Will you please help me complete this list? Please send me an @reply on Twitter @andrewconard or leave a comment on this post with dates, clarification on hashtags, link if it is being live streamed or additional conferences.

Please tweet or share this link to this post to spread the word - http://j.mp/K26ox3

• May 17 to 19
  • #epaumc / #epayp – Eastern Pennsylvania (@epaumc)
• May 17 to 20
  • #dac12 – Detroit
    • Live streaming expected at http://detroitconference.org/pages/detail/1846
• May 22 to 25
  • #kswumc – Kansas West (@kswumc)
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.kswestumc.org/pages/detail/1520
• May 27 to 30
  • #okumc – Oklahoma
• May 31 to June 2
  • #unyac – Upper New York
• June 1 and 2
  • #nac2012 – North Alabama
• June 2 to 5
  • #iaumc2012 – Iowa
• June 3 to 5
  • #sgaumc – South Georgia
• June 3 to 6
  • #awfac – Alabama / West Florida
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.christumcmobile.com/annualconference
  • #ctcac2012 – Central Texas
  • #laumc – Louisiana
  • #memconf – Memphis (@UM_MemphisConf)
  • #ntxac – North Texas
• June 4 to 7
  • #txac – Texas (@txac)
• June 6 to 9
  • #igrc2012 – Illinois Great Rivers
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.igrc.org/pages/detail/1975
  • #kecumc – Kansas East (@kecumc
  • #neumc – New England
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.neumc.org/pages/detail/195
  • #nicac12 – Northern Illinois
  • #numac12 – Nebraska (@umcneb)
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.umcneb.org/pages/detail/169
• June 7 to 9
  • #inumc – Indiana
  • #pdac – Peninsula-Delaware
  • #susumc – Susquehanna
• June 7 to 10
  • #wpaumc – Western Pennsylvania
• June 8 to 10
  • #msac12 – Mississipi
• June 8 to 11
  • #moac2012 – Missouri
• June 10 to 13
  • #arumc12 – Arkansas (@AR_UMC)
    • Live streaming expected at http://arumc.org/ac2012.php
  • #wocac – West Ohio
  • #holstonac2012 – Holston
    • Live streaming expected at http://holston.org/about/annual-conference/
• June 11 to 13
  • #kyumc – Kentucky
• June 12 to 14
  • #ngac12 – North Georgia
• June 13 to 16
  • #nccumc – North Carolina (@nccumc)
    • Live streaming expected at http://nccumc.org/
• June 14 to 16
  • #fac12 / #flac12 – Florida
• June 14 to 17
  • #umoi – Oregon-Idaho
• June 20 to 23
  • #cnumc – California-Nevada (@cnumc)
• June 20 to 24
  • #dsac12 – Desert Southwest
    • Live streaming expected at http://desertsouthwestconference.org/annualconference
  • #wnc2012 – Western North Carolina
• June 22 to 24
  • #vaumc / #vaumc12 / #clergycon12 – Virginia
• July 18 to 20
  • #sej12 – Southeast Jurisdiction

Dates for Conference Unknown (to me)

• #tnumc12 / #tnac2012 – Tennessee (@tnumc)
• #yacumc – Yellowstone

UMNS 2012 Annual Conference Reports

There is no official United Methodist source for age statistics for the denomination.  GCFA has not collected age statistics since General Council on Ministries. However, there is the 2010 State of the Church: Congregational Life Survey which breaks down ages by percentage. Here is the comparison between the Congregational Life Survey and the ages of 790 of the 988 total delegates to General Conference 2012.

• Age 18 to 24
  • 2.8% – General Conference Delegates
  • 5% - United Methodist attendees in 2010
• Age 25 to 44
  • 14.9% – General Conference Delegates
  • 19% - United Methodist attendees in 2010
• Age 45 to 64
  • 64.4% - General Conference Delegates
  • 37% - United Methodist attendees in 2010
• Age 65 to 84
  • 17.8% - General Conference Delegates
  • 34% - United Methodist attendees in 2010
• Age 85+
  • 0.0% - General Conference Delegates
  • 5% – United Methodist attendees in 2010

I believe that Plan UMC is the best starting point for a way forward for the denomination. You can find out more about this restructuring plan at http://www.planumc.org

Plan UMC:

• is the only restructure plan that emerged at General Conference after the response of delegates in #Gen Admin Committee
• preserves and strengthens the role of #gcorr and #cosrow in the Committee on Inclusivity #gc2012
• is a way forward that will provide greater clarity, organization and direction for our boards and agencies #gc2012
• will focus on creating vital congregations which incarnate the work of all the boards and agencies in a local context.
• puts the denomination at the edge of its comfort zone – a place where progress is most likely to occur.

