A Primer on Monitoring

In today’s day and age, “monitoring” feels like a word that carries heavy, negative connotations. It brings with it an emphasis of top-down power, as well as a watchfulness that might trigger discomfort or uncertainty. And yet, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW) is mandated to function “as a monitor to ensure inclusiveness in the programmatic and administrative functioning of The United Methodist Church.”[1]

Our hope is that the type of work that comes alongside the term “monitoring” can shift its perceived undertones from that of surveillance to awareness. Monitoring is a means of observing the behaviors, opportunities to serve and participate, and general inclusiveness of a gathering. The fact that “inclusiveness” had to be written into the United Methodist Book of Discipline at all speaks to a reality where it has not always been our priority or strength.

In 1944, Grace Bragg penned the report “Women and the Church.”[2] It spoke of “widespread discrimination and general lack of opportunity for women throughout the structures of the church,” based on an analysis of the Methodist Book of Discipline.[3] Even so, women were not granted full clergy rights until the 1956 Methodist General Conference, and it was not until April 1972, that the United Methodist General Conference first established the Commission on the Status and Role of Women.[4] The commission was intended to last for a quadrennium, but it became clear that the work would necessarily last much longer than four years. In Portland, Oregon, the 1976 General Conference fully established GCSRW as an ongoing church agency.[5] Now we are here, nearly 50 years after that Portland conference, continuing to do the work.

Over the last several decades, GCSRW has developed tools and resources to assist in its monitoring work. They have been utilized at General Conferences, Jurisdictional Conferences, Annual Conferences, and at other gatherings across the worldwide connection, to bring awareness to the challenges and barriers that women face in The United Methodist Church. If we, as the Church, can implement this type of process within our own structure, imagine what might be possible if we became a model for the world.

Though the monitoring process takes training, understanding, and practice, there are simple ways that you can bring awareness of inequities to your own context even today:

1. Pay attention to who gets to speak. When at a gathering or meeting, observe who facilitates the conversation, how they share their time, and who else is given the opportunity to contribute or pose questions.
2. Listen to the language being used. Are inclusive and expansive language part of the conversation? Are phrases gender neutral when referencing terms like “humankind”? Are people addressed by the names and terms appropriate for them (and if you don’t know, are there opportunities for feedback and learning)?
3. Consider how you’ll share your observations. When monitoring, GCSRW encourages action research where feedback is provided to the presiding person, to help them understand how to change exclusive behaviors. This can be done immediately after the event, in a private conversation later, or even as part of a newsletter.

As GCSRW continues to learn from others in the worldwide connection, we have the chance to reimagine what monitoring looks like in new ways. People have shared time and time again that what works in one context may not work in another. In fact, we are grateful for this type of constructive feedback! Hearing about best practices in your cultural context helps better inform our resources and planning for the future. While monitoring itself is a necessity, we’d like to leave space for the adaptability of terminology, phrasing, and even implementation as we continue this work with you.

Although the word “monitoring” can feel heavy, it is not policing, participating in the discussion, finger pointing, or shaming. It is an opportunity to learn, grow, and teach others how to be more aware of our own biases, while also highlighting the barriers that people, and women in particular, face in the life of the church. Sometimes, we just don’t know what we don’t know. Thankfully, GCSRW is here to help! In the new year, stay tuned for a refresh of our monitoring process, worksheets, and resources, so that you, too, can be part of this important work.