DSC WAY FORWARD
“I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 CEB
RESOURCES FOR THE WAY FORWARD
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
The UMC and What’s Next
Click on the images below to learn more about General Conference Special Session 2019, response resources, and Annual Conference
January 1 Response
Messages from Episcopal and District leadership
Following UMCNext
Find the 4 Commitments of UMCNext and resources for local church use.
Western Jurisdiction Summit
Updates
General Conference 2020
May 5-15, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Click here to send your monetary contributions supporting the DSC Way Forward.
Dreaming A New Methodism
Imagining the possibilities of a new way of organizing the Desert Southwest Conference
DSC Way Forward Teams
During the 2019 Desert Southwest Annual Conference Session, ten teams were formed for the purpose of exploring and working towards something new for the Desert Southwest Conference.
STAY IN THE KNOW
Select the TEAM UPDATE boxes below each team to view a summary of their progress. Send the team questions or messages by selecting the CONTACT US boxes. Each team scribe can use the SHARE UPDATES button below to share the team’s updates.
AMICABLE SEPARATION
TEAM UPDATE
Working to identify amicable categories including how churches will relate to Wespath, Conference properties, local church properties, denominational endowment investments, Episcopal leadership, Episcopal compensation, honoring and maintaining clergy credentials, apportionments, branding and marketing, grants, and special funds.
MEETING NOTES
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COMMUNICATIONS
TEAM OBJECTIVE
Identifying the team’s objectives, prioritizing items, ensuring all Way Forward teams have communications tools and needs met while working on positive press within and outside of the DSC churches by creating content that is easy for churches to “cut and paste” into their publications.
TEAM UPDATE
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CONNECTIONS
TEAM UPDATE
Working on how team members are experiencing their own congregations being informed. Suggested creation of a connective web of at least one person in every church who will keep that church informed. Suggested the use of clusters and large churches assisting smaller congregations.
CONVERSATIONS
TEAM UPDATE
Asking all the right questions: What is the purpose of conversations? What is the power of listening? Culture of the debate must be supplanted with the culture of cooperation. First, do no harm. Dialogue vs. real conversation. Common agreements. Respectful and inclusive.
RECENT NEWS
DREAMING
TEAM UPDATE
Reflecting on what a new Methodist movement could be. Reflecting on the important values of a new movement including the four commitments from the meeting at COR in Kansas City.
MEETING NOTES
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DISSAFILIATION
TEAM UPDATE
This team surfaced several questions covering all aspects of the process laid out in the GCFA document. These questions have been forwarded to the appropriate people to answer and get back to the team by mid-July. Our intent is to have a full disaffiliation packet, including the GCFA document, the estimated cost to each church, and an extensive Q&A list ready to distribute for the special conference in September.
FINANCE
TEAM UPDATE
Identifying specialties and knowledge base. Intent to assist churches that are experiencing financial turbulence. This team is searching for people with grant-writing experience to help/guide/teach churches to write grants. The team is also searching for creative foundations. With Adam Hamilton’s COR Leadership Institute coming soon, this team will work on funding assistance. Question from the team: When there is money available, who decides how it’s used?
LEGAL
TEAM UPDATE
Working individually to begin to understand the discipline with the intent of helping Way Forward groups when they have legal interpretation questions. Following the Bishop’s advice, the team is also putting together a team of legal experts from our connection who will guide us through issues down the road.
SPIRITUAL
TEAM UPDATE
This team has been having an ongoing conversation about the ways they can listen for the word of God… including Bible study, holy listening, holy discernment, meditation… as we see a way forward.
THEOLOGY
TEAM UPDATE
Standing on a Wesleyan foundation while treading through a wilderness. What are the non-negotiable points? What voices are missing from this conversation? How can we include them? Transparency is essential.
STATEMENT
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