Council works on strategic plan for Annual Conference.

The members of the Annual Conference Council met Nov. 29-30 in New Windsor, Md. The major portion of the two-day meeting was devoted to completing a draft of the first-ever strategic plan for Annual Conference, a document to guide the purpose and planning of the Church of the Brethren annual meeting, reported Annual Conference secretary Fred W. Swartz.

The strategic plan consists of mission, vision, and core value statements, as well as objectives and strategy actions. The complete plan will be presented to the 2005 Standing Committee for approval, and if accepted, the vision, mission, core values, and objectives sections will be shared with the 2005 Annual Conference delegates. Annual Conference agency executives and district executives will receive copies in advance of the Standing Committee review.

It is noted in the background material for the plan that Annual Conference has never been guided by mission, values, and objectives, Swartz reported. The plan is headed by the mission for Conference, which states, "The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference exists to unite, strengthen, and equip the Church of the Brethren to follow Jesus."

In other items addressed by the meeting, the council continues to work on a revision of the denomination's Manual of Organization and Polity. A new chapter containing organization information about all five of the Annual Conference agencies has been completed and the council has earmarked a number of points in the current polity that are no longer practiced. The council plans to submit the changes to Standing Committee for recommendation to Annual Conference. The plan for the polity manual is to have a working draft completed by August 2005, which will be available on the Annual Conference website, and to publish a print copy by 2008.

The council also continues to work at engaging denominational officials in forming answers to questions related to ministry issues, raised by a 2002 Annual Conference query from the Michigan District. The group is monitoring implementation of Annual Conference's answers to the 2004 queries on "Doing Church Business" and Multi-Ethnic and Cross Cultural Ministries; both study committees have organized and are underway with their work.

A grant of $18,000 from Annual Conference funds was approved to help the 300th Anniversary Committee launch its plans for the commemorative year. The council acknowledged with gratitude in-kind support that has come to the committee from Brethren Press and Brethren Benefit Trust.

Source: 12/17/2004 Newsline
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