No secrets: Episcopal Area Transition Team announces general direction

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TOPEKA, Kan. - Tom Watson, chairperson of the Nebraska-Kansas Episcopal Area Transition Team, wants people in all three conferences to know that it is not a secret process when it comes to figuring out how the two episcopal areas will align as one in September 2012.

“There's sometimes a sense that decisions are made and people have been left out of the process,” said Watson. “On the contrary, we took surveys at annual conference sessions, we conducted listening sessions across all three conferences, we publicized the comment forms on the websites, and we continue to want to have input from anyone who has a good idea about how to meet the needs of the Nebraska-Kansas mission field.”

A little more than a year ago, United Methodists in Nebraska and Kansas were given a mandate from the South Central Jurisdiction to figure out how to become one episcopal area.

That mandate sent the three conferences into a period of learning and discernment. A team was named to begin the work of creating the structure for the new episcopal area.

“There were four areas we paid attention to,” said the Rev. Charlotte Abrams, team member from TRI-Community United Methodist Church in Omaha. “We learned about each other and our annual conferences; we learned from our members in our listening sessions; we learned from what other annual conferences who are working with a similar mandate were doing; and what we believe God’s dream is for us.”

The feedback from the three annual conference sessions and the 17 listening sessions had one thing in common, a real openness for change.

As team members worked with that knowledge over the past 12 months, they were captured by a much larger vision for making disciples in the two states rather than maintaining the status quo. The vision focuses on a mission field that is more alike than different. There are great similarities in geography, demographics and the values of the people in the three conferences. Opportunities for mission and justice work also are comparable between the two areas.

“That vision set us off to explore the idea of creating one new annual conference,” said the Rev. Wayne Alloway, team member from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Lincoln, Neb. “We are still looking for input, and that’s why we want to talk to as many people in the conferences as possible about our thinking.”

On March 13, 2011, the transition team will host a live webcast across the three annual conferences. Viewers will be able to call in and e-mail questions, concerns and feedback.

Team members have identified the deployment of passionate leaders for effective ministry in the mission field as a top priority. In general, the mission field describes the three conferences’ common opportunities for evangelism, outreach and justice work in keeping with the overall mission of The United Methodist Church to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

With that focus in mind, team members have looked at how best to get the most resources into the hands of local church members to make them more effective at making disciples in their local mission fields, said Bob Cox, team member from Hays, Kan.

“The purpose of the transition team was to figure out how to organize for ministry in a new episcopal area,” said the Rev. David Livingston, from St. Paul’s UMC in Lenexa, Kan. “Working together as one unified area will help us to better align our spiritual, technological and financial resources for efficiently and effectively fulfilling the needs of our mission in the 21st century.”

Watson reminded the group that the annual conferences need to understand that this is a two-step process. First, the three conferences have to approve a recommendation from the transition team. Then, the conferences have to obtain permission from the South Central Jurisdiction to make area changes. In addition, if feedback and comments suggest another direction is more viable, the transition team will go back to the drawing board. The goal is to have a recommendation ready for the 2011 annual conference sessions.

The Transition Team is giving serious consideration to becoming one conference. To keep that exploration going, their work between now and the annual conference sessions will be to continue to develop the big picture of what the new annual conference will look like. Part of that work is the identification and creation of technical teams to work on the nuts and bolts of what it will take to move to a new annual conference. These groups will address questions like the location of offices, numbers of districts, distribution of assets, and pension and benefits - questions that will need to be addressed regardless of the number of conferences.

Team members remain open to receiving input from people across the three conferences as they continue to develop their recommendation.

“We’re not finished yet,” said Kansas Area Bishop Scott Jones. “I’m leaning toward one conference, but I’ve got some questions that still need to be checked out.”

Bishop Ann Sherer-Simpson affirmed Jones’ openness to hearing additional thoughts on how best to serve the mission field of the new episcopal area.

“At the end of the day, we want to make sure anyone who has an opinion on the matter has had an opportunity for their ideas to be heard and considered,” concluded Watson.

The transition team’s next meeting is Feb. 10-11, 2011, at St. Mark’s UMC in Lincoln, Neb. Questions can be e-mailed to info@umcneb.org, office@kansaseast.org, info@kswestumc.org, or by using one of the comment forms from the conferences’ websites: www.kswestumc.org, www.kansaseast.org or www.umcneb.org.

Comments also can also be submitted by calling the Rev. Dr. Carol Roettmer Brewer at 402-464-4994, ext. 111; the Rev. Gary Beach at 785-272-9111; or the Rev. Gary Brooks at 316-684-6652.

Save the date!

The Nebraska-Kansas Episcopal Area Transition Team will host a live webcast on March 13, 2011, at 4 p.m., to share their sense of direction and gather additional feedback for the recommendation to be made at the three annual conference sessions in 2011. A draft of the transition team’s work will be made available prior to the webcast to allow ample time for people to review. Viewing group locations and additional information on the format of the webcast will be announced in February.