news article

UNY Visioning Task Force presses forward in discernment process

January 21, 2026 / By The Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The UNY Visioning Task Force launched the new year by pressing forward with the work entrusted to them by the 2025 Annual Conference. On Saturday, January 10, the team gathered in Corning, NY, for their second in-person workshop with the consulting team. Colleagues from the Susquehanna Conference joined them, strengthening the collaborative spirit of this shared journey. 

The first workshop, held in November, centered on the initial results of a conference-wide survey and grounded the team in the visioning process that will guide their work. This second gathering built on that foundation. The team reflected on what they heard in November’s listening sessions, shared stories to begin naming core values, and clarified the next steps in the process. 

What the Visioning Task Force has done so far 

The team has already engaged deeply in listening, learning, and discernment by: 

• Interpreting survey data gathered from: 

1. Lay Leaders in every local congregation 
2. Lay Members to Annual Conference 
3. All appointed and retired clergy 
4. Elected conference leaders 
5. Conference staff 

• Listening to voices shared during November listening sessions 
• Gathering insights from C3 gatherings with Bishop Héctor 
• Participating in two in-person workshops with consultants 
• Engaging in three Zoom sessions with the consulting team 

What comes next 

The team now turns its focus outward. Through pain-point interviews (called pain-point because they identify the places where people find pain and struggle in the world), so that we might be able to address those pain-points through the gifts, or charisms, of the church. Task Force members will meet with people outside the church to listen for what they see as the strengths, struggles, and realities of life in their communities. Because the team reflects the geographic and cultural diversity of Upper New York, these conversations will offer a wide and honest picture of the world in which our congregations serve. 

Through every step, the Visioning Task Force listens not only to the voices of people inside and outside the church, but also to the voice of God. They seek to discern how the Holy Spirit is calling United Methodists of Upper New York to form disciples of Jesus Christ who love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in their local communities and across the world. 

The team looks forward to sharing at the next Annual Conference how God is shaping and guiding this vital, hope-filled work.