District structure in The Michigan Area is changing. Design Team welcomes input.
The Michigan Area Design Team will soon submit a proposal for district structure of the new Michigan Annual Conference for approval at the Annual Conference in June 2017. This comes after more than two years of strategic discussion with clergy, laity and district leadership, in addition to numerous public listening sessions across the state.
The proposal, recommends the new Michigan Annual Conference consist of nine districts with an equal number of District Superintendents and Administrative staff. The Michigan Area currently consists of 12 district offices led by 11 district superintendents. The new structure, if approved at the Annual Conference, would go into effect on July 1, 2018.
The Design Team has organized three listening sessions for discussion of this district plan to be held as follows:
Listening session #1: Wednesday, April 5 at West Branch First UMC, 2490 State Road, West Branch, 7 to 9pm
Listening session #2: Thursday, April 6 at Jackson: First UMC, 275 W. Michigan Avenue, Jackson, 7 to 9pm
Listening session #3: Tuesday, May 9, Webinar in Lansing at the Michigan Area Ministry Center, 1011 Northcrest Road, 7-9pm
When this announcement was made on February 15, several questions were raised. The Design Team addresses these first responders questions here.
Concern shared by Don Archambeau: “As we move forward, step by step, I believe it is important to remember that change is not easy for many even though we may say it is The Chinese claim the worst curse you can put on someone is to say, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ The meaning behind this encompasses change and Americans claim to be the most tolerant but really are the least adaptive. As such, I am a bit dismayed to see the listening sessions approach the Metropolitan Detroit area only as close as Lansing and Jackson. The suburban part of the District may travel the distance, however the urban members do not. Please do not assume that the redistricting talks are most relevant to other than Metro Detroit. We dare not lose focus on all of Michigan.”
Response to Don Archambeau: “Thank you for your comments, Don. We do certainly value Metro Detroit. In our first rounds of listening sessions we had sessions in Metro Detroit. The truth is that our team from all around the State has mostly volunteered many days to this effort. Many on our team also have full-time jobs. We targeted this next round of sessions intentionally in those geographical regions in our State likely to experience the greatest adjustments in proposed district realignment. The Lansing session is being held in one of the few United Methodist locations in our State with the technology to link with others electronically who are unable to travel. We will also have the email link at [email protected] so any can comment or pose questions to us at any time.”
Concern shared by John Childs: “Your listening sessions this round ignore all the churches in the north end of the lower peninsula and all the churches in the UP — any of us who want to attend face a 200 to 600 mile round trip to Bay City — there are of churches that do not have internet service capable of supporting a webinar.”
Response to John Childs: “Thank you, John, for your comments. We certainly do value our Northern congregations and have been intentional about scheduling previous listening sessions there. During an earlier listening session in Marquette we acknowledged that any redistricting would likely have limited impact on the Upper Peninsula due to the vast geography. We targeted our next sessions intentionally in geographical regions in our State likely to experience the greatest adjustments in proposed district realignment. The Lansing session is being held in one of the few United Methodist locations in our State with the technology to link with others electronically who are unable to travel. We will also have the email link at [email protected] so any can comment or pose questions to us at any time. Please feel free to use this link. All feedback is most welcome.”
Concern shared by Jackie Rothfuss: “How will this affect my pension as a surviving clergy spouse? As a retiree, I depend on the financial support. Back in the day, women spouses were more apt to serve alongside their husbands, foregoing a job outside the home. Consequently I do not receive very much in Social Security. I would appreciate an answer to my question. Thank you.”
Response to Jackie Rothfuss: “Thank you for your concerns, Jackie. The retirement plan is a denominational plan for the entire United Methodist Church. The plan does not allow an annual conference (or any entity) to reduce the retirement benefits of an individual. As such, pension payments will not decrease or be adversely affected by the establishment of a new conference.”
To all in The Michigan Area Design Team Co-Chairs, Rev. Dr. Glenn M. Wagner and Rev. Marsha Woolley add this regarding the process. “Our 9 District Proposal Draft that will be discussed during our listening sessions has been shared with the full cabinet and all of the staff. It will be posted on the Area website on April 15th. The Bishop is tasked by the Discipline with the final drawing of the lines, establishing the names, and setting of the District offices which won’t be finalized until after the Annual Conference decides how many Districts we will have. The bishop will be posting the process of consultation that he will use to determine the new district boundaries. All of the District lines are being redrawn in this draft proposal to reflect geographic and cultural affinities and which also allows for staff resources to be redeployed in ways that will provide creative disruption and we hope new energy for our vision to equip and connect for Christ Centered Mission and Ministry, Bold and Effective Leaders, and Vibrant Congregations.”
Watch for the final proposal available at Design.MichiganUMC.org on April 15. Comments can be sent to the Design Team at [email protected].
Last Updated on December 28, 2022