Steve Dennie (right), Director of Communications

The US National Conference, meeting on June 27, eliminated the local conference, the highest governing body of each church. Which is probably news to you. I’m guessing you haven’t heard of such an entity being part of your church’s organizational structure. More to the point, even though “highest governing body” sounds important, axing it will probably not change anything about how your church operates.

The local conference seems to have outlived its usefulness and was ready for the organizational scrapheap. And yet, the local conference has played an important role throughout UB history, so it’s worth explaining what exactly just went bye-bye.

Every church has a local board (often called “administrative board”) which meets regularly to oversee the affairs of the church. However, technically, the highest governing body of each church has been the local conference, which consists of:

  • The board of administration.
  • Plus the bishop.
  • Plus the cluster leader (or conference superintendent in earlier times).
  • Plus all persons in that church who hold a ministerial license.

The bishop, superintendent, or cluster leader chaired local conferences.

Before we did away with annual conferences in 2005, the conference superintendent typically met with each church’s local conference once a year (it was actually four times a year further back, if you can believe that; we called it the quarterly conference). Practices probably differed from conference to conference, but the way I saw it operate is: we would hold our regular board meeting, adjourn, and then the conference superintendent would convene the local conference with pretty much the same group of people. The local conference could grant and renew local church ministerial licenses, handle church trials and appeals, and disband a church. It was a step above the administrative board, which handled most church business.

The local conference became somewhat superfluous in 2005 when we killed off the annual conferences. Plus, it didn’t fit very well into modern organizational structures. (The church’s highest governing body is chaired by somebody who isn’t even part of the church? Really?) Licensing now occurs throughout the year, and the regular local board can handle just fine all issues previously assigned to the local conference. We don’t need this uber group.

Besides, the local conference as we’ve known it created a conflict in large churches with many licensed ministers on staff. Since all of those ministers are voting members of the local conference, they can potentially outnumber the laypersons on the board, making the pastoral staff the major “power” block. This also puts staff in a position of authority regarding the senior pastor, to whom they are accountable. Not a good situation, from an organizational standpoint.

The National Conference readily agreed. They approved, without discussion, the proposal to discontinue the local conference. So now, the local board is the church’s highest governing body, period. No other local church group can trump their decisions.

And yet….

One element of the local conference involved calling a special meeting with the bishop if matters arose which, it was felt, required the bishop’s involvement. It seemed wise to keep this option available. So, in another proposal, we added a provision by which this can still happen. It, too, passed without comment. It says:

“A special meeting of the local board may be requested by the bishop, the cluster leader, the senior pastor, or upon a written request from the local board. The bishop will determine whether or not to actually call a special meeting. The bishop or his designee shall chair special meetings of the local board.”

A “special meeting” is not a business meeting, but has a specific purpose—probably to deal with a problem of some kind. The local board is still the decision-making body of the church.

A special meeting can be requested of the bishop, but not demanded just by putting in the request. As the wording states, the bishop will decide whether or not to actually call a special meeting. It may be that the bishop feels the problem can be better solved in other ways, so the proposal gives him that flexibility. For instance, if two persons are in conflict, maybe the bishop will opt to get together with the two of them and hash things out. No sense using a bazooka when a BB gun might do the trick.

So, the local conference is gone, and we’ve cleaned up the local church organizational structure. But churches still have an avenue for requesting the bishop’s intervention.

Bishop Phil Whipple (left) recognizing Dick and Darlene Case.

Bishop Phil Whipple (left) recognizing Dick and Darlene Case.

Bishop Phil Whipple attended Dillman UB church (Warren, Ind.) on July 1 to recognize the retirement of senior pastor Dick Case. Pastor Case was given a retirement pin for his 25 years as a United Brethren minister. Dick retired as of June 30, 2013.

Dick and Darlene Case have served Dillman church since 2004. Before that, they pastored Crestview UB (Lafayette, Ind.) 1991-2004. Their years in the ministry also included five years at a non-denominational church, three years at the former Kettering UB church in Ohio, and nine years as campus pastor at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

Dick graduated from Huntington University in 1966 with a degree in Psychology and from the HU Seminary in 1972 with a Master of Divinity. He was ordained as a UB minister in 1964.