Regardless of what restructuring plan does or does not pass at General Conference, I am hopeful for the future of The United Methodist Church. I am looking forward to continuing our mission together to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

When you are seeking to make progress that you care about one of the most important things that you can do is energize others. Sharing a vision with others helps move the issue beyond yourself and momentum begins to take hold. One of the members of my team suggested that at times, one of the unexpected outcomes of this is that by energizing others you realize that you are not as indispensable as you think you are. There is loss in this realization.

Don’t let the possibility of loss keep you from sharing your vision with others.

Related articles

• Three Questions to Ask Yourself in a #GC2012 Committee (@TheKLC: 1 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• Leadership Shifts to Make Progress at #GC2012 (@TheKLC: 2 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• If You Are Not Able to Take Action at #GC2012, Who Will? (@TheKLC: 3 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• Leadership at #GC2012 May Not Meet Your Expectations (@TheKLC: 4 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• Has #GC2012 Taken You to the Edge of Your Comfort Zone? (@TheKLC: 5 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• If You Think Things are Crummy at #gc2012… (@TheKLC: 6 of 10) (andrewconard.com)

There are innumerable issues that delegates are trying to make progress on to help the United Methodist Church live into God’s dream for the denomination. It is a shared challenge on all of these issues that there are other delegates who think the way things are is just fine.

If you think things are crummy, remember that it is working for someone.

Related articles

• Three Questions to Ask Yourself in a #GC2012 Committee (@TheKLC: 1 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• Leadership Shifts to Make Progress at #GC2012 (@TheKLC: 2 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• If You Are Not Able to Take Action at #GC2012, Who Will? (@TheKLC: 3 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• Leadership at #GC2012 May Not Meet Your Expectations (@TheKLC: 4 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• Has #GC2012 Taken You to the Edge of Your Comfort Zone? (@TheKLC: 5 of 10) (andrewconard.com)

If General Conference 2012 has taken you to the edge of your comfort zone, you are in the right place to make progress on the issues about which you care deeply. Too far inside your comfort zone and it may be difficult to make more progress than has already been accomplished. Too far outside your comfort zone and you may be unable to effectively take action.

The edge of your comfort zone is the place where you start to feel incompetent.

This is the place where progress is most likely to occur.

Related articles

• Three Questions to Ask Yourself in a #GC2012 Committee (@TheKLC: 1 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• Leadership Shifts to Make Progress at #GC2012 (@TheKLC: 2 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• If You Are Not Able to Take Action at #GC2012, Who Will? (@TheKLC: 3 of 10) (andrewconard.com)

Everyone has expectations of leaders. These expectations come in many different forms, including, but not limited to:

• Who a leader will be
• What a leader will say
• How a leader will act
• What roles a leader will play
• When a leader show up

Leadership often comes in unexpected ways from unexpected people. As you think about the goals on which you are trying to make progress, remember that exercising leadership may be distinct from what we expect of people in leadership.

Related articles

• Three Questions to Ask Yourself in a #GC2012 Committee (@TheKLC: 1 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• Leadership Shifts to Make Progress at #GC2012 (@TheKLC: 2 of 10) (andrewconard.com)
• If You Are Not Able to Take Action at #GC2012, Who Will? (@TheKLC: 3 of 10) (andrewconard.com)

The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Milk Paints

The #GC2012 Twitter Word Cloud Project

Twitter was a powerful tool of engagement during General Conference 2012. I thought it would be fascinating to archive and analyze the updates tagged with #gc2012. On Tuesday morning, I set up an Archive of the #gc2012 hashtag through a HootSuite Pro account. Every day I downloaded the data from the previous day, corrected the date and time to be local for Tampa, removed extraneous data and put it in a spreadsheet. Then I used Wordle to create a word cloud with the text of all the updates for that day. After a few days, I began to edit out Twitter usernames and prominent hashtags to get a better view of the conversation. I hope that you enjoy the results!

