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In a little bit, I will be driving to St. Charles for the Missouri Annual Conference. Tomorrow, I will be joined by our lay leader, Hailey Magnus, our Crossroads Intern, Addison McCarty, and hundreds of clergy and laity throughout Missouri.
One of the first orders of business will be the vote for the disaffiliation of 75 churches from the United Methodist Church. None of the churches who sued our Annual Conference were successful. All of those churches are disaffiliating by the rules established by The Book of Discipline that governs our denomination. The real result of those lawsuits has only been exorbitant legal fees and heartbreak for many. Although our conference is well prepared for this vote, it will be an emotional moment. But only for a moment. And then we will move on to the business for which we exist as United Methodists: making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. There is nothing more important.
The highlight of the weekend will be the service of commissioning and ordination of clergy that takes place on Sunday morning. It is a very traditional worship experience (I actually wear my robe and stole) that reaches back to the days of John Wesley and the founding of the Methodist Movement. It will be a time to look forward to the new thing God is doing through the lives of those choosing to enter into covenant as ordained elders and deacons. I have the honor of being a part of the proceedings as the Chair of the Order of Deacons and a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry.
The final service of the Missouri Annual Conference is the “Fixing of Appointments and Sending Forth” by Bishop Robert Farr. For hundreds of years, clergy have been appointed to serve one year at a time. Our new year will begin July 1st, and I look forward to being appointed as your Lead Pastor and welcoming, with you, The Downtown Church’s first Associate Pastor: Brian Mattson. I am a better pastor and a better person because of the work I have done with Brian over the years, and I am grateful beyond measure that we will continue to serve Christ and the community together through The Downtown Church in the coming year. At the end of the conference we are all “sent forth” by Bishop Farr. And then the real business begins.
You are welcome to watch the Missouri Annual Conference as it is livestreamed throughout the weekend. If you have any questions, please contact me and I will be happy to have a conversation with you next week.
Blessings,
Lori
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