Dick’s home church is the Bethel UB church in Wichita, Kansas, and Darlene’s home church is Brown Corners UB in Clare, Mich. Dick and Darlene, married in 1964, have two children.

 

Bishop Phil Whipple conducts the ordination service for Don Gentry (kneeling with his wife Stacy).

Bishop Phil Whipple conducts the ordination service for Don Gentry (kneeling with his wife Stacy).

L-r: Stacy Gentry, Bishop Phil Whipple, and Don Gentry.

L-r: Stacy Gentry, Bishop Phil Whipple, and Don Gentry.

Don Gentry was ordained Sunday night, July 1, at New Hope Church in Camden, Mich. Don has pastored New Hope since 2005. Bishop Phil Whipple conducted the ordination at New Hope. Don and his wife, Stacy, a former UB missionary in Macau, have three children.

Victor Collins and wife Susan with Bishop Whipple.

Victor Collins and wife Susan with Bishop Whipple.

Bishop Whipple conducts the ordination of Jason Holliday (kneeling with wife Christy).

Bishop Whipple conducts the ordination of Jason Holliday (kneeling with wife Christy).

Todd and Julie Rupp with Bishop Whipple.

Todd and Julie Rupp with Bishop Whipple.

Todd and Amy Yoder kneel as Bishop Whipple conducts the ordination ceremony.

Todd and Amy Yoder kneel as Bishop Whipple conducts the ordination ceremony.

During the closing service of National Conference on Saturday, June 29, Bishop Phil Whipple ordained four men as elders in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA. All four serve in staff positions at United Brethren churches.

Victor Collins is associate pastor of Kilpatrick UB church in Woodland, Mich. He has served in that role since 2004. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Theology from Vennard College in Iowa (1994), and earned the Master of Divinity in 1998 from Asbury Seminary. He received his national conference ministerial license in 2005. He and his wife, Susan, were married in 1983 and have three children.

Todd Yoder is associate pastor of Jerusalem Chapel in Churchville, Va. He served four years as youth pastor of Monroe UB church in Monroe, Ind., before going to Jerusalem Chapel as youth pastor in 2003. Todd graduated from Taylor University (Upland, Ind.) in 2001 with a degree in Pastoral Ministry. Todd’s wife, Amy, is from Monroe and graduated from nearby Ball State University in 1994 with a degree in Accounting. They were married in 2002 and have four children.

Jason Holliday is Pastor of Family Ministries at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. He graduated from Huntington University in 1996 with a degree in Educational Ministries, and in 2012 received the Master of Ministries degree from Bethel College (Mishawaka, Ind.). Jason spent four years serving at a United Methodist church in Markle, Ind. (1999-2004), and joined the Emmanuel staff in 2004. Jason received a Specialized Ministry license in 2005. Jason and his wife Christy, who holds a Math degree from Huntington University, were married in 1999 and have two children.

Todd Rupp is Pastor of Youth Equipping Ministries at Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. He has served on staff there since 2004, when he came as an intern. Todd received the Specialized Ministry license in 2005. He graduated from Huntington University in 2005 with a degree in Physical Education, and received a Masters in Ministry degree from Bethel College (Mishawaka, Ind.) in 2010. Todd and his wife, Julie (a 2005 Music Education graduate from HU), were married in 2004 and have two children.

To qualify for ordination, a person must meet these qualifications:

  1. Hold a national conference ministerial license for at least two years.
  2. Complete the course of study outlined in the Pastoral Ministry Handbook.
  3. Serve for two years in a recognized ministry appointment approved by the Pastoral Ministry Leadership Team.
  4. Demonstrate a level of faithfulness and competency which warrants consideration for the status of ordained elder.

Women of the Hillsdale Evening Missionary Society.

Women of the Hillsdale Evening Missionary Society.

