Recap- Cabinet Meeting- October 17-19

WNCC Cabinet Meeting October 17-19, 2016 The Western North Carolina Conference Extended Cabinet met October 17th, followed by a meeting of the district superintendents October 18-19, 2016, in which we continued to affirm the mission and vision of the annual conference to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  With an extended conversation related to the importance of effective spiritual leadership and fruitful congregations, the extended cabinet noted leadership, churches, and conference ministry teams where we are already living into the mission of the church.  We gave thanks, praised, and commended the work where we already see God’s presence in the life of our conference in such initiatives as leadership development, missional engagement, vital discipleship, justice and reconciliation, and the missional networks.  We also lifted the importance of valuing input from our clergy and laity, listening, willingness to risk, collaborative sharing, and the essential need for prayerful, spiritual leadership.  Reflections by the extended cabinet moved from recognizing the good work we see in our conference to how we might get more of this to serve as a model and to encourage all of our congregations. The district superintendents spent considerable time preparing for consultations, reviewing advisory forms, and clarifying cabinet values for appointment-making by affirming their common desire to encourage and affirm fruitful ministry as evidenced by vitality, passion, and growth within the church.  Recognizing that all of us serve to strengthen the church and to glorify God, we re-affirmed the mission of the Church as our first priority. The cabinet continues to adjust to major changes and restructuring that have been made within the WNCC creating an increased size of each district.  Giving thanks for the Church Vitality Strategists (CVSs) as an extension of their office to build up, support, and reinforce the mission of each district, the superintendents committed to meet regularly as a cabinet with the CVSs and to assign two district superintendents to meet with them when they meet together between cabinet sessions. Considering what it means to fulfill the disciplinary understanding of the district superintendent as the chief missional strategist, the cabinet embraced the importance guiding the CVSs in living into their ministry as an extension of the superintendent’s office.  Closer collaboration will benefit each district and the annual conference. Additional work was focused on the upcoming Leadership Summit, November 19, 2016, at First UMC, Gastonia, in which all members of five of our conference leadership teams – Board of Laity, Council on Finance and Administration, Board of Ordained Ministry, Connectional Table, and Extended Cabinet – will meet to share the disciplinary requirements of how they serve and strengthen the annual conference’s ministry, as well as working together to explore how they might assist each other as a means of supporting the ministry and mission of the annual conference. The cabinet reviewed a number of mutual items related to our conference including the celebration that six of our eight districts showed greater support for our missional giving beyond where they were at this point last year; the up-coming extended cabinet meeting of all district superintendents from every annual conference within the U.S. at Jacksonville, Florida in November; and reviewing some of the disciplinary changes enacted at General Conference.  These last few days of cabinet meetings were shaped by daily worship and by our prayers for clergy families who have been troubled with illnesses, death, and personal difficulties.  We gave thanks to God for the abundant provisions given to us to remain faithful servants of Jesus Christ.