Where can I find the data?

The raw data of Twitter updates tagged with #gc2012 are available in a spreadsheet at http://j.mp/Iad0fW. Use the tabs along the bottom of the page to navigate to each day of the conference. (Updated through May 3, 2012)

Where can I download full size images for the entire conference?

I created multiple word clouds for the entire conference in various color schemes and arrangements. You can find the links to these images below.

• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – BW - http://j.mp/KRgBkJ
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – WB - http://j.mp/J7cJoQ
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Ghostly - http://j.mp/IPPv7j
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Indian Earth - http://j.mp/KSvgqc
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Firenze - http://j.mp/KXdMsh
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Chilled Summer - http://j.mp/IUQZCg
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Blue Meets Orange - http://j.mp/JMXqUq
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Kindled - http://j.mp/Jqr42u
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Shooting Star - http://j.mp/KhoaA3
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Organic Carrot - http://j.mp/K4CJkD
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Milk Paints - http://j.mp/J7d6zL
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Moss - http://j.mp/KSvDkJ
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – Heat - http://j.mp/KRhCJN
• The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud – yramirP - http://j.mp/Jlnv1n

Where can I download full size images for each day?

You can find the full size downloadable word cloud images created from these Twitter updates with the links below. The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud Project for:

• April 24, 2012 - http://j.mp/ISLHmI
• April 25, 2012 - http://j.mp/Jcsqus
• April 26, 2012 – http://j.mp/IgqxBE
• April 27, 2012 - http://j.mp/Iy50TY
• April 28, 2012 – http://j.mp/IxuGmR
• April 29, 2012 - http://j.mp/IP7MDJ
• April 30, 2012 – http://j.mp/IDGTW6
• May 1, 2012 - http://j.mp/IlvANg
• May 2, 2012 – http://j.mp/KeZCsq
• May 3, 2012 – http://j.mp/J339V7
• May 4, 2012 - http://j.mp/Jlo6A9

How can I support and join in this project?

• Share – Use http://j.mp/JPiBqj to share this blog post with others.
• Analyze – Dig in to the raw Twitter data with the spreadsheet above and share what you discover
• Post – Use the images in your own blog posts, make prints, share with others and include in articles both online and in print.
• Donate – Will you please donate to a few dollars to help cover costs of the archiving service? Use this link to donate securely via PayPal or credit / debit card.

The #gc2012 Twitter Word Cloud Project Daily Images

12-04-24 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-04-25 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-04-26 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-04-27 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-04-28 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-04-29 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-04-30 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-05-01 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-05-02 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-05-03 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

12-05-04 Twitter Updates from #gc2012

One of the roles of a leader is to pay attention to one’s actions and how they are or are not being shared. As you consider your hopes or goals for General Conference, ask yourself:

• Is your goal being shared with others?
• Are you seeking to make progress on your own?
• If you were not able to do it, who would do it?

This past fall and winter, I had the opportunity to take part in the Leadership and Faith: Transforming Communities program through the Kansas Leadership Center with the Missions team at Resurrection West. This series of posts is based on my reflections and learnings from that time in light of the General Conference 2012 of The United Methodist Church.

Related Articles

• Three Questions to Ask Yourself in a #GC2012 Committee (@TheKLC: 1 of 10)
• Leadership Shifts to Make Progress at #GC2012 (@TheKLC: 2 of 10)

There are at least three shifts in leadership perspective that are helpful in making progress on issues that we care about.

• Technical to Adaptive – There has been much talk about the adaptive challenges that are facing the denomination. It will be important to seek to make progress in ways that are not just rewriting rules.
• Benign to Conflictual Interpretations – General Conference does not seem to have challenge making conflictual interpretations. Focusing them on making progress will be an important opportunity.
• Individual to Systemic View – This is one of the most important leadership shifts that could help make progress at General Conference. It can be easy for delegates to take the perspective of themselves, their annual conference or affinity group. More progress will be made by paying as much attention as possible to the entire system – both during the days of meeting ahead in Tampa and the months to follow.

Have you found our denomination to be making these shifts? What else might be helpful to make progress?

Related articles

• Three Questions to Ask Yourself in a #GC2012 Committee (@TheKLC: 1 of 10) (andrewconard.com)