1. Share your thoughts, feelings and opinions about ministry in the local church by using this link http://j.mp/MVELdL
   1. Helpful – What have you found to be most helpful for ministry in the local church?
   2. Unhelpful – What have you found to be least helpful for ministry in the local church?
   3. Transition – What wisdom and advice would you offer to someone beginning her or his ministry at a local church?
   4. Resources – What resources (books, websites, conferences, experiences) have you found to be helpful in ministry?
2. Invite three other people to respond by sharing this link –  http://j.mp/MVELdL

I will compile these results and publish them in a blog post in the weeks ahead. If you leave your contact information on the form, I will contact you when the post is completed so you can see the results. I look forward to hearing from you!

Q3: Reread Wesley's Sermons and share the teaching contained therein with the congregation where I serve. #dreamUMC—
Andrew Conard (@andrewconard) May 15, 2012

My Twitter friend and fellow UMCer Matt Lipan (@mattlipan and check out his blog here.) responded.

@andrewconard i'm definitely down for reading through Wesley's sermons. perhaps a group of us might do that together? #dreamumc—
Matt Lipan (@mattlipan) May 15, 2012

There was a good deal of interest from this conversation. Matt and I followed up with an email conversation to put together a framework.

What is the plan?

• We will host a Twitter chat each Monday night at 8:30pm cst/9:30pm est starting on June 4th.
• We will use the hashtag #jwchat for our Twitter conversations.
• We will read and discuss Wesley’s first 8 sermons over an 8 week period, reading & discussing one sermon a week. You can find these sermons online here and here.
• Here is our reading schedule:
  • Salvation by Faith (6/4)
  • The Almost Christian (6/11)
  • Awake, Thou That Sleepest (6/18)
  • Scriptural Christianity (6/25)
  • Justification by Faith (7/2)
  • The Righteousness of Faith (7/9)
  • The Way to the Kingdom (7/16)
  • The First Fruits of the Spirit (7/23)

English: , located on west side of just north of the Nebraska-Kansas border in southern . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today was my first time to speak on the floor of annual conference. While it was not exactly what came out, this is what I prepared:

My name is Andrew Conard. I am a clergy member of the annual conference.

I am currently serving at Church of the Resurrection in the Kansas City area and will begin serving at First United Methodist Church in El Dorado beginning July 1.

I speak in favor of forming the Great Plains Annual Conference.

Since its statehood more than 150 years ago, Kansas has been a place of action, a place where people could rally around a cause. Whether it was the abolition of slavery, settling the untamed prairie or recovering from disaster, Kansans mobilized around the cause and demonstrated great leadership abilities.

This is the time to demonstrate leadership in the United Methodist Church on the Great Plains. The annual conference exists to equip the local church for ministry. Becoming one annual conference in Kansas and Nebraska creates the best opportunity for the conference to fulfill its purpose on the Great Plains so that all of our local churches can make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Since I was first appointed to serve in Kansas in 2006, I have prayed every week for three things: the mission and vision of the local church where I serve, renewal within the United Methodist Church and spiritual revival across the state. I believe that forming the Great Plains Annual Conference is the next faithful step in our life together of living God’s dream for us as United Methodists in Nebraska and Kansas.

Members of my family are active in the United Methodist churches in Norwich, Plains, Sterling, Burdett and First-Hutchinson. My father is a United Methodist pastor and his father was a United Methodist pastor. The Kansas West Annual Conference is my home.

The month before we began to serve under appointment in Kansas, my wife and I were driving to Colorado on our honeymoon and we made a point to visit two of the churches where my granddad was appointed – the United Methodist Churches in Tribune and Towner on the Kansas / Colorado border. It was a blessing to step into those sacred spaces. I am proud of the United Methodist lay and clergy people who have come before me and been a part of faithful and fruitful ministry all across this Annual Conference for decades. This annual conference is part of who I am.

The Great Plains Annual Conference will be a change. There is no way around it. I believe that this change is the next faithful step in our life together as United Methodists on the Great Plains. I pray that we will continue together in faithful and fruitful ministry.

One hundred years from now, I want the people of the United Methodist Church in Nebraska and Kansas to look back and remember 2012 as a milestone in our lives together when courageous United Methodist took action that fanned the flames of spiritual revival across the Great Plains.

I urge you to vote in favor of forming the Great Plains Annual Conference.

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
  • #kwc12 – Kansas West (@kswumc)
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.kswestumc.org/pages/detail/1520
• May 27 to 30
  • #okumc – Oklahoma
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.okumc.org/pages/detail/849
• May 31 to June 2
  • #gnjac – Greater New Jersey
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.gnjcommunications.org/
  • #unyac – Upper New York
    • Live streaming expected at http://www.unyumc.org/pages/detail/1864
• 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)
    • Live streaming expected at http://kansaseast.org/pages/detail/1333
  • #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
  • #yacumc – Yellowstone
• 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)

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)