Registration for the 2025 Michigan Annual Conference, “Unfinished: Growing Up and Into Christ,” opens this Saturday, March 1. Review these details prior to registering.
JAMES DEATON
Content Editor
Lay and clergy members of the Michigan Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church will meet for business, fellowship, and worship from May 30 to June 1, 2025, at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme, near Traverse City, Michigan.
Annual Conference begins with the Opening Worship and Memorial Service on Friday, May 30, and concludes at 2 pm on Sunday, June 1. The clergy session will be held on Thursday, May 29.
Bishop David Bard will preach during the opening service, and you’ll have a chance to give toward an offering benefiting two longstanding mission partners: Haitian Assets for Peace International (HAPI) and the Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village. Bishop Bard has designated a 10% tithe to go to UMCOR US Disaster Response and Recovery, most recently addressing devastation from Hurricane Helene on the East Coast and the California wildfires. Learn more.
Registration opens on Saturday, March 1, at 9:00 am Eastern / 8 am Central. Lay and clergy members already in the Brick River database will receive an email at 9 am with registration instructions and a link. Use the link provided in the email to register. Local church administrators should ensure their elected lay members are listed in Brick River correctly so they can receive all necessary communications for annual conference.
Review this article and follow the directions for updating Brick River information for lay members of annual conference. Contact Conference Statistician Pamela Stewart at pstewart@michiganumc.org if you have questions regarding Brick River access.
Review this document carefully prior to registration. Please be patient if you encounter registration problems and need to contact Annual Conference Registrar Sarah Vollmer. She is now teaching full-time and will respond as she is able during nights and weekends.
Early registration closes on May 1. Those who register after this date will not be able to participate in legislative committees. Online registration reopens on May 22, with a $50 late fee not covered for equalization members or retirees. Program and meal options will also be limited.
The 2025 Michigan Annual Conference website is live. It has the full schedule (click to view), information about accommodations and activities, and downloadable copies of reports and other essential materials. More information will be released in the coming weeks.
Online legislative committees will meet on May 20 and 21 at 7 pm each night. Full details on legislation will be posted by April 15, but members can already preview the proposed UMC constitutional amendments that all annual conferences will vote on this year.
Please note one major change to the schedule this year. The Service of Recognition, Commissioning, and Ordination will be held on Sunday, June 1, at 11 am Eastern. It will be live-streamed, so local church leaders can plan to broadcast it instead of using pulpit supply while their pastor attends annual conference.
On Friday morning, there will be several pre-conference activities to enjoy and do good for a variety of causes, including a Rice Meal Packing event for all ages (learn more), a Golf Scramble in support of our Michigan Conference campus ministries (learn more and register now), and a ØK Walk/Run to End Child Hunger in Michigan (learn more and register after March 1).
Midwest Mission will return for a Rice Meal Packing event for hunger relief on Friday morning. We’re raising the bar this year and hope to assemble even more than we did last year: 8,000 packs in three hours, providing 48,000 meals. When you register for annual conference, you’ll have a chance to donate money to pre-order supplies and sign up to be one of the 250 volunteers who will pack them on Friday morning. If you have a large team for assembly or a group donation, please contact Conference Events Planner Nancy Arnold at narnold@michiganumc.org.
Conference staff members invite everyone to join the fun on Friday night, 7:00 pm, at the EngageMI Mission Festival. You’ll get to meet more than 40 of our ministry partners, enjoy snacks and desserts, and welcome Bishop David and Julie Bard back to the Michigan Conference.
Through the generosity of the United Methodist Foundation (UMF) of Michigan, each conference registrant will receive five $1 Mission Bucks to spend at the EngageMI Mission Festival. If you wish to do more, UMF of Michigan will match your personal $5 donation with another $5 to spend at the festival. Registrants will receive a link to donate by April 1. All participating missions will receive their funding post-conference.
This year’s theme is “Unfinished: Growing Up and Into Christ,” and Debie Thomas, a lay Episcopal teacher and author, will be the keynote speaker and teacher. She will speak during the Laity Perspective event on Friday and then lead a teaching session on Saturday morning. Debie is a sought-after speaker on Scripture, faith, writing, and spiritual practice. Read this MIconnect interview with Debie to learn more about her ministry.
Two verses from Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians inspired this year’s theme:
“But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16, NRSVUE).
This scriptural theme invites us to explore a faith that expands beyond our limits and welcomes transformation. Our ministry together as Michigan United Methodists is a journey of collective Spirit-filled discernment, rooted in the belief that our faith is vast and constantly expanding. Through conversations, worship, and reflection, we will seek to grow into the fullness of Christ.
Conference staff members invite you to the 2025 Michigan Annual Conference. Please bookmark this website as you prepare for our time together. In the coming weeks, notices and articles in MIconnect will share reminders.
Last Updated on March 4, 2025