news article
Conference Leadership Team embraces role as custodians of the culture
October 20, 2015 / By Steve Hustedt / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
On Oct. 10, the Conference Leadership Team (CLT) gathered for its first meeting of the fall. This meeting followed an Annual Conference year spent discerning the purpose of the Conference. That discernment has brought about clarity and energy around tasks. As the team reviewed the work of the prior year, there was a feeling of excitement and anticipation.
Together, the CLT built a model that defined the previous year’s work. As the model shows, the purpose of the Conference is to develop, equip, and deploy transformational leaders – or more simply put, to increase leadership capacity. Those leaders build healthy congregations that make disciples of Jesus Christ. Those disciples then transform the world.
The Conference Leadership Team tours the property at 7481 Henry Clay Blvd. in Liverpool that will become the new Upper New York Conference Center. (Photos by Stephen J. Hustedt) The one thing that was abundantly clear was that the leverage point that will allow for the greatest increase in capacity in the system is growing leaders. That becomes the primary task.
“So is that it? Does this represent the definition of the culture we believe God is calling us to lead?” Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb asked the group, receiving a unanimous response of “yes.”
“Then if that is true, our role is to share the definition of the culture, that others may own it and align our resources around it,” he said.
Satisfied with the work that had led them to this point, the CLT began to discuss the work of the coming year.
“Defining our purpose is only the beginning,” Bishop Webb said. “Now, as the custodians of the culture here in Upper New York, it is up to us to begin to anchor our purpose.”
“Anchoring the purpose” was defined as keeping the purpose the main thing even amidst other ideas, agendas, and other good work. CLT members were asked to begin praying and thinking about what it looks like to anchor the purpose and to bring their thoughts back to the next meeting.
As the meeting drew to a close, CLT members were offered the chance to take a tour of the property at 7481 Henry Clay Blvd. in Liverpool that will become the new Upper New York Conference Center.
While touring, one member said, “Imagine the potential for growing leaders here. We can have multiple groups meeting at the same time and collaborating, there can be distance learning, and there is the new Mission Central … talk about transformation.”
Even on the tour it was clear that anchoring was already beginning.