Meeting Minutes List

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Ecumenical Relationships Commission (via teleconference)
June 17, 2026, 1:00 p.m., U.S. Eastern Time
Members present: David Duggan, Scott Field, Han Koh, Bishop Carolyn Moore, Debbie Smalley, Zak Vakadewatabua, and Vatroslav Zupancic. Also present: Teresa Marcus and Lauren Yates. Not Present: Patti Molik, Ed Murphy
Bishop Carolyn Moore called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m., U.S. ET.
Opening Prayer and Devotional: Bishop Moore shared a prophetic word from Judges chapter 9, saying that the Ecumenical Relationships Commission’s work should equip local churches for ecumenical ministry while maintaining awareness of the broader global church. She emphasized the need to balance focusing on local churches (the trees) while also considering the global body of Christ (the forest).
Minutes: The minutes of the 4/30/2026 meeting were unanimously approved.
Budget Report: David Duggan reported that currently there are no new expenses and that he will give an up-to-date financial report once the 2nd quarter report is received from the GMC. He will forward that report to the ERC. Duggan anticipates expenses coming from the curriculum project and clarified that there are subicient funds in the ERC budget to cover those expenses.
Report from Vatroslav: Vatroslav Zupancic reported on the June 13th night of worship and prayer that was organized as a project of partnership with other evangelical churches in Zagreb together with Luis Palau ministries. He shared plans to meet with other Protestant, Orthodox, and Evangelical churches and reported on the World Watch Index as a way of monitoring persecuted Christians worldwide.
Prayer Initiative Update: Lauren Yates provided an update on the prayer initiative, highlighting ongoing prayers for the curriculum, the upcoming General Conference in Johannesburg, support for Vatroslav in Croatia, Zac’s group, and Patti’s and Ed’s health concerns.
ERC Curriculum Project: Scott Field gave an update on the “Step-by-Step Guide to Building Local Church Partnerships" and provided an overview of the progress with Impulse Strategies on contract approval for promotion and logo development, finalizing curriculum materials, and planning for web page design. The group discussed strategies for General Conference, including the potential for a print piece in delegate packets and the use of QR codes for digital engagement. Field will circulate the final text version of the curriculum to the commission when it is ready.
Field shared about a request from a brother in Liberia who asked for a possible podcast format of this project for use in more easily training local pastors in his area. Field proposed that we wait until the project is launched and how it is received before a decision is made concerning the podcast.
Field requested that Vatroslav Zupancic record a 5-minute introductory video about his ecumenical work for inclusion in the curriculum resources.
Connectional Updates: Bishop Moore reminded the team that Fiji and Venezuela have joined the GMC as a result of the input from the ERC. Also, it was reported that there is a pastor from New Zealand who is interested in joining the GMC as well as a church in Australia.
Update on Glenmary: Zac Vakadewatabua reported on his experience at Glenmary sharing that there were 16 denominations represented and that persecution occurs as a result of someone believing in Jesus, not just being a part of a denomination. He reported information about the Global Christian Forum as an alternative to the World Council of Churches for building ecumenical relations. He also shared that if the GMC would like a formal relationship with the Catholic church, he could provide the contact for the ecumenical office in the Catholic church. He suggested that having an ecumenical representative in each Annual Conference who would report to the ERC would be an effective way to build relationships.
General Conference Business: Teresa Marcus and Debbie Smalley will collaborate with Bishop Moore to coordinate and plan the ERC luncheon event at General Conference.
New Business: The group considered recommendations for the next commission, including creating a one-page statement on their vision and key accomplishments, as well as exploring further engagement with regional and international organizations focused on persecution and ecumenism.
Bishop Moore will draft a one-page vision/summary statement for the ERC that describes the focus on both local church ecumenism and broader relationships (the “forest and the trees”). Bishop Moore will also send recommendations and transition documents (including a vision statement and the key accomplishments) to the next iteration of the commission.
Smalley will create a summary document and timeline of key accomplishments and the evolution of the ERC’s work, pulling from meeting minutes and records, to help transition information to the next commission. She will also work on the recap and timeline document to share with Bishop Moore.
The next meeting of the ERC will be on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. U.S. EST. Zac will give the devotional/prayer.
The meeting adjourned at 2:11 p.m. EST US
Yates closed the meeting in prayer.
Minutes submitted by: Debbie Smalley, Secretaryze this text with bullets, italics or bold, and add links.