Skits from the youth (left) and music from Noble Bertalon and his band were part of the 60th anniversary celebration.

Skits from the youth (left) and music from Noble Bertalon and his band were part of the 60th anniversary celebration.

The Evening Missionary Society of the Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.) celebrated their 60th anniversary on June 6, 2013.

With over 100 attending, the celebration kicked off with a complimentary dinner catered by the Tastes of Life Restaurant of Hillsdale. Following dinner, guests enjoyed music and drama skits performed in the sanctuary.

Donna Hollopeter (right), Global Ministries associate director, was the speaker for the evening. She showed a slide presentation of missions work around the world.

Two members of the Evening Missionary Society, Marilyn Duryea and Lois James, attended the first meeting in February 1953, and are still active members today. Marilyn told how the Evening Missionary Society got started. She stated that back in 1953 there were three women’s missionary groups at Hillsdale UB, all meeting in the daytime. Many mission-minded women worked during the day and could not attend, so they formed a missionary group that could meet in the evening.

“We were an ambitious group and enjoyed the work meetings,” Marilyn stated. The group tore up sheets, rolled them into bandages, and wrapped them up to be sent in barrels to Africa. They also collected empty pill bottles.

The group has used several methods to support missions, in addition to paying dues and taking offerings. They have had bake sales, yard sales, white elephant sales, and have sold cards, napkins, and dishcloths.

Two members of the group, Sharon Frank and Judy Hoath, were recognized for the years they spent in Sierra Leone as missionary nurses. Also recognized were missionaries Harold and MaryAnn Hancock, just back from Jamaica, and hometown missionary Pastor Jack Mosley, each expressing their thanks for the support they have received the HUB.

In addition, Pastor James Knoll and wife Elizabeth were recognized and thanked for their many years of missionary service in Japan.

EMS President Audrey Whaley (right) stated, “The Evening Missionary Society faithfully meets every month, praying for and financially supporting missionaries worldwide. Reaching out into the community by collecting needed items for organizations county wide such as Alpha Omega, Kings Cupboard, Band of Hope, Domestic Harmony, and several others, is one of the many activities EMS is involved in.”

For the past several years the group has made homemade cookies, assembled them into platters, and delivered them to the local police and fire departments, emergency services personnel, and the County Road Commission as a thank you for their many services to the community.

We were informed that Pastor Brad Kittle’s father had emergency surgery on Tuesday, July 2. He received 21 pints of blood, and was given a 10% chance of survival. Brad reported to a fellow pastor that his father is improving, but is not out of the woods. Brad (right) is pastor of Praise Point UB church in Willshire, Ohio. Surely he would appreciate your prayers.

Bradley Kittle
555 Decatur Rd
Willshire, OH 45898

Bishop Phil Whipple chaired the meetings of the US National Conference business meeting.

Bishop Phil Whipple chaired the US National Conference business meeting on Thursday, June 27.

Steve Dennie, Director of Communications

The major issue before the 2013 US National Conference last week involved the National Conference Covenant, which churches sign every two years. Substantial changes were being proposed. Everybody knew it would be a major source of discussion on the conference floor, and it was.

The National Conference Covenant was instituted in 2005. Every two years, all UB churches must sign the Covenant to remain part of the denomination. Through the Covenant, they reaffirm these six points:

  1. They are committed to the Confession of Faith.
  2. They agree with the core values of the United Brethren in Christ, International.
  3. They agree to abide by the Constitution and Discipline of the US National Conference.
  4. They are passionate about fulfilling the Great Commission through their local church.
  5. They support the ministry and mission of the United Brethren Church, USA, through the annual partnership fee.
  6. They will participate in a cluster.

Two other points were in the original Covenant, but were removed in 2007:

  • They are interested in partnering with other like-minded churches.
  • They support the work of the camps, university, and other ministries of the US National Conference.

Over the years, various objections have arisen to the whole idea of the Covenant. Some folks found it a bit insulting that they would be required to re-up every two years. Did their commitment to the denomination need to be questioned?

