2018 Tennessee Annual Conference

The 51st Tennessee Annual Conference session was held at Brentwood UMC in Brentwood, Tennessee, on June 13-15, 2018, with Bishop William T. McAlilly officiating. Video from the Livestream is available to view at the conference website: www.tnumc.org.

On June 13, the annual conference opened with a pulsing drum procession and uplifting songs of celebration. Following the call to worship and prayer, the mood transitioned to one of reflection. Family members of the saints who have gone on before us this year came forward and lit candles as songs of adoration and remembrance were sung. Names of each saint were read as a bell rang out in an act of remembrance for each one.

The annual conference offering was taken for Congo Women Arise, an initiative with the East Congo Episcopal Area to build and support the Mama Lynn Center.

Following the scripture reading from Luke 10: 1-9 (the mission of the seventy), the Rev. Junius B. Dotson, general secretary of Discipleship Ministries, presented an inspiring and faith-igniting sermon titled "The Game Plan: Simple Instructions for Engaging the Community." Worship concluded with hymns, an act of prayer and blessing.

Later that day, in separate sessions, clergy and lay members of the Tennessee Annual Conference heard Junius B. Dotson, top executive of Discipleship Ministries, speak on Making, Shaping and Engaging Passionate Disciples of Jesus Christ. During the inspiring, engaging and high-energy presentations, members learned about the importance of intentional discipleship systems that focus on making and growing disciples for the transformation of the world.

During these sessions, members spent time discussing disciple characteristics, ways they have grown and will grow as disciples, and where they and their churches are on birth-through-death life cycle. While some churches may be in serious decline, Dotson left all members with a message of hope saying rebirth can happen at any stage of the lifecycle.

Laity also met with Bishop McAlilly and members of the annual conference learning team. They received hands-on tools related to disciple making that they will use during Thursday's learning sessions.

To download copies of "Developing an Intentional Discipleship System: A Guide for Congregations and Engaging Your Community: A Guide to Seeing All the People," click here.

Annual Conference Learning Toolkit, click here

Business of the conference began June 14 with the singing of "Are We Yet Alive," roll call, and setting of the bar. The consent agenda was approved by voice vote.

Bryan Brooks presented the report from the Board of Ordained Ministry and also recognized the retiring class of 2018. A retirement video made with retirees was presented at this time. There are 21 individuals in the 2018 retirement class.

Several items to be voted on were presented including financial and personnel information (found at tnumc.org/reports) as well as the first reading of the UM General Conference Constitutional Amendment. The session closed with a presentation from a Black College Fund representative.

On the evening of Wednesday, June 13, clergy and guests gathered for the licensing, commissioning, and ordination worship service at Brentwood UMC. Ephesians 4:1-16 was read and Bishop McAlilly shared the message, "Grow Up!" with the congregation.

Retired Bishop Joseph E. Pennel Jr. assisted Bishop McAlilly in the leadership of the service where 19 people were licensed, seven were commissioned (including one Deaconess) and 12 people were ordained as elders.

On June 14, the Rev. Julie Hager Love, commission member and the Kentucky Conference's director of connectional ministries, shared an overview of the issues and the makeup of the commission and how they work together to find a way forward. She also shared the timeline for the next six months.

The presentation led into a brief presentation by the Tennessee Conference's General Conference lay and clergy delegation leaders, Jim Allen and the Rev. Harriet Bryan. They reported that the delegation will hold listening sessions this fall on Sunday afternoons in each district. When scheduled, these will be announced in the conference e-newsletter and listed on the conference website. In the meantime, people may contact the delegation via email at [email protected]. 

Members of the Tennessee Annual Conference began June 14  with the first of three coordinated Day of Discernment Pray Services. The Rev. Donna Parramore, district superintendent of the Caney Fork River District, preached and holy communion was served.

Ministry presentations were given by the following:

Cal Turner Jr. "My Father's Business" conversation: Cal Turner and Bishop McAlilly chatted about Cal's book, covering his conversion to Christianity as a boy, his relationship with his father, and his calling to serve God in the workplace in a Fortune 500 company, Dollar General.

Connectional Ministries Restructuring Team & Nominations: Director of Connectional Ministries Melinda Britt presented a restructuring plan for Connectional Ministries and nominations for chairs and leaders for Tennessee Conference boards, commissions, and committees.

Next Gen Discipleship Operational Team: One example of Next Gen's impact can be seen in a video presented about young adult, Maggie Wade.Team representatives also offered their visions and values.

Martin Methodist College: Mark La Branche, president of Martin Methodist College, thanked the annual conference for its continued support of the college. He also introduced new staff members at the college, including the Rev. John Collett, retired elder, as the Director of Church Relations and Thriving Rural Communities.

Project Transformation: Executive Director Courtney Aldrich gave an update on the work of this program, now in its seventh year. More than 700 children in five counties are participating this year. There are 92 interns working in 10 site churches and 90 partnering churches across the Tennessee and Memphis conferences.

Camp & Retreat Ministries: Brian Marcoulier, Russell Casteel, and Sarah Ratz shared information about various retreats, summer camps, new programs, and church connections going on at Beersheba Springs Assembly and Cedar Crest Camp. Events at these sites have been used as important tools in the missional strategy for intergenerational and multicultural discipleship in our local churches including confirmation retreats, Next Gen Ministries BE Retreat, Summer Sizzler, and a Prayer Shawl Retreat.

Scholarship and Awards Recognition: A video was shown of the many scholarship and awards recipients across Tennessee Conference ministries. 

