IN-MI Transition
Team Responds
April 25, 2008
At
the cluster meetings this spring, the Transition Team sought delegate feedback
about how best to describe the adaptive and technical leadership desired from a
Lead Conference Minister. Along with feedback came questions about the timeline
and details of the new structure. Leading up to our June 19-21 sessions at Westview High School, we will address some of those
questions.
1. “What is the underlying reason for the reorganization of
the IN-MI Conference?”
In a word, things have not been working as
well as people desired. Different people emphasize different reasons for the
change, and others are suspicious any real change is possible. The detailed answers
are as varied as the people answering.
Internally, for a decade conference has
decreased in size as congregations closed or chose to withdraw, and few new
churches have been planted. We have had extended debate over controversial
issues such as women in ministry and homosexuality. In the midst of conflict, the
large leadership body (Executive Committee) was not able to respond quickly to
questions. In addition to declining membership, other congregations reduced
giving—some in frustration, others to invest more in local staff and ministry.* Conference Regional Minister positions were
reduced to deal with the lack of funds, and present staff have carried large
responsibilities. Some hoped a proposal to merge four conferences (Illinois,
Indiana-Michigan, Ohio and Central District) into a Great Lakes Conference would
address some of the challenges. The proposal did not get enough votes to be implemented.
Since that vote, each conference has been redefining itself. Conference
ministers had encouraged some process like this for several years before the
Listening and Redesign Team was put in place in 2005.
Externally, the world in which IN-MI Conference
exists has changed. Our society is moving from a centralized warehouse
mentality to a dispersed network mindset. People feel less institutional
loyalty. The theological diversity that
formerly existed between denominations now exists within most congregations. Conference
congregations face complex challenges, so that it is no longer adequate to
think about doing better what they do. Some of the changes delegates listed at
cluster meetings point to the challenges: mobility, role of women, increased
wealth and decreased giving, rise of spiritual hunger and diverse spiritualities,
decreased denominational loyalty, children’s extra-curricular and school activities,
one-parent families or both parents working, technology (internet, email, smart
phones, text messages), racial diversity, war on terror, . . . A more nimble structure, with multiple layers
of relationships, has the potential to help congregations imagine creative
responses and experiment with new mission-shaped activities.
These challenges mean congregations must
engage scripture and their missional context in new and experimental ways. We
must listen carefully to the Spirit as we attempt to discover how God is at
work in this new environment. Congregations do not have resources or loyalty
for a conference that asks loyalty yet seems irrelevant to so many of their people.
In addition to credentialing and search processes, conferences must experiment
with new ways of cultivating missional imagination in congregations, connecting
congregations with similar interests, and coaching leadership on a tighter
budget than before.
Yet in many ways we stand at the doorway
of a fertile and adventurous time. We
believe the changes we are making now can help us successfully meet the
opportunities God is offering us.
* Congregational giving seems to be up
significantly at this time, for which we are grateful.
2. “Please clarify the MLT, AC, LCM, EC, etc.”
Wrapping our minds around an organizational
structure is always challenging. Trying to do that before the organization
exists stretches us even more. Here are brief descriptions of major roles.
The Missional
Leadership Team (MLT) will be the conference governing body. This group,
consisting of seven members, fulfills legal and oversight functions for the
organization. The Moderator and Moderator-elect are two of the seven
members.
In Mennonite Church USA, conferences
credential and oversee ministry by all credentialed leaders. Ministry
Credentialing Teams (MCT) will carry out this function on behalf of the
MLT. The plan is to have three MCTs, one each in the north, central and
southern regions. Leadership Enhancement
Teams (LET) will work alongside the MCTs to encourage continual growth by
congregational leaders.
Advisory
Council (AC)
is a place for extended conversation and discernment about issues of
import. The AC is a representative
group, with two representatives from each cluster, plus several others.
The Lead
Conference Minister (LCM) provides significant leadership for the
conference—along with the MLT—in achieving our mission of cultivating a
missional imagination in every congregation. More information about the job
description will come in the near future.
Conference
Ministers
will be most closely involved with congregations and their leadership.
Executive
Committee (EC)
is the governing body in the old structure. The EC continues to function as the
new emerges. When the new is in place, the EC will cease to function. Hopefully
this brief sketch of positions is helpful. Additional detail is available in
the Listening and Redesign proposal, especially pages 4-5. Contact the conference
office or click on the following link to view the proposal on the conference web
site:
Transition Team
Gene
Hartman, chair
Bill
Scott
Dan
Miller
John
Troyer
Klaudia
Smucker
Phil
Mininger
Sarah
Rohrer