March 31, 2006
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
We have heard you. Your outpouring of concern about the future and direction of our Conference, Associations, local churches, and our covenant life together articulated at meetings with members of the Board of Directors in all eleven Associations has led to a plan for an inclusive process for restructuring the work and organization of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. This process will take place over the next twelve months, with a new structure to be approved by the Annual Meeting of the Conference in 2007. The vote of the Board follows the body of this letter.
In brief, the process is this: To create eight to ten working groups, consisting of representatives and volunteers from all Associations, each charged with developing a Conference-wide operating plan to support local churches and Associations in one of these key areas of shared ministry:
- Local church vitality and covenant
- continue to learn, measure, and share how local churches can flourish and grow in faithful ministry
- Search and Call
- provide pastoral support and technical knowledge in this critical time of congregational change and discernment
- Lay leadership training, support, and spiritual development
- apply learning from Pastoral Excellence Program to lay leaders
- New clergy development and mentoring
- ministerial authorization and in-care process
- Clergy support and professional development
- sustain and strengthen learning network for clergy
- provide pastoral care in crisis and transition
- Support and training of Association committees
- Conflict and crisis management for congregations
- Training and resource development in key program areas
- worship, stewardship, evangelism, social justice, new church starts, Christian Education and Youth Ministry, Open and Affirming initiatives
- Provide representation at the Commonwealth and national levels and be a voice to the churches in critical areas of social justice and legislative action
The Conference staff and Board of Directors are seeking both volunteers and suggestions for members for each of these working groups as we move forward to begin developing the details of a plan. All clergy in the Conference, (active, retired, and in specialized ministries) as well as lay leaders in churches and Associations are invited to volunteer to serve by contacting Steve Sterner, interim Minister and President, sterners@macucc.org.
Each of the working groups will determine ways to seek comment and recommendations from all the Associations and churches in the Conference, and will devise processes to form recommendations to the board. We anticipate these working groups will complete their work and make recommendations to the Board of Directors in early 2007. The Board will receive the recommendations and develop a plan for Conference staffing and structure to be presented to the 2007 Annual Meeting for adoption.
There is a sense of urgency about this work. We must move ahead as a Conference, even as we plan. Steve Sterner has described it as “rebuilding a bicycle while you’re still riding it.” It is our intention that all working groups will meet at least once before the 2006 Annual Meeting, and will continue to work intensively by email and conference call through the summer and fall, under the leadership first, of our Interim Conference Minister, and in September, with the candidate recommended to be our new settled Conference Minister and President, The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal. The ultimate goal of the process is to present to the 2007 Annual Meeting a cohesive plan for Conference structure and staffing that accomplishes our mission, maintains a balanced budget, and is flexible and responsive to the always-changing needs of the churches and to our call to be a prophetic voice to the Commonwealth.
We invite you to volunteer or “stay tuned” as we take these next challenging and exciting steps toward a vital and responsive Conference with a clear prophetic voice, effectively supporting and strengthening the ministries of Associations, churches, lay leaders, and clergy in the Massachusetts Conference.
Faithfully,Nancy Lawrence
nancjl@adelphia.net
Voted by the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ, March 25, 2006:
The Board of Directors determines that, beginning in January 2007, all full time Associate Conference Ministers and the Minister and President will offer basic Conference ministry functions such as ministerial authorization, search and call, clergy support, new clergy support, lay leader support, conflict and crisis management for congregations, training and resource development in key program areas, and provide representation at the Commonwealth and national levels. Associate Conference Ministers will be based throughout the state. Though every Association will have an identified staff person to call upon, the whole Associate Conference Minister staff will be available to work with Associations and Association Committees. Each of these staff will cultivate gifts and abilities that, with those of others, will provide a diverse range of expertise for consulting with congregations around the issues of church vitality and covenant, including but not limited to: mission and justice; stewardship; worship; Christian education; evangelism; new church development; and youth ministry.
In order to solicit broad input as to how best to structure staff for this work, the Board of Directors directs the Minister and President to oversee the formation of working groups consisting of members of local churches, clergy, Association committees, the Board of Directors, Conference Commissions, and staff persons. These working groups will gather information and make recommendations to the Board of Directors in early 2007. The Board will receive the recommendations and develop a plan for Conference staffing and structure to be presented to the 2007 Annual Meeting for adoption.FYI: If you would like copies of the material distributed in the meetings held in the eleven Associations, please let us know. We will be happy to provide them.
