Standing Committee approves Annual Conference strategic plan.

The Standing Committee of representatives from the 23 districts of the Church of the Brethren held three days of meetings prior to Annual Conference in Peoria, Ill. The committee met June 29-July 2. Conference moderator Jim Hardenbrook chaired the meeting.

A new "Strategic Plan to Guide the Staff and Volunteers of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference" was adopted by Standing Committee. The plan was brought by the Annual Conference Council. The plan's mission and vision statements, list of core values, and objectives were shared with the Conference delegates. The plan also includes a ministry analysis of the Conference, strategic actions to achieve objectives, an implementation and evaluation plan. The entire strategic plan will be made available on the Annual Conference website, reported executive director Lerry Fogle. The plan is considered a working document, said Hardenbrook, and further suggestions for the plan from Standing Committee and others will continue to be received and considered by the council.

New members were elected to subcommittees of Standing Committee. New members Don Fitzkee, M. Anne Whited, Larry Dentler, and Glenn Bollinger joined continuing members Bruce Hostetler, Kathryn Ludwick, Ron McAdams, and Sue Ellen Wheatley on the Nominating Committee. The appeals committee for 2005-06 will be David Stauffer, Emily Mumma, and Kreston Lipscomb, with Charles Simmons and J. Michael Varner as alternates.

A consultation with the Annual Conference agencies was held with executives and board chairs of the Association of Brethren Caregivers, Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, the General Board, and On Earth Peace. A representative of the Council of District Executives also gave a short presentation. Agency representatives answered three questions: "How has your agency been able to fulfill these calls?" (referring to the Annual Conference theme, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus," and the Church of the Brethren tagline, "Continuing the work of Jesus..."), "What has caused you to go hmmm...?" and "What have you been able to celebrate?" The representatives also answered Standing Committee members' questions in small groups.

In an "envisioning time" a subcommittee led small group discussions of two questions: "What is the best way to develop and call leadership in the church?" and "How to answer the call to be in loving relationship and respectful dialogue especially when we disagree?" These are the two questions that "rose to the top" at envisioning sessions led by Standing Committee members at district conferences over the past year, said Nathan Polzin, a member of the envisioning committee. The small groups used a model process for doing envisioning, briefly listing statements in favor and statements against, then brainstorming options for answering the questions. The options lists were brought back to the large group and will be passed on to the envisioning subcommittee for next year's meeting. Concerns raised during the discussion will also be communicated to those planning the TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the Church, Hardenbrook said.

Standing Committee received reports from districts; from the international Church of the Brethren given by Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships for the General Board; from the Anniversary Committee planning the 300th anniversary celebration for the Church of the Brethren in 2008; from those working on TOGETHER: Conversations on Being the Church; and from the Annual Conference Council during which appreciation was given to Earl Ziegler and Chris Bowman who are ending their terms of service on the council. The Nominating Committee gave a preliminary report on a process for making online nominations for denominational positions. The process is to be up and running later this summer, and will include automatic e-mailing of nomination forms to the Annual Conference office, and automatic notification of nominees by e-mail.

The committee also fulfilled one of its main functions, to make recommendation to the Annual Conference delegate body on each item of new business.

Source: 7/07/2005 Newsline
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