Accomplishments, 2017-2024
- Moved forward with a new adaptive leadership approach designed to help us thrive in this challenging environment. This approach will better align our work and build our capacity to innovate and change.
- Created a proposal for a U.S. Regional Conference that can provide a forum for discussion and action on legal, administrative and financial matters pertaining only to the church in the United States. The CT supports increased regional autonomy worldwide so that all parts of the church can engage in fruitful, contextual ministry that will transform our world and nurture disciples.
- As the conversation around regionalization evolved throughout the extended quadrennium, the CT collaborated with the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters and the Christmas Covenant writing team to develop and submit a new, joint set of petitions for worldwide regionalization to the 2020 General Conference held in 2024
- In 2020, the CT implemented a new mission-focused, values-based process to allocate the denomination’s budget. This process was designed to create a budget that could better focus our work as a global church, help us maintain our core mission, and thrive.
- Collaborated with the Council of Bishops, United Methodist foundations, agencies and other partners on the formation of a new Missional Strategy Team, which will develop processes for determining new missional direction and strategy, focusing on innovation, and fostering adaptive experiments.
- Collaborated with the Council of Bishops and the agencies through the work of the Strategic Team to bring vitality and purpose to the connection by strengthening ministries in the Four Area of Focus: leading where God calls; making new disciples in new places; overcoming poverty together; and seeking health and wholeness for all.
- Reviewed and evaluated the missional effectiveness of general program-related boards, agencies and commissions which collectively seek to aid annual conferences and local churches in fulfilling the mission of The United Methodist Church (BOD ¶905). This allowed us to move towards vital and effective ministries at all levels of the church, learning about strengths, refining programs and approaches, and reflecting on failures and successes of the past.
- Approved nearly $1 million in contingency funds for the general program agencies to support emerging ministries. The funds were focused on increasing vital congregations through the Four Areas of Focus and expanding our ministry capacity as a worldwide connection.
- Developed Tuesdays at the Table, an interview series with scholars affiliated with The UMC to help us better understand our faith, our church, and ourselves. In partnership with UM Communications, each week featured a video interview and Facebook conversation. Each video was paired with a discussion guide prepared by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
- Hosted conversations throughout Africa, Europe, Philippines, and the United States to envision the future of The UMC as it relates to identity, vision, connectionalism, and mission. Rich information about the contextual and shared visions for The UMC emerged from these conversations and can be explored at the Imagining the Future website.
Accomplishments, 2013-2016
- Worked with GCFA to help develop a Global Apportionment formula.
- Worked with the Council of Bishops to form a collaboration group on vital congregations and a strategic team designed to help connect strategies and build relationships among those working on building vital congregations that bear fruit in the Four Areas of Focus.
- Engaged in a process of listening and understanding on matters related to the church’s impasse over how to be in ministry with LGBTQIA+ persons. This resulted in 2016 General Conference legislation designed to give the church more flexibility in including LGBTQIA+ persons in the life and ministry of the church.
- In our effort to be more worldwide, we submitted legislation to General Conference to create a General Church Council as a successor to the Connectional Table.