North Carolina Annual Conference

North Carolina Annual Conference
June 10-13, 2009, Greenville, N.C

Using the quadrennial theme of “A Future with Hope” and this year’s emphasis on Learning for this gathering, the North Carolina Conference met in the Greenville Convention Center. Among areas of discussion were the conference budget and construction of a new conference headquarters.

Five workshops were held the evening of June 11. Included in the topics were reaching and transforming lives of a new generation, where apportionment money goes, transforming existing congregations, why local churches need a web presence, and navigating safely through conflict.

The Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kans., presented three teaching sessions on June 12. His theme was “Leading Beyond the Walls” with lessons in leadership, worship, preaching and evangelism.

Conference budgets for 2010 and 2011 were discussed and acted on. Normally, a budget is approved by the conference one year, raised the next year, and spent the third year. Due to difficult economic conditions, the conference connectional table and conference council on finance and administration proposed a reduction of $367,409 in the previously approved budget for 2010. During the budget discussion, the salary for district superintendents in 2010 was set at the 2009 level of $100,388.

The approved amount for the 2010 budget was $19,590,427. The budget for 2011 was set at $20,276,199, a 3.5 percent increase over the 2010 budget.

Conference members decided to freeze the minimum salary of clergy to the 2009 figure of $40,319 and $26,207 for student pastors. The minimum amount for utilities was set at $2,400 and travel was recommended at $4,000.

Conference trustees reported that construction for a new conference headquarters should be completed in April 2010. Using floor plans projected on wide screens, members were given a tour of the two-story, 33,500 square-foot building. Proceeds from the recent sale of the current headquarters building will be used for the construction costs of the new facility.

Included in other matters before the conference:

• Members received a presentation on Rethink Church by Ken Sloan of UM Communications.

• For the sixth year in a row, conference members approved no health insurance increase for active participants and for the fourth year in a row for retired participants.

• Eighty congregations were recognized as “Acts 2 Churches” for exhibiting radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional spiritual formation, and risk-taking mission and ministry in the world.

• Twenty-seven pastors retired and 14 clergy and 13 spouses were remembered in a memorial service.

• In resolutions, members voted in favor of a tobacco-free environment, set a priority on good health and wellbeing, called for an overhaul of the national and state criminal justice system, and decided not to require local churches to put a wheel chair in their lobby or foyer.

• Thirty elders were ordained, 17 probationary (provisional) elders and one probationary (provisional) deacon were commissioned, one new associate member was recognized, one lay minister was certified, and 23 first-time local pastors were recognized.

• The NC Conference voted “no” on amendments related to the worldwide nature of the church. Four amendments received more “yes” than “no” votes: numbers eight (adds gender), nine (minimum number of 100 voting delegates at Jurisdictional Conference), 19 (increases clergy classification who vote for delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences) and 22 (formally recognizes work of Baltimore-Washington Conference in Bermuda).

Membership stands at 237,159, up 331 from the previous years. Worship attendance stands at 83,052, down 1,339. Church school attendance stands at 38,845, down 324.