July 13, 2010
Dear Members of the New York Conference:
I send this message with the firm conviction that covenant is more than words; it is a commitment to be fully engaged in a relationship that requires complete honesty and transparency. Covenantal understanding in the midst of an interim time means that we share as much as we can as widely as we can each step along the way.
Our Church’s Wider Mission giving has been a steady decline over the past ten years—close to 20% while expenses have risen close to 35%. I don’t believe for a moment that this drop in giving has to do with unhappiness with what is happening within the conference or that comes from a stinginess of heart. I believe it a result of both the economic crisis that our whole country is facing and from a shifting of priority in local churches to engage in more hands-on missional projects—a shift in priority that I support and encourage. I don’t see this reduction in giving as a failure or as something that should cause us to despair. I’m mindful that the decisions we will make will have personal impact on person we love and we admire and I want to take this opportunity to personally thank each member of the Conference Leadership Team—Carol Giordano, Rick Cowles, Marian Shearer, Freeman Palmer and Glenda Prins—for their incredible courage and commitment to the conference.
We are being asked to vision anew the role of the conference—and within that the role of the associations—for this time and within the circumstances in which we find ourselves. I come to you with a firm conviction that we need to live within our means; that local congregations entrust the conference with a certain amount of resources and, to be faithful, the conference must allocate the resources in ways that both reflects its values and empowers and strengthens the local setting of the church. When the 2011 budget was approved at our annual meeting, it was with the understanding that it would be necessary to reduce personnel costs as this is the only place within an already lean program budget that could bring us to a more balanced budget.
The following staff assignments have been made; they will be effective January 1, 2011.
Southeast Region – Rev. Freeman Palmer
Upstate Region – Rev. Rick Cowles
Western Region – Rev. Marian Shearer
I want to personally acknowledge the incredible ministry of Rev. Dr. Glenda Prins during her time as the Interim Regional Conference Minister. Glenda brings a depth of understanding and a graciousness of spirit that has already borne much fruit in the Western Region.
With the August retirement of our Minister of Stewardship, Management and Development, we will hire a Manager of Finance and Administration. The responsibility for Stewardship will be assigned to the Regional Conference Ministers; the responsibility for Development will be assigned to the Conference Minister. Given this change in responsibilities, the Manager of Finance and Administration will resource the Conference Ministry Team but will not be one of its members.
Regional Conference Ministers will continue to staff Association Councils and Committees on Ministries and, in consultation with Association leadership be engaged in the areas of Congregational Life and Vitality, Mission Engagement and Leadership Empowerment.
A major shift will be in the area of Search and Call. While this has always been the responsibility of the Conference Ministers, it has been done on their behalf by the Regional Conference Ministers. This responsibility will once again come to the desk of the Conference Minister who, along with our Placement Coordinator, will work directly with local congregations as they call new pastoral leadership. The Conference Minister will assist in the formation of search committees and the development of local church profiles. Once the search is underway the Search Committee will be assigned a mentor to shepherd them through the process and keep the Conference Minister fully apprised of their progress. All current searches will continue to be staffed by the Regional Conference Ministers; searches that begin on and after October 1, 2010 will be staffed by the Conference Minister.
I am convinced that we are being given a great opportunity to realign our resources in keeping with our understanding of the centrality of the local church, the supportive role of judicatory structures and the ministry of all persons. To that end, conversations are happening within the Executive Council, with the Association Moderators and Councils and all the Conference Commissions and Committees as we respond to the ever-present call of God to be engaged in mission and ministry.
My promise to you is that I will keep you fully apprised as decisions are made and will welcome your comments and suggestions. I thank you for your commitment to the New York Conference; I look forward to our work together as we respond to the needs of our conference and to the urgings of God’s Holy Spirit.
Grace and peace,
Rev. Dr. Rita M. Root
The Rev. Dr. Rita M Root
Interim Conference Minister