As the freshly reorganized Michigan Conference moves beyond its first month, Rev. Dean Prentiss, superintendent of the Greater Southwest District, reminds us that new life often begins in seasons of change, when people are willing to listen, adapt, and trust the Spirit’s leading.
DEAN PRENTISS
Superintendent, Greater Southwest District
One month into life as four districts, the Michigan Conference is learning again what it means to become something new together. On July 1, following action by the 2026 Michigan Annual Conference, seven districts turned into four — Central Shores, Greater Detroit, Greater Southwest, and Northern Skies — and a new Conference Superintendent began work. Read more about the redistricting. The change has brought new maps, rhythms, teams, branches, zones, and questions. More importantly, it has invited us into new relationships, renewed imagination, and a deeper reliance on the grace of God.
Download the new district map.
Download the list of churches, organized by district.
Transitions often reveal both our hopes and our limits. In this first month, pastors, laity, district staff, superintendents, and conference leaders have been learning names and local contexts and discovering the gifts already present across these new districts. Some communities are meeting their new district leadership for the first time. Some are reconnecting with churches that have long shared ministry nearby but are now formally joined in a new way. In every place, relationship-building has become the first faithful work.
Those relationships matter because a district is more than a boundary on a map. A district is a network of congregations and leaders called to encourage, resource, and serve Christ’s mission together. As trust grows, so does the capacity to ask different kinds of questions: What might we do better together than alone? Where is God already at work among us? Which ministries are ready to be strengthened, shared, or newly imagined? What forms of connection can help clergy and congregations feel less isolated and more supported?
The move to four geographic districts grew, in part, from practical realities, including the need to align ministry needs with financial capacity. Yet the first month has also reminded us that faithful stewardship is not about doing less with less. At its best, stewardship creates space to discern what matters most and to imagine new possibilities for the sake of the gospel. Across the conference, creativity is already emerging: renewed collaboration among leaders, fresh attention to healthy partnerships, and conversations about how local churches can connect to strengthen discipleship, mission, and community impact.
Of course, no transition is seamless. New systems take time. Communication patterns need testing and refinement. Staff and leaders shoulder significant responsibilities while learning new roles. Clergy and congregations may feel uncertainty, grief, curiosity, relief, or all of these at once. That is why this season asks us to offer and receive much grace. Grace for the person learning a new process. Grace for the leader fielding more questions than usual. Grace for the congregation wondering what will change and what will remain. Grace for ourselves when the way forward is not yet fully clear.
Grace does not mean pretending the work is easy. It means choosing patience, generosity, and honesty as we do the work together. It means listening carefully before jumping to conclusions. It means naming challenges without losing sight of God’s faithfulness. It means making room for questions while continuing to move forward. In a connectional church, grace is more than a kind gesture; it is part of how we practice being the body of Christ.
As the freshly reorganized Michigan Conference moves beyond this first month, we do so with deep faith and tremendous hope. Faith reminds us that God does not wait for every structure to be perfect before calling people to follow Jesus, serve neighbors, and transform communities. Hope reminds us that new life often begins in seasons of change, when people are willing to listen, learn, adapt, and trust the Spirit’s leading.
The first month of living into four geographic districts has not answered every question, but it has given us a place to begin. We begin by building relationships. We begin by imagining possibilities. We begin by extending grace. We begin by remembering that the mission entrusted to us has not changed: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. And we begin together, confident that the God who has brought us this far will continue to lead us forward.
The ministry of our superintendents is made possible thanks to generous financial gifts from local United Methodist churches in Michigan through Ministry Shares. Thank you! Learn about the impact of Ministry Shares on mission and ministry in Michigan and around the world.
Last Updated on August 19, 2026