled the 24 Classic Principles of the Order Ecumenical.

As this was one of the most focused, and internally vetted (thanks to JWM)  efforts to "document" our polity experiment, I am sorry you and others may not be able to access it on Golden Pathways.

I thank my beloved partners in that wondrous six month adventure, David, John, Isobel -- and Lyn -- and of course, Joe.  When Bishop Jim, Joe's brother, visited with us here in Maine six or so years ago, he asked me for a copy of the "Polity Document."  I was happy I had an extra copy and could pass it along. I imagine he, if anyone, could appreciate how both the UMC polity, and the collaborative modes of so many global civilizations all conspired to shape "who we were" in those wonderful days.

Grace and peace to you, Darrell, and thank you for asking your important question.

Marilyn


Dr. Marilyn R. Crocker
123 Sanborn Road
West Newfield, ME 04095


On Tue, 15 May 2012 06:32:18 -0700 "darrell walker" <darrell66 at earthlink.net> writes:
  At some point in the far-distant past, I remember a code, a list of twenty or so statements of foundational beliefs of the Order.  One of the statements went something like “effectiveness, not efficiency, is the mark of our work.”  Another paraphrased was “care is rendered structurally.”  Does anyone recall (and have a copy) of the list I am referring to.  If so, I would like to have a copy.
      Darrell Walker – in Phoenix where it will be 106F today.





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