Bishop Whipple has used the analogy of marriage in relation to another aspect of the Covenant. Imagine if a married couple were asked, every two years, to review their vows and decide if they wanted to continue the relationship. In the course of a marriage, there may come a time when, at the re-upping time, things were a bit rocky and, rather than sign up for another two years, they decided to go their separate ways.

In the same way, churches may encounter a Covenant-signing time when things aren’t going well, or when they have a pastor who is unhappy with the denomination for some reason, or when some other issue has arisen which sours them on being part of the United Brethren Church.

Churches also seemed administratively challenged with the task of completing and returning the signed Covenant. Churches would put it off, or just not get around to it. The two years seemed to go by very fast: “I thought we just signed it? Is it time to do it again already?” Pastors would claim to have lost the blank Covenant sent to them, or to not have received it altogether, and a new copy would be sent from the national office.

Even though the deadline for returning signed Covenants was February 15, the bishop always ended up signing a half dozen or more Covenants at National Conference, so that those churches could have a vote in the business session. That happened again last week. You can argue all you want about “What’s so difficult about signing and returning the Covenant?” But that’s just the way it is, and the way it has been.

The Executive Leadership Team discussed the Covenant, and ultimately advanced some major changes:

  1. Require churches to sign the Covenant only once, but ask local boards to review the Covenant every year.
  2. Make a signed Covenant a condition of being eligible to send lay delegates to the national conference.
  3. Changed the language in the Covenant statements.

The six statements in the previous Covenant were rewritten into just four points:

  1. We commit to the Confession of Faith and Core Values of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, International.
  2. We agree to abide by the Constitution and Discipline of the US National Conference.
  3. We will prioritize our assets, energies, and ministries toward fulfilling the Great Commission.
  4. We will support the broader ministry and mission of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA, through prayer, promotion of its interests, and the annual partnership fee.

As expected, a number of people addressed the proposal when it hit the conference floor, nearly all of them wanting to keep the two-year requirement. The other aspects of the Covenant proposal, such as how the statements were rewritten, received no discussion. The frequency of signing was the issue people most cared about.

But though the people who spoke nearly all opposed the change, the eventual voice vote fell strongly in favor of the proposal. It indicated that people had thought it through ahead of time. The regional meetings Bishop Whipple held during the spring no doubt influenced the outcome, since people heard the rationale months in advance, had opportunity to discuss it among themselves, and formed their own opinions before arriving in Fort Wayne.

There was one amendment. A line stated, “The Covenant shall be reviewed annually by the local board.” That was changed to, “The Covenant shall be reaffirmed annually by the local board.” It seems minor, but it carries some weight. A “review” could involve just reading through the Covenant statements, reminding everyone of the content. But a reaffirmation goes further. You not only review the statements, but say, “We’re still on board with this.” Local boards could even place a reaffirmation of the Covenant in their minutes once a year.

You’ll notice that the Covenant statements no longer require churches to participate in a cluster. Actually, clusters are intended for senior pastors, and their participation is required elsewhere in our governing documents. But there’s another reason. The cluster system is a method which could change over time, as happens to all methods. To ensure that the Covenant remains an enduring document, it seemed wise to keep methodology out of it.

As long as a church’s signed Covenant is kept on file with the national office, they remain a member congregation of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ USA, and are eligible to send lay delegates to the national conference. If the church refuses to sign the Covenant, or if they do not keep their commitment to the standards of the Covenant, the Executive Leadership Team has authority to terminate their membership in the denomination.

All UB churches will be asked to sign the Covenant one more time, prior to the 2015 US National Conference. After that, we ask only that the church board look over the Covenant once a year and reaffirm what they’ve agreed to.

L-r: Hancock County Sheriff Mike Heldman, Jim Woodward, and jail administrator Ryan Kidwell.

L-r: Hancock County Sheriff Mike Heldman, Jim Woodward, and jail administrator Ryan Kidwell.

