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    United Methodists of Upper New YorkLiving the Gospel. Being God's Love.


    news article

    CLT discusses ministry in Holy Saturday times

    March 27, 2018 / By Stephen J. Hustedt / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

    The Conference Leadership Team (CLT) spent their time together on Friday, March 23 and Saturday March 24 framed by three questions focused around the theme “Living through Holy Saturday” (the time between the crucifixion and the resurrection). The three questions were:

    1. What spiritual practices can help us journey through Holy Saturday times?
    2. What does leadership look like on Holy Saturday?
    3. What is God inviting us to accomplish in this time?

    Continuing to follow the L3 (Loving, Learning, and Leading) meeting model, their time on Friday started with the same kind of Holy Conversation around the work of the Commission on a Way Forward that has been taking place at the District Days with the Bishop. Click here to learn more about the conversations that took place at the District Days with the Bishop.

    Just as at the District Days with the Bishop, this was an honest conversation about hopes and fears for the future of The United Methodist Church. The conversation set-up the idea that we are living in Holy Saturday times- a time between, where we know change is coming but we don’t know what that change is yet. The team continued by pondering the three questions that framed the day, and they broke for the night.

    The following day, the CLT continued their honest conversation by discussing the questions they had been pondering. Then they had an adaptive conversation around the mission, vision, and primary tasks of the Upper New York Conference. Click here to learn more about the mission, vision, and primary task. This conversation was enhanced by a time of learning that focused on the master MAP (Ministry Action Plan) and updated statistical information for the Upper New York Conference based on past goals. Ministry Action Plan worksheets are available to all on the Conference Website here

    The reviewed statistics and master MAP included good news in areas of new faith communities, increasing diversity, communication, and trust. To that end, the CLT spent their remaining time reviewing and prioritizing their “child MAPs”, and planning for the CLT’s time with District Leadership Teams (DLTs) in April.

    Much of this leading work was driven by a new prioritizing of the “child MAPs” with a strong focus on equipping the local church. Two areas that received particular focus were providing the tools that empower every local church to have an intentional pathway of discipleship and providing the tools for local church to identify which of three “lanes” their church is in.

    The team will enlist the help of the General Church’s Discipleship Ministries to create the tools that empower every local church to have an intentional pathway of discipleship. This work will be shared and implemented through the DLTs.

    A team was identified to begin creating the tool that will help churches identify which of three “lanes” they are in. The three Lanes are Growing, Revitalizing, and Legacy and clarity about where a church is and where a church is going will help churches immensely as they work to make disciples.

    Work around VitalSigns, 16 Core Competencies of leaders, and many other MAPS also continues.

    After two very fruitful days of work, the CLT ended it’s time together with a prayer and went forward to continue leading the Conference and in their local contexts.


    With more than 100,000 members, United Methodists of Upper New York comprises of more than 675 local churches and New Faith Communities in 12 districts, covering 48,000 square miles in 49 of the 62 counties in New York state. Our vision is to “live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to be God’s love with our neighbors in all places."