A Church of Connection

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging

one another… Hebrews 10:24-25

I recall a science fiction movie back in the early 1980’s which featured a fictional company where everyone in the entire organization was named John. Suffice it to say, it made for a very confusing atmosphere. You can almost say the same thing about the organization of the United Methodist Church, where it seems that everything is called a “conference.” A conference can refer to a geographical area, a body of people or an actual event.

Let me explain. A local church, like St. Andrew’s is part of a group of churches organized in a geographical area called a district. A District Superintendent (DS) is an appointed clergy that provides administrative and spiritual leadership for the churches for that district. We have a wonderful DS in Rev. Emily Hotho.

All the districts in a particular geographical area make up an annual conference. We are a part of the Florida Annual Conference, which includes all the state of Florida, except the panhandle. And this is where it gets a little confusing because “annual conference” can refer to either the geographical area that makes up the grouping of local churches or to the annual meeting of lay and clergy members within that geographical area of the annual conference. A bishop presides over an annual conference. Our current bishop is one of the best, Rev. Tom Berlin.

The reason that I am giving you this quick tutorial of the UMC organization is that on June 6, we are in the midst of the Florida Annual Conference event in Lakeland, which started Thursday and ends on Saturday, June 7. This is a time when an equal number of lay members and clergy members gather to conduct the business of the conference organization.

Yet the conference is more than just a business meeting. It is a time to worship together, pray together, hear the achievements of the many agencies and ministries that make up the Florida Conference- its youth ministries, associated colleges and seminaries, mission work, and initiatives. It also is a time to ordain new ministers, celebrate church anniversaries, announce church appointment changes, remembering those who have passed, and honoring those who are retiring. Including me, this year.

For the United Methodist Church is said to be a connectional organization. Connectional simply means that all United Methodist churches are linked to all other United Methodist churches by organization and by purpose as they go about the work of making disciples. The structure of the UMC encourages conferencing. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, considered Christian conferencing among the spiritual disciplines through which God’s grace may be made known to us. Conference may seem to be an overused term in the UMC, yet we understand as we conference together, serve together, worship together, and fellowship together, we can more fully experience and realize the grace of God that is offered to us through His son, Jesus Christ. What a blessing this is!

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