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Approved Quadrennial Thrusts
2010-2014
The theme for the Quadrennium
2010-2014, "Discerning and Obeying God's Will in These Critical
Times", is intended to deepen and broaden the theological horizon of
those called to do mission in obedience to the call of our Lord Jesus
to be "light of the world and salt of the earth", to be a
transformative presence that reflects the values and ideals of the
kingdom of God here on earth, a presence that radiates hope and
newness to people who otherwise would have been consigned to the
dustbin of hopelessness and despair. In this new theme, the household
of God is being called to a collective act of discernment of the signs
of the times, as a prerequisite to its being able to render a faithful
and most meaningful act of obedience. (Capulong)
The gains in the past quadrennium
inspire us to renew our commitment to the continuing challenges of
mission and the call for discernment and obedience in these critical
times. Hence, we shall continue to pursue, rather more intensely,
these thrusts:
1. Unity in the understanding of
the faith of the Church:
a. Shared understanding
of the imperatives of the Christian faith as articulated in the UCCP
Statement of Faith;
b. Faithful adherence to
the values and principles of the church as provided for in the UCCP
Constitution and By-Laws;
c. Vibrant and
contextualized worship life of the congregations manifested in a deep,
warm and caring fellowship within and among faith communities;
d. Meaningful and
profound sense of identity -- of who we are, what we believe, and how
we live out our faith.
2. Steadfast prophetic witness of
the Church amidst wounds of conflict and despair:
a. Collective
acknowledgement of our human responsibility and accountability to
promote the wholeness of life for all of God's creation;
b. Engagement of the
local churches and congregations in the life and aspirations of the
communities surrounding them, through relevant and responsive
ministries as a concrete expression of our collective public witness;
c. Commitment to the
promotion of human rights, respect for human dignity, and the
fulfillment of all promise of abundant life for all God's people;
d. Commitment to the
care, preservation and restoration of the environment as responsible
stewards of God's creation.
3. Faithful and responsible
stewardship of God-given resources and greater capacity of the Church
to support its mission and ministries:
a. Care, protection and
documentation of the material resources of the church;
b. Initiatives towards
the development and management of the properties of the church for
eventual self-reliance;
c. Institutional support
of initiatives for responsible stewardship of the resources of the
church; coordination and prioritization of such initiatives and
perspectives at the conference/jurisdiction levels;
d. Regular and faithful
remittance of the support of local churches for the wider mission
programme of the church;
e. Improved resource
generation and financial management system in place within the whole
church organization.
4. Stronger and meaningful
interfaith, ecumenical, and international relations:
a. Broadened and
deepened interfaith relations through dialogues, consultations and
theological reflections on common issues and concerns; shared
commitment and response to contemporary challenges at different
levels;
b. Varying expressions
of solidarity with partners particularly in terms of advocacy on
justice, peace and human rights issues, and in times of natural
disasters; sustained support for the implementation of programmes and
ministries; increase in the level of international/institutional
cooperation;
c. Relevant and timely
expressions of solidarity with the marginalized and excluded in their
aspiration for life with dignity, integrity, peace and prosperity.
5. Strengthened cooperation and
coordination with and among church-related institutions and
organizations as companions in faith journey and as
partners-in-mission;
a. Increase in the
levels of cooperation among local churches, conferences,
jurisdictions, and church-related institutions as manifested in
inter-jurisdiction, inter-conference and inter-institutional
cooperation and coordination in the implementation of programmes and
ministries;
b. Church institutional
support to initiatives towards integration (UCCP School System,
One-Management System...);
c. Greater access of the
general constituency to church-related institutions, and conversely
more visible support of local churches to the mission and ministry of
church-related institutions;
d. Regular and sustained
support of CRIs to the wider mission programme of the church.
6. Intentional, coherent and
integrated programme ministries that give priority to the nurturing
and proclamation of the faith, and inspire responsible stewardship,
prophetic witness and collective response to contemporary challenges:
a. Intensive and dynamic
Christian education and nurture program at all levesl;
b. Vigorous evangelism
campaigns and expansive programmes for church revival and renewal;
c. Extensive promotion
of justice, peace and human rights and human dignity; increased level
of advocacy work relative to social witness and public policy;
d. Attention given to
programmes and projects that will help mitigate climate change and
related environmental issues and concerns, including disaster response
and management;
e. Relevant
capability-building processes that equip
trainers/facilitators/implementers of the varying programmes and
ministries of the church.
7. Rationalized human resource
development that will ensure capable, responsible and effective
leadership for present and future generations:
a. Potential individuals
for the different aspects of institutional work identified and given
orientation on criteria, policies and guidelines governing leadership
development;
b. Resources for
leadership development are resourced and managed responsibly and
justly;
c. Elected officers and
leaders are knowledgeable about the organizational, programmatic and
institutional dynamics of the church and are adequately equipped for
the conduct and fulfillment of given responsibilities and assigned
tasks and functions;
8. Clear and coherent
organizational and structural mechanisms that are known, understood
and upheld by the broad constituency of the Church:
a. Commissions, boards
and committees on the different aspects of our life and work that are
committed to the mission and ministry of the church, and have basic
orientation and full grasp of their specific tasks and functions;
b. Established, relevant
and appropriate policies and guidelines for each area of work that are
promoted, studied and deliberated upon at different levels;
c. Widespread adherence
to the statutes, policies and guidelines of the church.
9. Commitment to the overall
ministry of the church:
a. An Office of the
Ministry that is adequately supported and equipped to oversee the
various aspects of church ministry;
b. A relevant and
contextual theological education programme in each of the MFCs --
responsive to the need of local churches and church-related
institutions; increased cooperation and coordination among MFCs in
terms of the mutual sharing/exchange of experiences and perspectives,
human and material resources; institutional support to initiatives
towards integration (UCCP Seminary System);
c. Adherence to the
provisions of the Magna Carta for Church Workers by all the
judicatories concerned;
d. Commitment to the
sustained support and care of church workers, especially those that
have retired from the ministry.
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