Lots of Work (But Not Too Much)

I'm in the process of building the agenda for our next New A.C.T. meeting (September 19, 2009 at Cicero UMC). It will be a packed day. Frankly, it looks like every meeting this fall and into early next year will be packed. Our sub-committees or Planning Teams have been busy all spring and summer developing proposals. This "fruit" is about ready to be picked and laid out on the table for New A.C.T. to discuss and decide how to fit the pieces into an overall plan.

There's going to be lots of work. But hopefully not too much work. There will be pieces of our new conference structure, staffing, programs and policies intentionally left out.

Yes, intentionally left out! You see, our goal isn't to have everything about our new conference worked out and in place by July 1, 2010 (the official start of the New Conference). We're striving to have just enough, but not too much. We're leaving much to be worked out by the New Conference. Why?

In a video clip shown at several of our annual conference sessions last spring I shared some thoughts on this approach. To summarize, we're going "minimal" with new conference design because:

1. practically we believe we have only so much time to develop plans, so we're prioritizing and doing the basics.

2. ethically we believe the members of the new conference ought to have a say in how they are organized and they can't have that say until after we come together July 1.

3. theologically we believe God is doing a new thing among us and we're only beginning to perceive it. We don't want to get ahead of God!

Having said all that, please don't think our new conference will lack the ability to provide essential services and engage in meaningful ministry. We have over 200 people engaged in this process right now across the Upper New York region working hard to ensure we have what we need to get off to a great start.

More on the pieces in the weeks ahead.