Live Streaming Event October 24 at 3:00 pm

Bishop Mike Lowry and Alignment Task Force Chair Rev. Mike Ramsdell will conduct a live streaming event on October 24 at 3:00 pm hosted by First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth.

You can go to the conference website at http://www.ctcumc.org/, where there will be a link on the homepage that will take you directly to the live streaming event. The link has not yet been posted, but will be before the event is scheduled to take place.

The Alignment Task Force has set up an email address for you to ask questions and leave comments during the live streaming event.  The email address is ctcalignment@gmail.com.

Conference Alignment Proposal

The Alignment Task Force has released the the "Conference Alignment Proposal".  You can download it by clicking here.  Please note that you will need Adobe Reader to read the proposal.  It is a large file, so it may take some time before you will be able to see it.

Annual Conference members are urged to study the proposal, attend any of the alignment information meetings scheduled around the conference, and to be prepared to vote on the proposal at the Nov. 13 called session. Questions may be directed to presenters at the alignment information meetings or to Dr. Georgia Adamson, assistant to the bishop and executive director for Mission Ministries, at 817-877-5222.

Statement from CTC Student Leadership Team

From Marianne Brown-Student Leadership Team President 

Our Student Leadership Team pieced together our opinions on the recently posted realignment report. We felt that it would be more helpful as an interpretation of what you were saying, rather than an opposition to it.  We composed the following, if you would like to use it on the Realignment blog or anything of that nature, feel free. We all are very thankful for your task force and all the hard work that has been going into this.
Thank you!

Marianne Brown
CTCSLT President

Statement from CTC Student Leadership Team

We understand that a lot of the work of the Task Force has been completed.  The Student Leadership Team still felt strongly that we should make our voices known.  We appreciate the work of the team and of the consultant and look forward to being a part of this realignment process.   

1.  a. There is concern about the focus of youth ministry being ‘more specifically on calling young people to leadership in the church, including ordained ministry'.  Should this not be the church's job?  If calling young people into leadership and ministry is left to youth ministry, then the presumption is, in part, that young people will to go into youth ministry and may struggle to see or accept calling beyond youth ministry.  We need to be careful with the trend of separation that a lot of churches have between youth and the church at large.  

    b. The need for younger clergy is very apparent and recognized by our Student Leadership Team. We feel that is important to have resources and make opportunities available to youth and young people being called into ministry to explore their calling and find where God intends them to be. However, we would like to emphasize that youth need strong programs in the local church and impactful experiences to make discerning their calling possible. We feel that the needs of youth ministry are valuable to bring young people into leadership and ordained ministry.

2.  a. Regarding the goals of youth ministry, we agree a change is needed.  We believe the main focus of Central Texas Conference Student Ministries should be equipping local churches to nurture youth in the Christian faith and train them to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We feel training volunteers to do youth ministry is also important.   

    b. We agree that the conference staff should be equipping local churches to form these long-term relationships.  We agree there should be a shift from information sharing and 'improving people' to the suggested 'leadership platforming' as referenced in the report. 

3.  In reference to staff specialists, we believe that youth ministry and ministry with young people is one of the most diverse, abstract areas of ministry.  Young people (ages 12 – 26) need an advocate that is in constant interaction with other conference positions so that students can fit into the church and not be tagged on like an extremity or remembered as an afterthought.

4.  We agree that smaller, more decisive groups/committees are needed.  There should still be great effort made to include at least two youth within each group.  We feel that our Student Leadership Team and other youth who serve on various boards and committees bring a fresh perspective to the group and learn a lot about the leadership within the church. Promoting inclusiveness in the Church is made much easier and more effective when youth serve along side the adult leadership.
   
5.  We are happy to see that CTCYM will continue as one of our strong mission programs.  These short-term CTCYM experiences have much impact long-term in the lives of students.  We want to recognize this and encourage this to continue. It is our concern that experiences like CTCYM may be lost in transition or be underestimated by those who are no familiar with it. CTCYM has been one of the most life-changing ministries experienced by many of our Student Leadership Team members and youth around the conference, and we appreciate that this has not gone unnoticed.

Respectfully,

Central Texas Conference Student Leadership Team

September 2010 Consultant’s Report

The Alignment Task Force consultant, Gil Rendle, has prepared and presented a report of his findings to the Alignment Task Force. The task force has decided to make this report available to the entire conference. The full report can be downloaded by going here.

June 2010 Alignment Update

The June Alignment Update is a report prepared by the Alignment Task Force.  You can download the entire report here.  It is in PDF form, so you will need Adobe Reader to read it.

Annual Conference Reporting

The Task Force completed one phase of its responsibility/task and on a conference call on May 25 and approved the material from that phase for presentation at the conference session on June 7. Mike Ramsdell (chair of the task force) will make the presentation in a question and answer session. No action is to be taken until the called session of conference in November 2010.

