Annual Conference - Purpose and Improvements (1 of 5)
Earlier this month, I received an email from a member of the Methodist Church in India who is feeling a call to ministry. This person is currently attending seminary at a seminary in the United States. It was great to get this email which included a few clear questions about the annual conference in the United States in general, not any specific annual conference:
Is the annual conference in the United States fulfilling its purpose?
How can it be made an ideal annual conference?
How could it be improved?
In the United Methodist Church, the annual conference is an organization of pastors, laity and congregations, you can find a definition here.
Before I could respond to this question, I had to remind myself of the purpose of the Annual Conference. The United Methodist Book of Discipline in paragraph 601 states:
"The purpose of the annual conference is to make disciples for Jesus Christ by equipping its local churches for ministry and by providing a connection for ministry beyond the local church; all to the glory of God."
In this statement there is a dual purpose for the annual conference - to equip local churches for ministry and to provide a connection for ministry beyond the local church. Over the next few days I will do my best to respond to the question of the annual conference fulfilling its purpose in these areas and offer some thoughts for improvement.
I recognize that I have limited experience in annual conferences and may not be the most qualified to respond to these questions. However, I hope that my responses will prove somewhat helpful and that others will be able to add to the conversation through comments.