19 Jul National Conference Business Meeting

While most of the photos you will see and the stories you will hear of this year’s national conference, it is important to note that one of the primary reasons we gather as a denominational body every two years is to do the business of the denomination. This includes hearing reports presented by national directors, discussing and voting on discipline revision proposals, and electing denominational leaders. 

Director Reports

This year we welcomed Dr. Robert Pepper, President of Huntington University, to the stage to report as the Director of Higher Education. This was the first time many of us had met Dr. Pepper, and he was eager to share what he has learned about HU since he moved to town as well as his vision for what is ahead for the university under his leadership. 

You can read Dr. Pepper’s report along with the reports from other national directors here.

Discipline Revision

In 2024, Bishop Todd Fetters assembled a task force, led by Pastor Gary Dilley, to take a fresh look at how the United Brethren Discipline defines “church.” Historically, it had been defined by a certain number of members living within a specified radius of the church building. However, as culture shifts and the church expands, new expressions of the church are coming into existence that are no longer bound by a physical location or membership from a geographical radius. 

This task force spent months examining and scrutinizing, through biblical, theological, and historical reviews, our traditional definition of a local church. They developed a white paper to present to the conference based on their work along with fourteen proposals for discipline revision. All fourteen proposals passed, some with a few minor wording adjustments. 

Election Results

The final important piece of business of the meeting involved electing the Bishop and four members of the Executive Leadership Team. Tim Sherman, chair of the nominating committee, presented the ballots for those positions, and votes were cast. The results were as follows:

Office of Bishop

Todd Fetters was elected to another four-year term.

Executive Leadership Team

Brent Leichty (east region) and Jason Holliday (west region) were elected as clergy representatives.

Tyler Bates (central region) and Bob Tobey (north region) were elected as lay representatives. 

And one more thing…

 

We took the opportunity to celebrate Cathy Reich, whose love and passion for the church have been evident for the 27 years she served at the United Brethren National Office. Cathy retired in the fall of 2024 but was able to pop back in to help us with a few details leading up to this conference.

We will share more about the conference in the coming days, including photos from the week and videos of the worship sessions.