DAKOTAS CONFERENCE STRATEGY TEAM

What form The United Methodist Church takes next will remain unclear until the General Conference meets, after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until August 2022. In the midst of a time of great uncertainty, a group of Dakotas clergy and laity are exploring ways to adapt as a Conference and better support our local churches in accomplishing the mission. In 2020,  Bishop Bruce R. Ough, who was serving as  resident bishop for the Dakotas-Minnesota Area,  called together a team of clergy and laity to consider how the Dakotas Conference might live into the future with new models of connection and strategy that accomplish our common mission. Bishop Laurie Haller, serving as the interim bishop for the Dakotas Conference, calls the Strategy Team to continue their work. 

Purpose: 

The Dakotas Conference Strategy Team is meeting bi-weekly, virtually, with a three-fold purpose to:

1. Imagine and develop a model or models for how we continue to carry forward our core values—Jesus, mission, connection— and our mission—making disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world—in a post-General Conference environment;
2. Design specific strategies that create ways for pastors and churches to participate in shared ministry and/or support services, innovative partnerships, and collaborative kingdom work while staying true to their convictions and callings; and
3. Design strategies for assisting every clergyperson and every congregation to find a place where they can best fulfill their contextual mission and vision.