The Current Week in Review
August 19, 2022
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Bishop Beard tells The Rest of the Story
"Today, I want to provide The Rest of the Story on a couple of issues which have been circulating for weeks," writes Bishop Frank J. Beard in an Aug. 12 pastoral letter.
"There have been groups turning up the volume, urging persons to leave The United Methodist Church as soon as possible. One renewal group has used such language as “a matter of life and death” and “you will be held hostage in The United Methodist Church.”
"The heated rhetoric has caused an already overly-anxious system to add anxiety to thoughtful discussions of churches charting their futures and discerning God’s direction in the matter.
"So, I want to respond to two issues that seem to be gaining traction among the heat."
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Participate in NCJ Committee on Episcopacy survey
In preparation for the upcoming election of bishops, The North Central Jurisdiction Committee on Episcopacy (NCJCOE) has created an assessment to gather data about each annual conference. This information helps the committee to understand the needs, strengths and opportunities of our annual conference prior to assigning bishops to particular annual conferences within the jurisdiction.
The IGRC Committee on Episcopacy is reaching out to a cross-section of IGRC leaders to respond to this survey. Your participation is vital in providing this feedback. There are only six questions and the survey should not take longer than 15 - 20 minutes. Please complete the survey as soon as you can. All responses are anonymous.
Closing date is Aug. 30.
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Bishops gather to discuss UMC's future
In the midst of ongoing challenges related to Covid-19 and church disaffiliations, the Council of Bishops will meet August 22-26, 2022, to discuss the future of The United Methodist Church, prepare for new bishops to be elected later this year, and address other timely topics related to their ongoing work.
It will be the first COB meeting to be presided over by newly installed President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton of New York Area. The more than 100 bishops from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America will be in attendance during the Zoom meeting that will also include continuing work to dismantle racism, promote discipleship; and strengthen mission strategies in the world-wide denomination.
“Even in the midst of challenges that consume much of our time, we are intentionally spending the time necessary to focus our work on the ongoing mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church. I am eager for us to spend these next few days providing the best practices and support necessary to equip us for the work that lies ahead,” said Bishop Bickerton.
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Reach 1000 event Sept. 9-10 at Washington: Crossroads
Registration continues for the Reach 1,000 events Sept. 9-10 at Washington: Crossroads.
Keynote speakers for the events include Nicole Reilly, Michael Beck and Trey Wince.
Rev. Nicole Reilley is a United Methodist minister with 30 years’ experience growing congregations and making disciples. She has served in the local church as lead and teaching pastor in congregations from 60 to 500. She has given leadership at the Conference level as Director of New Ministries, where she equipped pastors to start and vitalize local congregations.
Michael Beck is currently the Director of the Fresh Expressions House of Studies at United Theological Seminary and Fresh Expressions UM Strategist for Path 1, Director of Re-Missioning for Fresh Expressions US, and Cultivator of Fresh Expressions for the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He serves as the co-pastor of Wildwood UMC and St Marks UMC with his wife Jill, where they direct addiction recovery programs, a jail ministry, a food pantry, an interracial unity movement, and house a faith-based inpatient treatment center. Wildwood and St Marks are traditional congregations AND a network of thirteen fresh expressions that gather in tattoo parlors, dog parks, salons, running tracks, community centers, burrito joints, and digital spaces.
Rev. Trey Wince is a United Methodist elder whose ministry includes being a member of the Ministry Incubators team.
Trey never met a project he didn’t try to scale. His first job was a window washing enterprise that he started just so he could have his own business cards and pizza money. He has launched and led faith communities in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and New Jersey, and somewhere along the way he decided that pastors tend to be better at ministry when they aren’t busy struggling to pay the electric bill.
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2013 equalization members announced
Annual Conference Secretary Ethan Carnes has announced that 162 congregations will have an additional lay member to annual conference to equalize the number of clergy and laity members for the 2023 Annual Conference session.
The equalization formula is set by the Standing Rules of the Annual Conference III.C. The purpose of equalization is to ensure an equal number of laity and clergy at the annual conference. Clergy members of the annual conference consist of all active and retired deacons and elders in full connection, provisional members, and associate members. Local pastors under appointment are included, as well. (2016 Book of Discipline, ¶32). Each charge in the conference elects one layperson for each pastor appointed to the charge.
Churches which paid 100 percent of their apportionments in the previous year (in this case, 2021) are to be granted one "equalization member.” Eligibility will be granted to the 198 largest churches according to membership who have paid 100 percent of their 2021 apportionments. Equalization members are elected to serve to the end of the quadrennium if the congregation continues to pay 100 percent of its apportionments.
"Please notify your district office if you have not filed your equalized member with your 2022 Charge Conference paperwork," Carnes said. "I have a Equalization Lay Member Change Form on my website: www.igrc.org/secretary. Please file this appropriately. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me."
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Charge conference forms online
Forms for charge conferences which will be held in the fall are now available through your Church Portal Page.
To access the documents, click on Church Portal on the IGRC Homepage or go to: https://www.igrc.org/churchportal to find the log-in page. Select your District from the dropdown menu. This will trigger a second drop-down menu where you select your Church. The passcode is the church's six-digit GCFA number which can be found on the monthly remittance form for apportionment payments.
In preparation for charge conferences in the fall, the Finance Office has prepared two pages of information that will assist you in your budget building for 2023.
A document outlining the Clergy Benefits and Costs for 2023 includes action taken by the 2022 Annual Conference with regard to minimum salaries for full-time elders and full-time local pastors.
A second document Important Numbers for Charge Conference provides additional information and background. The Apportionment calculations and the Charge Conference forms will be published in the next few weeks.
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United Methodist Center Contact Information |
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USPS (U.S. Postal Service)
P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207
Office Phone: 217-529-2040
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UPS and FedEx deliveries only use the street address:
United Methodist Center
5900 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62711
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