Updates from the Committee on Ministry (December 2021)
Rev. Gage Church (COM-A)
The Committee on Ministry (subcommittee A) is tasked with supporting authorized ministers, and we are always trying to find new ways to do so. This year we sponsored a three-day Clergy Retreat in Wichita at which several pastors met to learn, relax, and connect with one another after a particularly difficult year and a half. We thank the Rev. Racheal Pryor and the Rev. Michael Vollbrecht for the hard work they put into making the event useful and memorable. We also support clergy by researching and publishing compensation guidelines. While local churches and other ministry settings are not bound to follow the guidelines, clergy can access them as evidence of what is fair compensation in our region.
COM-A is also responsible for overseeing that authorized ministers maintain their standing in the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference. “Standing” means that ordained, licensed and commissioned clergy have the authorization of the KO Conference to do ministry within our conference. This covenant also means the clergy have the Committee on Ministry’s support when they need it. To maintain standing, authorized ministers are required to attend Annual Meeting every year (unless excused by the committee prior to the meeting,) complete Boundary Training every third year, and complete the annual Information Review, returning it in a timely manner. These are the ways that clergy stay in touch not only with the Conference but also with one another. It can be lonely out in our spread-apart places, and we try to provide as many outlets and tools to stay connected as we can.
Another connection for our clergy is occasional check-ins by COM-A when situations arise that seem to require support, either temporary or ongoing. We meet with licensed clergy when their period of licensure is nearing renewal time, checking in with them and helping guide them through difficult situations when that is requested.
We have a strong contingent of clergy in our conference, and COM-A is honored to be a part of keeping our covenant with the conference and one another strong.
Rev. Rachael Pryor (COM-D)
The Committee on Ministry (subcommittee D) continues to support several Members in Discernment through our ongoing monthly meetings, as we guide preparation for ordination as well as other milestones along the way. Since we have not been able to meet with MIDs in person at Annual Meeting, we have continued a practice of inviting our current candidates to our regular meetings individually. In some ways, this gives us an even better opportunity to check in with MIDs as we get to know them better.
One pattern we see in KO that might not be as common in every Conference, is that our MIDs are often already serving a congregation while also completing their seminary studies. Most recently, we were thankful to grant Licensed Ministry Standing to Dee Moore (a member of Central UCC in Topeka), to begin serving with Carbondale Community UCC. This double blessing provides smaller congregations in our Conference with pastoral leadership that might otherwise be difficult to supply, while giving capable seminary students an opportunity for service and experience. Dee will continue as a MID while serving at Carbondale.
As we strive to play an active part in ongoing conversations about the future of the Church -- and the Church of the Future -- COM-D has been engaging in discussions about what ministry looks like outside the walls of a typical congregational setting. We are not alone in wondering how to serve the spiritual needs of people who have not yet stepped foot into a sanctuary; or perhaps, those who have been so wounded by religious experience that they may never do so again. The UCC is uniquely poised with the theological foundations to think outside the "sanctuary box" when it comes to ministry; yet, there is also discernment to do in understanding the difference between ordained ministry settings, in contrast with other types of community ministries that may not require ordained leadership.
At our November meeting, we were thankful to host the Rev. Stephen Boyd, Minister for Chaplains and Ministers in Specialized Settings with the Ministerial Excellence, Support, and Authorization (MESA) team from our national UCC offices. Rev. Boyd shared from his extensive experience in specialized settings. His work supports military, college, prison, and hospital chaplains, but he is also a part of the UCC's ongoing imaginative work for all kinds of specialized ministries that take place in unconventional community settings. As some of our MIDs and Authorized Ministers explore new venues for sharing the healing and hope of the Gospel, we look forward to being Unafraid to partner in creative, collaborative ministries in our Conference.