Over the past two months, the Vision Team has held fifteen listening sessions and received dozens of emails from members across the conference with interest in the restructuring process. Our goal is to reimagine and reconstruct an organizational model of the church that faithfully fulfills the vision that God has placed on our hearts: a connected, covenantal church living the mission of Jesus Christ throughout our communities, states, and local region.
This new structure is intended to replace the six entities that currently exist – five associations and the conference – with “one nimble, and responsive judicatory that is both faithful in mission and responsible in stewardship.”
We are grateful to all who have participated in the process. Many of the notes and summaries from the various sources have been posted HERE on the conference website (with the rest to be added very soon) so that everyone can see the variety of suggestions that have been received. The Team will be using this input as they craft a concrete proposal for action later this year.
We have asked the associations to plan for special meetings early this summer in order to share the proposal once it is ready. Watch for these dates and plan to attend. The Team will then take feedback from the meetings, make modifications as needed, and be ready for discussion and action at the Annual Gathering of the conference on September 28 and 29 at Westerville Community UCC. Please put those days on your calendar and plan to be with us then! It is very important to have as much participation as possible!
Current members of the Vision Team are: Patricia Battle, Dan Busch, Dan Doty, Mark Frey, John Gantt, Cathy Green, Tom Kagy, Ian Lynch, Joyce Oyler, Carl Robinson, Jared Ruari, Karl Ulrich, Terry Williams. Other members of the Conference serve on one of three working groups studying “Best and Standard Practices Resource,” “Form and Structure Plan,” and “Finance and Stewardship.”
Please hold all of us in prayer!
Blessings and peace,
Cathy Green
Moderator, Ohio Conference
green.cjm@gmail.com