Jim Woodward, a member of Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio), has been named Findlay Citizen of the Year. He received the award because of his extensive work in the Hancock County Jail ministry and his work promoting Flag City USA. When he addressed the Findlay city council, the first words out of his mouth were, “Before I say anything, I must first stop and say thank you to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” As a result of recognition, July 4th has been renamed, Jim (the Barber) Woodward Day in Findlay, Ohio.

Jim has a passion for fulfilling Matthew 25 where it states, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Many times after inmates are released from the Hancock County Justice Center, the first place they go is to Jim’s barber shop. There, he tells them that if they want a true turn-around in their lives, it starts with Jesus. Congratulations, Jim (The Barber) Woodward.

Nearly 500 photos from the 2013 US National Conference have been posted on Facebook. They are on the United Brethren Facebook page. You don’t need a Facebook account to view them–they are available for public viewing.

They are divided into separate albums chronologically.

Tuesday, June 25 – Setup day. 39 photos.

Wednesday morning and afternoon, June 26 – Setup continues. 74 photos.

Wednesday evening, June 26 – Opening service, Global Ministries reception. 69 photos.

Thursday morning and afternoon, June 27 – Breakfast, business session, women’s track. 86 photos.

Thursday evening, June 27 – Evening service, Networking Reception. 33 photos.

Friday morning, June 28 – Workshops. 40 photos.

Friday afternoon and evening, June 28 – Touring Huntington University, Todd Agnew concert. 45 photos.

Saturday morning, June 29 – Closing service, ordination service. 80 photos.

The eight persons elected to the 2013-2015 ELT. L-r: Gary Dilley, Robert Eberly, Molly Kesler, Tim Krugh, Dan Paternoster, Dennis Sites, Lester Smith, Greg Voight.

The eight persons elected to the 2013-2015 ELT. L-r: Gary Dilley, Robert Eberly, Molly Kesler, Tim Krugh, Dan Paternoster, Dennis Sites, Lester Smith, Greg Voight.

Every two years, the US National Conference elects eight members of the Executive Leadership Team–1 layperson and 1 ordained minister from each of the four districts. The new ELT will later appoint four additional members, 1 from each district.

Half of the persons elected are new: Dennis Sites, Bob Eberly, Greg Voight, and Gary Dilley. That means a turnover in three of the four clergy positions. In 2011, only one new person was elected to the ELT–Tim Hallman. Of the continuing members, Dan Paternoster has served by far the longest, now beginning his 13th year on the ELT. Lester Smith has served since 2005, Tim Krugh since 2007, and Molly Kesler since 2009.

Interestingly, two pastors’ wives who have been members of the ELT since 2005 chose not to run again. However, their husbands–Dennis Sites and Greg Voight–were elected to the ELT.

Here are the results of the 2013-2015 ELT ballot. The persons selected are indicated with italics type. The location of their church is also given.

East District, Clergy
Daryl Elliott (Keyser, W. Va.) 84
Dennis Sites (Churchville, Va.) 193
Marshall Woods (Reedsville, W. Va.) 32
East District, Laity
Steve Bakner (Waynesboro, Pa.) 82
Sherwood Cook (Chambersburg, Pa.) 95
Bob Eberly (Greencastle, Pa.) 127
Central District, Clergy
Mike Brown (New Albany, Ohio) 97
Darwin Dunten (Findlay, Ohio) 102
Greg Voight (Lancaster, Ohio) 109
Central District, Laity
Tim Krugh (Walbridge, Ohio) 303
North District, Clergy
Darrel Bosworth (Woodland, Mich.) 58
Randy Carpenter (Sunfield, Mich.) 111
Lester Smith (Hillsdale, Mich.) 151
North District, Laity
Dan Paternoster (Fowlerville, Mich.) 98
Mary Redman (Mason, Mich.) 75
Ken Savage (Byron Center, Mich.) 43
Bob Tobey (Caro, Mich.) 92
West District, Clergy
Gary Dilley (Huntington, Ind.) 148
Tim Hallman (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 97
Kent Koteskey (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 76
West District, Laity
Cary Bishop (Auburn, Ind.) 117
Molly Kesler (Huntington, Ind.) 208