I have been privileged to take part in several “restructurings” over the years. In each of these instances, we presumed that our work was done for some time to come. The structure in some of those efforts was greatly dictated by The Discipline in effect at the time. As time has gone on, more and more freedom has been granted in the way that an annual conference carries out the ministries set to its hand. Each time we vote on a structure; spend time assimilating and learning to use that new and “complete” methodology and process. As the Alignment Task Force began reviewing data and several books on the rapid and radical changes in our world and society, it became apparent that something different had to come out of our efforts. The authors and chroniclers of the day see and ever-changing landscape unfolding in front of us. I began to understand the feeling of Adam and Eve as they left Eden; when, they might have said to each other, “The world is really changing.” We were coming to realize that change is no longer (and probably will never again be) linear and sequential. It will continue to be sporadic and episodic. All of that is to say that whatever we as an annual conference do will not be a fixed position. Bishop Lowry made mention of the need to accept the reality that we will need to fine-tune the efforts by addition and deletion for the foreseeable future. He reminded us that the church is moving from a representative process model to a leadership model. I believe that we should continue to keep Isaiah 43:19 ever before us as we look with wonder on “God’s New Thing” each day.

Alignment Task Force Report from Meeting 3.17.10

Our Task Force met on March 17, gathering information from previous meetings, responding to the leadership of our consultant Gil Rendle, and processing input from many resources; including, highlighting leadership from our Bishop Mike Lowry, and responding to asked for thoughts from the Cabinet and Extended Cabinet as well as blog responses.  Hope is becoming our word of faith, a word that is leading us instead of the default to respond to crisis.

As we process the task force responsibility there are 4 important questions we are attempting to answer:
1.  Identify the things the CTC must be and should be doing?

·       Casting a Christ-honoring vision

·       Discerning, developing, and employing leadership

·       Energizing and equipping churches for mission, evangelism, and discipleship

·       Being a catalyst for connecting churches and mission

·       Offering administrative support services

·       Improving communications

2.  Identify the value that is added by alignment changes?

·       Improved function and flexibility

·       Energized and equipped churches that become fruitful

·       Reallocation of resources to accomplish our mission

·       Redefined role of the district superintendents

·       Improved communications

·       More efficient use of financial resources

3.  What do we expect to be different in churches because of the new alignment?

·       A deeper pool of leadership available, healthy and diverse

·       Healthier and more fruitful churches

·       Growth (missions, evangelism, discipleship)

4.  What do we expect out of the Annual Conference experience?

·       Casting a Christ-honoring vision

·       Excellent worship

·       Discernment

·       Learning           

·       Challenge

·       Celebrating what moves us forward

The typical CTC church presently interacts with the Annual Conference in several ways.  The first is financial; apportionments and monetary expectations.  The second is accountability; who and how in supervision and expectation. The third is pastorally; the appointment system, who will be our pastor or pastors.  The fourth is support; what resources are available.

Some of the most significant discussions have revolved around the role of the district superintendent and the role of districts themselves.  The most recent model we are looking at has us moving from 7 to 5 districts aligned by geographical area but with clusters of affinity districts for churches of similar needs and focuses that allow for more support, relationships, and education opportunities. Our mission and alignment requires a shift in the role of the district superintendent

Some of the ideas directed at change in the role of a district superintendent being discussed:

·       Change in ministry focus from administrative and institutional maintenance to missional engagement.

·       Less time in conflict management and more time enabling clergy in doing actual mission and ministry.

·       Committing less effort to administrative details and more intentionality to being an ally of our clergy and lay leadership to do effective ministry within their mission field.

·       Measuring our effectiveness less on the time spent doing things and more on seeing results of fruitful ministry.  

In the structure of the conference itself we are discussing a shift that includes a Center for Leadership, a Center for Administrative Support Services, a Center for Missions and Life Transformation, and a Center for Evangelism and Growth.  With the addition of the Cabinet, a Core Leadership Team made up of leaders from each center headed by the bishop we have an emerging structure that will give us a good place to begin a refocus from a structure that centers in the Conference to one that centers in the mission of the local church.

Next Steps:
We are working on a communication process where this process and results can receive input, share progress, and prepare for Annual Conference.

A presentation at our June Annual Conference session in Fort Worth is informational; not a question and answer session nor requiring a vote.

This summer and fall processing where we are and implement changes and refinement.

A called Annual Conference session is set for Nov. 13, 2010, tentatively suggested to meet at First UMC Mansfield. We are still narrowing in on what the structure will be and likely it will change again between now and our presentation at Annual Conference as we seek to be faithful to the task for which we were called.

“Energizing & Equipping Local Churches to make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World.”  Please join us in prayer as we seek to create a system that will further enable us to achieve this set and celebrated mission.

Mike Ramsdell
Chair of the Task Force