August 25, 2021

Charge Conference Schedule and Forms

We are taking our fall charge conferences in an exciting new direction this year. Instead of doing them in the fall like usual, we are scheduling them in January. This will give churches additional time to set salaries in better alignment with their 2022 budget; and full time pastors to enroll in health insurance, complete the PSF and Addendum all at the same time. It also means new leaders for the coming year will not have to be nominated 3-4 months in advance of when their leadership role begins. Even though the charge conference dates will be in mid-January, the Pastoral Support Form and new leadership teams will still be effective January 1.

We are offering 3 locations for in person charge conferences in January. Each location will have a suggestion on the area of the district that should attend. However, you are free to attend any location that best fits your schedule. More information on registration for the locations will be sent at a later date. We will not be holding any individual charge conferences this year. All churches must attend one of these.

• Sunday, January 9 from 2:00pm-4:00pm - Memorial UMC in Farmington

• Saturday, January 15 from 9:30am-11:30am - Hermann UMC

• Sunday, January 16 from 2:00pm-4:00pm - SunRise UMC

All of the charge conference forms, including the Pastoral Support Forms, are now available for download on the Forms page of the district website. With the change in schedule, there is also a change in the deadline to submit the forms to the district office. All Forms, including the PSF Addendum for Full Time Pastors, will be due to the district office by Wednesday, December 1. We will not accept any forms that do not have the necessary signatures.

Leading in Unchartered Territory with Tod Bolsinger - Sept. 9

Space is limited for this IN-PERSON event.

For the better part of a generation, the church has faced a rapidly changing world, one that has pushed the church out of the center of the culture to the margins. Then COVID-19 happened, and the disruption to church as we knew it accelerated. Join us on September 9 for a workshop on learning to lead all over again in a totally disrupted environment. Tod Bolsinger, author of Canoeing the Mountains and Tempered Resilience, will serve as our guide into the uncharted territory.

Virtual Lay Servant Classes

The Northwest, Southeast and Ozark Districts are offering virtual Lay Servant Classes in September.

• Northwest District - Pastoral Care Giving starting September 1.

• Southeast District - Emotionally Healthy Spirituality starting September 13

• Ozark District - Basic Class, Please note this is being offered as a Hybrid class, either in person or via Zoom

For more information on the classes and to register, click the button below.