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Kansas East Annual Conference Report
May 31-June 3, Baldwin City
The Kansas East Annual Conference met at Baker University under the leadership of Bishop Scott J. Jones. The conference theme was “Nurturing Disciples of Jesus Christ.” Speaking to the theme was the Rev. Tom Albin, dean of the Upper Room Chapel.
Women who had served the conference as full members were recognized and the 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women was celebrated. In honor of that occasion, Bishop Jones invited the Rev. Cynthia Wilson, director of religious life and adjunct professor at Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Fla. to preach at the ordination service.
The conference adopted strategic plans for church revitalization, planting new churches, ministering with ethnic populations and cultivating student ministries. The plans were created in response to questions Bishop Jones asked the conference in a special session in February 2005.
Because three plans call for raising capital funds, a feasibility study was authorized that will come before the 2007 conference session with a recommendation on if the conference should proceed with a capital campaign, at what level, and for what purposes.
A staffing study was adopted that will guide the development of the conference staff over the next several years. This plan takes into account the goals contained within the various strategic plans.
Implemented immediately will be the formation of two area offices shared with the Kansas West Conference: an area office of communications under the direction of Lisa Diehl (currently serving as the marketing and communications director of Kansas West) and an area office of new church starts under the direction of the Rev. Kent Melcher (currently serving as district superintendent of the Topeka District of the Kansas East Conference). The Personnel Committee will bring further recommendations to the Conference in 2007 for implementing the balance of the plan.
The conference approved, by an overwhelming majority, a petition entitled “Non-Discrimination for Kansas East Local Churches” which states that “No pastor in the Kansas East Conference shall deny membership in a Kansas East United Methodist Church solely based on the candidate for membership being a self-avowed, practicing homosexual.”
Immediately upon approval of this petition, a motion was made and approved that the conference petition the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church for a declaratory decision as to whether or not this petition is in compliance with Amendment IV of the Constitution, paragraphs 124 and 214.
The conference also celebrated the fact that efforts to fully fund the pre-1982 pension program a number of years ago and prudent investment by the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits enables the conference to begin a new pension program in 2007 with the ability to tap excess reserves to fund a sizeable portion.
Local churches will see their pensions bills drop from 16.4 percent of a pastor’s compensation to 10 percent in 2007. The Board of Pension and Health Benefits estimates the conference will be able to maintain that rate for 10 years and then phase back in over the next 10 years to a 15 percent level that should cover the costs of the new program.
Bishop Jones ordained five elders and commissioned six for the ministry of elder and four for the ministry of deacon. One local pastor and six elders retired.
Membership stands at 74,962, down 753 (-1.0 percent) from 2004; worship attendance stands at 33,076, up 298 (.9 percent) from 2004; and church school attendance stand at 12,077, down 555 (-4.4 percent) from 2004.
--Gary A. Beach
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