01 Nov Erinn Caley Leaves as Administrative Assistant

Erinn Caley came to the United Brethren Headquarters in March 2006, serving as Administrative Assistant. In that role she carried out a variety of duties for Bishop Ron Ramsey, Healthy Church Director Pat Jones, and Communications Director Steve Dennie. Erinn is the daughter of Mike and Lynne Caley, who serve the Banner of Christ UB church in Byron Center, Mich.

On October 31, Erinn began a new job: as an English teacher at Whitko High School in South Whitley, Ind. Her high competence, graphic design expertise, and good humor will be missed at the Headquarters. Bishop Ramsey is interviewing applicants for the position. In the meantime, your calls to Bishop Ramsey or Pat Jones will be channeled to other staff members.

24 Mar Michigan Conference Moves Toward Disbanding

Michigan Conference’s mid-year session was held in February at Brown Corners UB church in Clare, Mich. The delegates took action to disband the conference as of July 2006, in compliance with the vision of the 2005 US National Conference.
The delegates heard reports and recommendations from conference ministries. Here is a summary of the actions taken:

• A new association consisting of Michigan Conference churches will be formed. Articles of incorporation and bylaws are being developed. Information on the new association will be mailed to local churches in time for their June board meetings.
• The Lane-Dulcenia Home, Carson City Christian Camping Center, the insurance program, and oversight of a fund balance for quizzing will come under the umbrella of the new association.
• Camp Living Water (Luther, Mich.) is working on a name change and will consider if and how they might wish to participate in the association.
• The conference’s Cabinent of Missions will disband, and the Roger Carey Scholarship Fund will be administered under the authority of the Michigan Regional Women’s Missionary Fellowship.
• The Board of Church Multiplication has eliminated the paid position of Director of Church Planting in Michigan Conference. The new church being planted in Portland will proceed as a locally sponsored effort by Sunfield and the Wesleyan denomination.
• $100,000 earmarked for the Portland plant has been reallocated to church planting projects in Michigan, under the oversight of the national Church Multiplication Leadership Team. If any money is left after five years, the CMLT will have the freedom to use the funds for church planting anywhere.

08 Mar Bishop’s Report to the ELT

Pat Jones, Director of Healthy Church Ministries, reporting to the Executive Leadership Team

The Executive Leadership Team met March 6-7 at the United Brethren Headquarters in Huntington, Ind. Bishop Ron Ramsey presented his report covering his first six months in office, August 15-2005 to February 28, 2006. Here are excerpts:

These first 6 months were spent generally:

• In getting moved and settled in Huntington.
• Becoming involved in a steep learning curve as to the status of the various areas of emphasis.
• Becoming acquainted with the condition of churches and pastors.
• Picking up stationing committee duties for churches needing pastors.
• Learning the routines and procedures of the office and staff.

The transition has gone well. There are always some bumps and surprises along the way, but all in all it was a good initial beginning. Pat Jones and I have formed a solid team and positive working relationship. Along with Gary Dilley, Steve Dennie, and Marci Hammel, we have a strong administrative team in place. Adding Tom Blaylock as a part time Director of Church Multiplication was a good decision and we will see benefits from that decision.

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07 Mar Pastoral Ministry Team – What It’s Been Doing

The PMLT meeting in February. Chairman Tom Brodbeck is on the right.
The Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team was created by the 2005 US National Conference to oversee the licensing and ordination process and give leadership to the professional development of our ministers. Bishop Ron Ramsey appointed Tom Brodbeck as chairperson.
This group has met twice, most recently on February 27-28, 2006. Tom Brodbeck reports the following:
Summary of Decisions Made.

• We reaffirmed the action of the US National Conference that the sections on “Ministry” from the 2001-2005 Discipline, plus the denomination’s official statements on theological issues, will constitute the Pastoral Ministry Handbook. Theological issues included so far are: Depravity, Divine Foreknowledge, Destiny of the Unevangelized, the 1974 statement on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and an 1977 statement on the Word of God. We are in the process of editing the sections from Discipline for posting on the website.
• We appointed PMLT team members as chairmen of regional Ministerial Licensing and Ordination Teams. With this format, we will be able to have up to ten regional teams trained and ready to interview and assess ministerial candidates, with a consistency in interview style and outcome. Each chairman is submitting names to the bishop for approval as additional team members. Each team will establish two interview dates (one in May, one in October) to be announced to the church.

“To Do” List

• Review the delivery system and expected outcomes for United Brethren Church history.
• Review and confirm the names of the ministers who are in licensing process from each of the conferences
• Re-think all of the licensing options provided within the US church.
• Review and revise recruitment materials and develop (with the Bishop) a comprehensive strategy for recruiting new ministers.
• Design and develop ways of tracking and advertising quality continuing education opportunities for elders.
• Review and revise the current roll of ministers

19 Jan Cluster Coaches Appointed

It is a new year for the United Brethren Church–not just because the calendar says it’s a new year, but because of all the changes that became official on January 1. One of those changes involves organizing our churches and pastors into Healthy Church Clusters, rather than organizing around conferences. The Healthy Church Cluster is now the entity to which congregations and pastors are primarily accountable.
A cluster is a group of 7-10 pastors and churches who meet on a regular basis for mutual support, pastoral development, encouragement, coaching, accountability, friendship, healthy church development, fun (yes I said fun!), sharing of ideas, prayer, and reporting. Thus far, 31 cluster groups have formed. Pat Jones, our new Director of Healthy Church Ministries, has worked hard at organizing these clusters. Some decisions remain in certain areas of our denomination, and some pastors have not responded to the call to join a cluster. But for the most part, we are well organized.
One of the bishop’s responsibilities is to appoint a leader for each group, a person we are calling the Healthy Church Cluster Coach. Bishop Ron Ramsey has announced the leaders for all of the clusters which have formed thus far. You can view the clusters and leaders here.
The first Cluster Leader Training will take place on January 25 and 26 at the Michindoh Ministries Camp and Conference Center in Hillsdale, Mich.

19 Jan National Conference Assessments

As of January 1, the new National Conference structure is official. One major change involves the way we handle assessments (sending monetary support for denominational ministries). Each church will now send 3.5% of its total income (minus new construction funds, missions giving, and estate gifts) directly to the United Brethren Headquarters. No longer will churches send assessments through the conference. Each church is responsible for calculating the amount they need to send.
Please note that the 3.5% is just the assessment portion. Any other funds, such as pastor pension, need to be kept separate. Conferences may require an additional percentage (for instance, Central Conference churches must give an additional 1% to support conference ministries until the conference is able to official dissolve–something it can’t do yet because of pending legal action against the conference).
Your church’s treasurer should have already received forms to use when sending money to headquarters.

19 Jan 2005 Yearly Reports

On January 19, the annual reports for the year 2005 were mailed to all ministers. The forms have changed very little from previous years. However, the reporting process has changed. The originals will be sent to the Bishop (instead of to the conference superintendent). In addition, Bishop Ramsey wants pastors to make copies for their fellow cluster members. The cluster will serve as the “auditing” committee, since it is the place where congregations and pastors are primarily accountable. Information about the reports, including downloadable forms, is available online.

21 Dec Cluster Update

For the past couple months, local churches have been organizing into “clusters” of 5-7 churches. A good share of our churches are now identified with a cluster. Bishop Ron Ramsey plans to announce the cluster leaders by the end of the year.