Global Ministry Center

[Hans Deventer]

I wonder if I see two directions going on: less service and more bureaucracy. Is it just me?

Example:

I just started updating of the translation of the Dutch Manual.

First, it took me two months to get the needed material since the Manual was published on the 1st of March. It turns out that now you have to submit a proposal for translations, and only after that, you'll get the material to do it. I heard that yesterday, after lots of communication with the regional literature coordinator (who's a great guy and can't help this either) and the GMC.

Second, in the past, translators got a file containing the old Manual and ALL the changes made by the Manual Editing Committee, and of course the new Manual itself.
Now we got a file with only the changed articles, but, it is far from complete. I'm on page 6 and so far, I've processed a lot of changes in the text, but NONE of these changes are included in said file! Which means that it is totally useless for I'll still have to check each and every word from the new Manual with the Dutch translation.

What we didn't ask but did get were a lot of guidelines included that we never had in the past. See attached file. I understand that after 20 years of Manual translation, I now need the approval of the Regional Director and the General Secretary. So which of these guys is going to judge the quality of my translations?
I very much like, esteem and appreciate both Dr. Gustavo Crocker and Dr. David Wilson, but when it comes to translating English into Dutch, I think their credentials are lacking.

You'd start to think they are doing us a favour by allowing us to translate the Manual. I thought I was serving a church who WANTS to see the Manual translated?

Well, I got that off my chest. On to the work.

[Hans Deventer]

Nor is there a list indicating the new numbering of articles, and all the changed references. Sigh.

For all clarity, what we used to get is this:




I guess this now requires a resolution to the General Assembly.

[Ryan Scott]

I know they used to publish a full English edition of the manual with the changes in red like you've highlighted above. Perhaps they've stopped doing this?

[Kevin Rector]

[SARCASM]Why pay one person to do that once when we can get 100 volunteer translators to do it 100 times for free?[/SARCASM]

[John Reilly]

Hans, As the denomination celebrated 100 years, I heard a deep breathe and long sigh as we stand at the crossroads of either exciting Holy Spirit driven ministry partnership or the dangers of status quo traditionalism. I try to intentional balance ministry and economize the time I spend on bureaucracy demands. I think this issue makes grassroots events like NAZNET Fall retreat at WHC, incredibly important towards nurturing the Wesleyan like seeds of local ministry.

[Hans Deventer]

I know they used to publish a full English edition of the manual with the changes in red like you've highlighted above. Perhaps they've stopped doing this?

Ryan, I didn't know they published it. All I've ever seen was in PDF, but that was fine with me.

[Hans Deventer]

[SARCASM]Why pay one person to do that once when we can get 100 volunteer translators to do it 100 times for free?[/SARCASM]

Because the churches complain HQ is too expensive, while the volunteers are not?

[John Kennedy]

I wonder if I see two directions going on: less service and more bureaucracy. Is it just me?

Example:

I just started updating of the translation of the Dutch Manual.

First, it took me two months to get the needed material since the Manual was published on the 1st of March. It turns out that now you have to submit a proposal for translations, and only after that, you'll get the material to do it. I heard that yesterday, after lots of communication with the regional literature coordinator (who's a great guy and can't help this either) and the GMC.

Second, in the past, translators got a file containing the old Manual and ALL the changes made by the Manual Editing Committee, and of course the new Manual itself.
Now we got a file with only the changed articles, but, it is far from complete. I'm on page 6 and so far, I've processed a lot of changes in the text, but NONE of these changes are included in said file! Which means that it is totally useless for I'll still have to check each and every word from the new Manual with the Dutch translation.

What we didn't ask but did get were a lot of guidelines included that we never had in the past. See attached file. I understand that after 20 years of Manual translation, I now need the approval of the Regional Director and the General Secretary. So which of these guys is going to judge the quality of my translations?
I very much like, esteem and appreciate both Dr. Gustavo Crocker and Dr. David Wilson, but when it comes to translating English into Dutch, I think their credentials are lacking.

You'd start to think they are doing us a favour by allowing us to translate the Manual. I thought I was serving a church who WANTS to see the Manual translated?

Well, I got that off my chest. On to the work.

Look, you guys rejected the KJV - what did you seriously expect?

[Jeremy D. Scott]

I think this issue makes grassroots events like NAZNET Fall retreat at WHC, incredibly important towards nurturing the Wesleyan like seeds of local ministry.

Yes! Yes! Definitely, and if anyone wants to register for said Retreat, click here to register!