The Michigan Conference Journal went through format and content updates in this year’s edition, which is now available for download.

JAMES DEATON
Content Editor

The Committee on the Journal has completed a restructuring of the 2023 Michigan Conference Journal, and it’s now available for download as PDFs in two volumes. Churches and individuals can purchase a printed copy of the second volume only through Amazon.

The Journal, which reports and records the activities of the Michigan Conference for the previous conference year, has gone through formatting and content changes that are beneficial and long overdue based on a thorough review of the committee and Secretary Rev. Joy Barrett.

Regarding the format, the page size has been enlarged. Readability and accessibility were the primary reasons behind the page resizing, which increased it to 8.5″ x 11″ (for both print and digital editions). This page size is a much more common size for printers.

The Journal also has fewer pages overall, making it a lighter investment if one chooses to print pages out or order a hard copy. Last year’s Journal came in at 660 pages. This year’s, because content has been split out into two separate volumes plus a few supplemental parts, is at 84 pages (Volume 1: historical reports) and 360 pages (Volume 2: conference proceedings, lists of churches and clergy, statistics). Volume 2 is what is available for printing through Amazon.

The Committee on the Journal’s decision to reorganize the content also included removing directory-type content (mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.) from the lists of clergy, churches, and conference staff and committees published in the Journal. The rationale behind removing this personal data is twofold: personal privacy and accuracy.

Personal contact information must be better protected against malevolent phishing when making this data available online. A PDF can only be so secure, so the decision was made to remove the data altogether. “Recent years have seen an explosion of phishing and scamming schemes due to the availability of email addresses online,” notes Joy Barrett. “Several conference staff persons, and perhaps some of you, have been victims of such schemes.”

The other reason is accuracy. No matter the fixed format, directories are out-of-date at the moment of publication. People want the most updated information when contacting others. Barrett says, “People move, get new phone numbers or email addresses, and jobs or positions change. Fewer and fewer people own or use a phone book; more and more people use the web for physical addresses.” She also notes that the Michigan Conference website has the most up-to-date information for conference leadership as well as district staff and office locations. “It is a much more reliable source of information than the Journal ever could be.”

Based on her communication with other secretaries, Barrett explains that the growing trend among annual conferences is to remove the directory portion of their print and digital Journals. So, all directory data has been completely removed from the Michigan Conference Journal. Pastoral and church leaders can obtain contact information for other churches and pastors by accessing password-protected data via Brick River, our conference database.

Pamela Stewart, Conference Statistician, is the primary manager of the conference’s database. She reminds pastors (active and retired clergy, and anyone assigned by a district superintendent) that, via a Brick River login, they can access not only their church dashboards but also the clergy directory and a page for updating their own contact information. Likewise, designated church leaders (administrative assistant/office manager, treasurer, and chair of the staff-parish relations committee) have access to view and edit their own church and leadership information through their Brick River church dashboards.

Through Brick River, pastors can also view their own contact information and make necessary edits. This goes for churches as well. Each church has a dashboard with basic contact information and a list of current leaders, which churches can easily export into various file formats and use as a directory. Since we’re in the midst of fall church/charge conference season, Stewart says it is an excellent opportunity for church leaders to review contact information in the Brick River dashboard and update their list of church leaders, including Lay Members of Annual Conference.

Stewart explains further, “Churches need to use their church dashboards, and pastors need to update their information. It will help us make the data we have better. People call and say we’re sending financial information to the church treasurer, who died 10 years ago. So, updating the church’s dashboard is the local church’s way of communicating with the conference.”

Church leaders with questions about our Brick River database and how to access personal and congregational data should review the Church Dashboard guide (click here to download) first and then contact Stewart at [email protected] if you need additional assistance.

Accurate record-keeping is an essential caretaking responsibility of the Conference Statistician, who contributes an annual report for inclusion in the Journal. Conference Secretary Joy Barrett and the Committee on the Journal also took this record-keeping seriously as they planned to make changes to the format and content of the Journal.

Barrett went through The Book of Discipline to determine what information is required and what we’ve included over the years for convenience or out of habit. Once a reorganization plan was decided upon, the committee under Barrett’s leadership was tasked with streamlining the production in coordination with conference IT and communications staff.

The changes implemented this year have been in process for a few years. Barrett explains, “Since the formation of the Michigan Conference in 2019, the Committee on the Journal has been considering several changes for the Journal. The former West Michigan and Detroit Conferences included in their journals the contents required by The Book of Discipline and added items that were uniquely their own. Having navigated the initial task of melding two former conference Journals into one, the team felt this was the year to move forward with several changes to ensure long-term quality and sustainability for the production of the Michigan Conference Journal.”

In addition to the two primary volumes, other items were separated and made standalone documents only available on the Journal web page. This includes the Plan of Organization and Rules of Order for the Michigan Annual Conference. Other Journal sections, including various conference policies and the annual audit, will also be published on this web page in the near future.

Faithful volunteers do the detailed work of the Committee on the Journal. Rev. David Eardley, Chair of the Commission on the Annual Conference Session, appreciates their ministry each year in compiling the Journal. “Through their hard work, we have an accurate record of all our work during Annual Conference. Over the years, I have appreciated the information provided in the Journal and have returned to it many times to seek information about resolutions and our conference leadership. The new format and updates make it even more accessible and user-friendly to laity and clergy.”

Eardley also expressed heartfelt gratitude for Barrett’s leadership as Secretary. “Rev. Barrett is truly an inspirational leader within our Annual Conference. She leads by example and is always ready to help. I am so grateful for her faithful dedication to the work on the Journal Committee and its most recent updates. I am blessed by her wisdom and insights through our work together on the Commission. Joy lives out her faith with grace toward all.”

Last Updated on October 17, 2023