2018 Missouri Annual Conference

Developing leaders, new places for new people, and pathways out of poverty: Missouri Conference aligns goals as it looks to the future

There has been a lot of talk about the "forgotten man" – the disenfranchised class of people in middle America who have been left behind when other aspects of the rising economy did not help their individual situations. During Missouri Bishop Bob Farr's first year as bishop, he conducted an extensive listening tour around the state, challenging himself to listen and look with fresh eyes at communities that he had been familiar with his entire life. He saw poverty that was more endemic in many areas than it had ever been before, and it was continuing to get worse. He also saw many small, declining churches that were populated by people who were doing all right but weren't directly connected to the communities around their church. He surmised that for The United Methodist Church to be a significant, strong presence of Christ in these communities, the church must devise ways to break through the barriers of class that are prevalent in today's culture.

"When a community is hit by a tornado, we know where our disaster response trailers are, and where we have teams of trained people we can call on to provide immediate assistance. But when a community is devastated by poverty, we haven't known what to say besides, 'We'll pray for you,'" Bishop Farr told the people of the Missouri Conference.

Bishop Farr and the rest of the conference leadership want to see that change and are now in the early stages of launching Pathways out of Poverty. Focused more on long-term, individual impact than immediate aid programs, the initiative is attempting to hone in on the root causes of poverty. One of the most reliable indicators of a lifetime of poverty is not graduating from high school. A leading indicator of who will not graduate high school is when children are not reading at grade level in elementary school. The Missouri Conference is now encouraging local congregations to establish partnerships with their local schools in which they assist the schools with literacy mentors. In addition to providing real help that can change lives, the ministry should help churches form more of a connection to the communities outside of their doors.

The Pathway out of Poverty is one of the many ministries Bishop Farr highlighted during the 16^th session of the Missouri Annual Conference, which was in Springfield June 8 – 10. The conference's action plan also calls for developing new missional leaders, which was a theme for this year's conference, entitled Freed2Lead, and for increasing new places for new people, the theme for Annual Conference in 2019.

Mission, Service and Justice Ministries has been out front on issues this past year, with Director Tina Harris leading a group to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and participating in the Rally Against Racism in Washington, D.C. The Mozambique Initiative marks 20 years of covenant partnership between the two conferences this year and had its best year ever for fundraising last year. Director of the Center for Congregational Excellence Roger Ross has initiated a new church planter academy that has 30 participants. Five new multi-site projects are planned to launch in 2018. In Financial and Administrative Ministries, last year apportionments were paid at 88.99 percent, a new conference record. In Next Generation Ministries, 4,500 lives were touched through Ignite, Core, Spark and Impact camping in 2017, a 10 percent increase. There was a record number of mobile camps (27), reaching 2,929 youth.

Bishop Farr recently made a trip to Puerto Rico and was astounded by the devastation there from last year's hurricane. United Methodist Committee on Relief is putting $16 million into rebuilding homes. The Missouri Conference has committed to rebuilding the church in Vieques, restore the parsonage into a guest house, and rebuild and open a clinic. Bishop Farr hopes many teams from Missouri will travel to Puerto Rico to do the work and set a goal of $150,000 to be raised.

In December of 2019, Bishop Farr and his wife Susan will be making a trip to the Holy Land, their first trip back since they went there with his grandmother in 1979. People are welcome to join in on the trip for an experience of deeper learning and spiritual renewal.

On the first day of annual conference session, Bishop Farr gave a report on The Way Forward, with a summary of the issues before the special session of General Conference that will be in St. Louis in February of 2019.

He explained that as the 2016 session of General Conference began to reach an end pass in debating issues, as it had in previous sessions, it was proposed and passed that the body seek advisement from the Council of Bishops on the issue. The Council of Bishops created a task force to deeply explore the issues and present them with recommendations. The Commission on the Way Forward did this, presenting three options. The Council of Bishops endorsed the One Church plan and will forward all three plans to the special session of General Conference.

Bishop Farr reiterated that regardless of what decisions are made at the special session of General Conference, The United Methodist Church has much work to do in Missouri and must stay focused on moving forward together for the kingdom of Christ.

Statistical Reports

This year 10 people were ordained during annual conference session. Their average age was 39. Fourteen people were commissioned. Their average age was 38. Fifteen people retired.

Membership stands at 152,285, down 2,877 from the previous year. Worship attendance stands at 70,261, down 2,620. Church school attendance stands at 28,982, up 6,286. Professions or reaffirmations of faith for 2017 were 1,491, down 1,130. Adults and young adults in small groups for 2017 was 38,955, down 3,351. Worshippers engaged in mission for 2017 was 48,588, down 9,371.

-- Fred Koenig, editor, The Missouri Conference