Miriam's Promise: Executive Director Debbie Robinson shared mission and ministry provided by Miriam's Promise. She presented London's story via video. 

Stratford Ministry (Dalewood): The Rev. Sean Stanfield shared information about Dalewood UMC's partnership and ministry with Stratford STEM Magnet High School. Located less than a mile from one another, time separated the two for decades. But in August 2017, a chance meeting with Lee Brown from Fellowship of Christian Athletes led to a discussion about how the church might help feed Stratford's football team. Today, church members regularly attend games and cheer the team on; feed the football, basketball, and baseball teams and cheerleaders; and stock a food pantry.

Older Adult Ministries & Golden Cross Foundation: Kent McNish and Shirley Vaughn presented a new resource, "Alzheimer's/Dementia: Ministry with the Forgotten" by Bishop Kenneth Carder. Designed for small groups, this five-session study was created to generate discussion on ways congregations can be in ministry with people who have dementia and their families and caregivers. For more information, click here.

FreshSTART: Angy Trimmer, Annie Hardison, and Cynthia McGowan provided an overview of some of the programs and ministries offered by FreshSTART—a recovery ministry in Columbia, Tennessee—that provides solutions for families struggling with the effects of addiction, alcoholism, poverty, incarceration, mental health issues, and abuse.

Recognition of Lay Servant Ministries: Jackie Elliott, Conference Director of Lay Servant Ministries, along with Lay Leader Holly Neal and Associate Lay Leader George Brown, recognized the many lay servants within the conference. She also praised the success of the first Hispanic lay servant training held earlier this year.

On June 15, the day began with the third Day of Discernment Prayer Service to prepare members for a day of discussion and voting.

Speeches for and against the Resolution on Intent to Form a New Conference were heard and the vote was taken and sealed. The votes in the Memphis Conference have been sealed as well. Secretaries from both conferences later counted the votes and revealed that the resolution passed with over 87 percent approval in each conference. Results announcement (June 19, 2018)

Action items from the Council on Finance and Administration report was given by John Pearce and all were approved. Jay Voorhees presented 17 Standing Rules proposals to adopt. All proposals were approved.

United Methodist General Conference Constitutional Amendment vote was taken and sealed. All national and international conference votes are sealed until all votes can be tabulated. (Sample ballot)

Conference resolutions were discussed. Here are results for each:

Resolution 1: 2018 Retiree Housing Allowance was approved. Resolutions 2 – 9 and 11 were deemed unconstitutional and did not pass the test of concurrence. Therefore no vote was taken on these resolutions. Resolution 10: Commission on Archives and History was referred to CFA for consideration.

Resolution-12-RESOLVE-Group-Resolutions-1-7 urging churches to offer support and service to local schools and school districts in preparing crisis response and security plans. Most were approved or amended for approval. One was deferred.

Kent McNish presented the report of the Area-wide Episcopacy Committee who have unanimously endorsed the work of Bishop McAlilly. Wife of the bishop, Lynn McAlilly, announced that the offering for the Mama Lynn Center brought us beyond our ultimate goal of $350,000! She also brought up an autism spectrum ministry and asked if any churches have ministries in this already. She then recognized and expressed appreciation for all the clergy spouses.

Clergy appointments were set for each district and the Tennessee Annual Conference was brought to a close on Friday afternoon, June 15.

Conference 2017 Statistics: Church membership in the Tennessee Conference stands at 115,063, down (1,677) from the previous year, however, our numbers continue to be higher than membership averages for both the Southeast Jurisdiction and the UMC overall.

Worship attendance in the Tennessee Conference stands at 45,374, up 1,117 from the previous year (including 2,527 who worshiped online). Likewise, church school attendance (Christian formation groups) has increased by 696 up to 52,179.

While professions or reaffirmations of faith for 2017 went down by 325 to 1,410, more adults actually are engaged with churches than were the previous year.

• Adults and young adults in small groups for 2017: 31,221, up 360 from 2016.
• Worshippers engaged in mission for 2017 24,957, up 66 from 2016.

During the year, the Tennessee Conference reinforced the UMC's Four Areas of Focus through several commitments that will continue into the coming year:

• Engaging in Ministry with the Poor

The conference continues to support Open Table Nashville in its efforts to care for and move homeless individuals into permanent housing. This year, one of our churches invited the organization to build "tiny homes" on its property as transition housing for homeless individuals who are recovering after hospital stays. They can stay until permanent housing is secured.

The conference's Church and Society groups continue to lobby the legislature regarding affordable health care options for those who struggle to pay for health insurance.

• Improving Global Health

The conference entered into its second year raising funds for the Mama Lynn Center in the East Congo. This facility, named for our bishop's wife, will house women who are recovering from physical and emotional abuse.

• Developing Principled Christian Leaders

The conference is restructuring Connectional Ministries to better utilize resources and develop leaders throughout the area. The new team structure will foster accountability and encourage identifying leaders beyond "traditional positional leadership."

On-site and online courses and resources are being developed to ensure leaders – clergy and laity – have easily accessible training in safe sanctuaries, boundaries and sexual ethics, and inclusiveness.

• Creating New and Renewed Congregations

A new area-wide New Church Development team is already in place to support congregational creation and growth in both the Tennessee and Memphis conferences.

The conference's Older Adult Ministry is working with the Golden Cross Foundation to energize older congregations and to support ministries with seniors. A new resource for all congregations was just developed on how to do ministry with individuals who have Dementia or Alzheimer's and how to support their families in the church.

Submitted by Amy J. Hurd, Tennessee Conference director of communications. 

#