February

By Reverend Elaine J.W. Stanovsky
Seattle District Superintendent

ANNUAL DISTRICT AUDIT
In January the cabinet “table” moved to St. Andrew’s Episcopal retreat center on Hood Canal. There the cabinet met from Sunday evening through lunch on Wednesday, conducting the district audit. Superintendents of each district had 2 hours to report on every church and pastor appointed in their district. Following Ron Hines’ lead last year, many of the reports included Power Point presentations.

MANY OPENINGS FOR MINISTRY
This year’s audit suggests that this will be a year of exceptional change. There are 5 mid-year openings that were not anticipated at last Annual Conference. We anticipate 16 full time openings by July 1, 12 from retirements. We are only beginning to experience the retirement of a tidal wave of clergy in the conference that will continue for the foreseeable future. An initial “count” of clergy persons who are retiring, returning from seminary, and full time positions that may be opening or closing suggests that we will need 8 new clergy persons by July to fill the openings. However, we have already begun conversations with a number of persons who may be available to serve our churches and feel confident that we will have the leadership we need for the churches of our conference. The cabinet and Board of Ordained Ministry are in conversation about how to be more intentional about recruitment for the future. If you know of a gifted pastor or lay person who might make a great leader for one of our churches, please be in touch with your district superintendent.

TRENDS WE NOTICED
As the cabinet looked over the wide range of ministries in the conference, we noticed some trends:
• Apportionment payments improved for the third year in a row, allowing more creative innovation in the resourcing and support available from the Annual Conference
 • A number of churches that were experiencing conflict or strain a year or two ago seem to be experiencing new life and hope
• Some churches have more in common with a “class” than with a church, but carry responsibility for vast buildings far beyond their need or abilities
• Some churches fund almost nothing except clergy salary and building costs
 • Woven throughout our conversations were exciting new ideas about how existing churches might cooperate together to strengthen their ministries and/or to begin new ministries

GUIDELINES FOR PART TIME MINISTRY
How are we to think about a church with average attendance of 20, being served by a ½ time or ¾ time or even full time pastor? What if the conference adopted a guideline suggesting that a church with average attendance of 25 or less can only reasonably be expected to fund ¼ of a pastor’s salary and benefits? And a church with attendance of 50 or less can only reasonably be expected to afford ½ time pastoral leadership? Or that a church with attendance of 75 ought to only try to fund a ¾ time pastor? This would be consistent with the report we heard a few years ago that on average a church with a full time minimum salary pastor needs to have a budget of nearly $100,000 per year, which generally requires an average attendance at worship of 100 per week. This was only talk, but it got at the strain some of our tiny churches are experiencing as a shrinking number of highly dedicated members give sacrificially to retain a pastor.

DIRECTOR OF NEW MINISTRY DEVELOPMENT
The cabinet also received a request from the Conference Board of Congregational Development to create a new full time Director of New Ministry Development. The Board approved funding for 5 years for this staff position. Cabinet voted to join the Board in requesting the Connectional Table to create this new staff position and authorize the Board to create the position description and conduct a search for the new staff person in consultation with the Commission on Ethnic Ministry Development and the Personnel Committee of the Connectional Table. When the search committee has completed its work it will bring a nomination to Bishop Paup to be hired or appointed. The Connectional Table approved this process in its meeting on January 19.

APPOINTMENTS
Appointment making has already begun. Watch your News Digest for announcements of upcoming appointments. Please pray with the cabinet that our United Methodist Churches will thrive and grow in their love of God, disciple-making ministries and service to the world through the leadership appointed during this season.