news article
A New Season Begins for the Conference Leadership Team
September 20, 2023 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
The Conference Leadership Team (CLT) has a new membership configuration. The new configuration is part of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez efforts to eliminate silos and shift to a culture of connections and collaboration in Upper New York (UNY). Notable in the new composition of the team is the inclusion of the chairs of UNY five administrative boards and committees alongside at-large members to do the work entrusted to the CLT.
United Methodists of Upper New York are encouraged to meet the team members here.
The CLT serves as the steward of the vision and mission of United Methodists of Upper New York between Annual Conference sessions. This team also provides directional leadership and accountability to UNY boards, agencies, and executive staff to equip UNY clergy and congregational leaders for impactful ministry.
CLT members gathered for the first time in the new configuration on Saturday, Sept. 16, at the United Methodists Center in Liverpool for a day of loving, learning, and leading, also known as the L3 model.
During this time, the CLT reviewed and ratified the UNY Missional Playbook. The Missional Playbook is UNY's strategic document that guides the conference's ministry. The CLT ratified core strategic pieces, including our mission, vision, purpose, and primary task.
- Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
- Our vision is to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and be God’s love with all our neighbors in all places.
- Our Purpose is to equip leaders and congregations for impactful ministry and provide a connection for mission beyond the local church.
- Our Primary Task is to increase the leadership capacity of clergy and congregational leaders for effective, impactful ministry.
During the meeting, the CLT received updates from the executive staff team and reviewed the financial activity of the Conference year-to-date. During his report, Bishop Héctor shared that he will visit all 12 districts in 2024 over the winter and spring months to engage clergy and laity in listening-to-learn sessions to help reconnect United Methodists of Upper New York with the Missional Playbook.
An essential item addressed by the CLT was creating a short-term task force to work on a resolution approved by the 2023 UNY Annual Conference session, which requested the CLT to present a recommendation to the 2024 session on how to allocate the funds related to the Child Victim Act (CVA) lawsuit settlement. The task force will present their recommendations to the CLT by Feb. 15, 2024.
The task force will be led by Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady II, lead pastor at Asbury UMC Rochester, and consist of the Conference lay leader, Jessica White, representatives from the UNY Council on Finance, the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Pensions, and four at-large members, alongside staff resources including Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, Assistant to the Bishop; Bob Flask, UNY Treasurer; and Peter Abdella, UNY Chancellor.