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NARRATIVE
A
PROPOSED NEW STRUCTURE
NORTH
GEORGIA CONFERENCE
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The Long Range Planning Committee appointed a task
force on structure to develop a proposed plan of
reorganization for the Annual Conference. The new
plan makes several changes including the
dissolution of the Conference Council on
Ministries. The 1996 and 2000 editions of The Book
of Discipline eliminate the requirement to have a
Conference Council on Ministries. On the other
hand, it did outline how the Conference could focus
and guide its mission and ministry. An Office of
Connectional Ministries is recommended. The new
structure includes an Office of Connectional
Ministries, a Conference Vision Forum, and four
teams to coordinate and propose the programs of the
conference.
The Task Force reviewed The Book of Discipline,
current Standing Rules, and the Judicial
Council’s decisions, including #835, which
give guidelines an Annual Conference must follow in
developing a plan for structure. The proposed
functional relationship chart (attached) outlines
how each board, council, team, committee, and
agency is related to each other, the local church
and the Annual Conference. The chart (which is
strictly relational, not organizational) includes
all the requirements in The Book of Discipline. The
plan does not make recommendations concerning
staffing.
Since The Book of Discipline encourages the Annual
Conference to formulate a vision, a Vision Forum is
being recommended as a standing committee.
(Attached is the mission statement.) The Vision
Forum will replace the Bishop’s Leadership
Forum and the Long Range Planning Committee. The
Director of Connectional Ministries and the
resident Bishop will be co-chairpersons of the
forum. The Director of Connectional Ministries will
serve as steward of the vision and be responsible
for interpreting it to the various boards,
councils, teams, committees, and agencies of the
Annual Conference.
There will be four program teams coordinated by the
Director of Connectional Ministries &endash;namely,
Advocacy, Witness, Outreach, and Nurture. These
teams and the several committees of which they are
comprised will essentially carry out the
programming of the conference. They will relate
directly to the Annual Conference. Membership,
terms of service, and election process will be
provided for in the Standing Rules.
Some consolidation is provided for in this
proposal. For instance, the Board of Pensions and
the Insurance Committee will be combined to form
The Board of Pensions and Health Benefits.
The Ministry of the Laity (Conference Board of
Laity) will have a revised vision under this
proposal and several new provisions are suggested
for the implementation. Further, the Ministry of
the Laity will be responsible directly to the
Annual Conference.
The following boards, councils, and committees will
not be changed by this proposal: The Council on
Finance and Administration, Board of Ordained
Ministry, Church Development, Board of Trustees,
Conference Information, Committee on Nominations,
Annual Conference Planning Committee, Committee on
Episcopacy, and Episcopal Residency Committee.
All boards, councils, teams, commissions,
committees and agencies would continue to submit
budget requests to the Council on Finance and
Administration for their consideration and
approval.
The Long Range Planning Committee will present the
proposed new structure to the 2002 Annual
Conference. Implementation will begin immediately.
The goal is to have the transition essentially
completed by July 2004.
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