IN-MI Transition Team Responds – Part II

May 16, 2008

At the cluster meetings this spring, 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 Annual Sessions at Westview Junior-Senior High School, we are addressing some of those questions.

We live with a tension. The overall thrust of this adaptive change and attending to the details of an emerging structure live in dynamic tension with each other. Both are important. Without keeping the larger picture in mind it is possible to get lost in details. Without enough attention to details, moving toward new relationships around missional challenges may get sidetracked by logistical errors. Questions one and two focused more on the adaptive side of our situation. Questions three and four below focus more on the technical and detail side of the work.

3. When will the new be put in place?

The short answer is we plan for the old to cease functioning by summer sessions of 2009. We aim to have the major pieces in place by then. While that sounds neat and tidy, most of real life does not meet those expectations!

This summer the Transition Team will invite names of people who might serve on the Missional Leadership Team (MLT) and the Advisory Council (AC). The Transition Team is drafting job descriptions for those bodies. The MLT will be seven people, and the AC will be 18, plus the moderator-elect. An orientation day is being scheduled for the fall. Details about that orientation are still being worked out. The Transition Team will function as a gift discernment group in this first round, inviting individuals to consider service on the MLT or AC. We have not identified how the delegate affirmation will take place, but anticipate these two bodies will begin functioning around January 2009.

As the Missional Leadership Team (MLT) takes on more governance responsibilities, the current Executive Committee will scale back. The Executive Committee will cease to function when the MLT is operational, no later than the 2009 summer sessions.

Turning next to commissions. Three commissions—Justice, Peace and Service; Mission; and Nurture—will end at various times throughout the coming year. Tim Burkholder is working with them to identify tasks needing to be lodged in a specific group. As identified in the proposal adopted last summer, many functions of these commissions are not formally lodged with specific bodies in the new minimal structure. Those tasks will depend on congregational initiative. Church Life Commission will hand over their credentialing responsibilities to Ministry Credentialing Teams and Leadership Enhancement Teams. A Gifts Discernment Committee will identify these groups over the next year, and bring for affirmation by 2009 Annual Sessions. Stewardship and Finance is the one commission continuing into the new structure.

4. When and how will staff be selected? Are the .5 FTE positions possible?

The Lead Conference Minister (LCM) Search Committee will begin the search between now and summer sessions. We anticipate the LCM being in place by January 2009. The search for conference ministers (north, central and south) will begin after that. Again, that phase will hopefully be done by June 2009.

If the LCM is not in place by January 2009, that delay will likely move the rest of the implementation back, but hopefully not past June 2009. Tim Burkholder has been working with current conference regional ministers to outline incentives if they stay with IN-MI Conference through this time. If there is an early staffing change, all of us will need to adjust.

Questions come up regularly about the half-time positions for north, south, and youth/young adults. Are these positions feasible? Can we find someone to take a half-time position? These are good questions. We believe the half-time positions are possible and allow some creative combinations. Two half-time positions could be combined into one person. Perhaps a part-time pastor will take a half-time position with the conference. Or maybe there is a cooperative arrangement to be worked out with a neighboring conference. We are optimistic, yet acknowledge this is new and we do not know exactly how it will work out.

Life does not often unfold as cleanly as written proposals might describe. We are committed to walking as thoughtfully as we can through these details. We believe the direction adopted by delegates last summer will support congregational efforts to incarnate Jesus to their neighbors. We invite your prayers for the big picture and for the details.