Last month United Methodist Directors of Connectional Ministries from around the world met in Atlanta. It was an opportunity to visit the new General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) offices and meet with many of the key staff in that agency. The time was well spent as we learned more about the resources provided by GBGM for our conference and churches.
Read MoreClergy training has evolved. While always including a list of dos and don’ts, we now understand that balance in our personal and professional lives, good habits of self-care and healthy relationships all factor into good judgment on the part of a pastor. Just a week after our most recent training concluded, the conversation about sexual ethics and harassment became a national focus. Tragically, we have been reminded that abuse of power and authority is not only a problem for the church but for the whole of our society.
Read MoreAs we enter the Season of Advent and think of about the gift of the Christ child’s birth we are blessed by God’s grace. We replicate that grace in our traditions of gift giving and celebration. But for United Methodists, sharing our resources, our gifts, isn’t just a seasonal activity, it is a way of life.
Read MoreWebsites and church Facebook pages are an easy way to keep members up-to-date but they are a great way to inform the world of the congregation’s mission and ministry. They help us reach out beyond those in the know to those seeking to know. Websites can be like the file drawer at home or in your office where you keep adding those important bits and pieces of information you are sure you will need someday. With each addition the information becomes cluttered and pretty soon a search for those important documents turns into a nightmare. Eliminating "old" information when adding new, grouping content by purpose or topic will help make a website user-friendly and navigable.
Read MoreEvery summer, newly appointed and assigned pastors in the Northern Illinois Conference receive Boundary and Ethics training. Every four years all those under appointment or assigned are required to take a “refresher course” in professional ethics and boundaries. This fall, all our appointed and assigned clergy will participate in mandatory boundary and ethics training.
Read MoreThe 2016-2017 Annual Conference year was a time of innovation. This June, the annual conference approved implementation of a new model for coordination at the conference and district levels continuing the trajectory of innovation.
Read More