Public TV Documentary Examines Congregational Leadership

DURHAM, NC, 12/27/04-A documentary film titled The Congregation, examining a Philadelphia church in transition, debuts on PBS on December 29th, 2004.

Noted documentary producers Alan and Susan Raymond spent over two years filming in and around First United Methodist Church of Germantown. An ethnically diverse congregation with a proud tradition of social justice ministry, FUMCOG experiences the retirement of a beloved longtime senior minister and the arrival of a new minister, Fred Day, with a different theological vision and leadership style. Many of the issues raised in this transition are typical ones for mainline parishes. In intimate detail, The Congregation portrays FUMCOG’s struggles to maintain lay member support and financial viability in the face of conflict.

In a more extraordinary development, during the time period depicted in the film, FUMCOG’s Associate Pastor, Beth Stroud, came out to the congregation as a lesbian. Ms. Stroud’s ministry has attracted national attention, pitting the congregation against the worldwide United Methodist denomination, whose Book of Discipline bars sexually active gay men and women from ordained leadership. Ms. Stroud’s case has become a landmark in the ongoing controversy over gays in the clergy.

Dr. Jackson Carroll, project director of Pulpit & Pew, served as an advisor to the filmmakers, and contributed an essay on pastoral change in the life of a congregation.

The Congregation is a co-production of Video Verite and WETA Washington. The film’s website includes information on viewing times in different areas of the country. This PBS page includes a discussion guide and resources for further study.