A Still More Excellent Way grew out of a Conference-wide listening process, and was affirmed by the 208th Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ in September of 2007. The staff and Board of Directors have been guided by this document since that time, both with regard to the core functions it affirms for the Conference (Faith Formation, Leadership Development, and Prophetic Witness) and with regard to its proposed changes in the “how” of Conference work (emphasis on mutual resourcing among churches, Communities of Practice, and encouraging collaboration among Associations).