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Dear UCC friends,
I preached on Sunday at Mukwonago United Church of Christ, where a small, faithful congregation is discerning their future and preparing to sell a unique building with passive solar energy. As if that weren’t enough to process, members of the congregation shared many prayer concerns about climate-related disasters and the state of our nation.
The reading from Jeremiah 17 spoke directly to the narcissism of a people steeped in greed, idolatry and abuse of power at the expense of the poor and marginalized:
“Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.”
I recalled the chorus of that ballad of the civil rights movement inspired by Jeremiah – Like a tree planted by the water, we shall not be moved – and wondered aloud how we can foster an unshakeable trust – an unmovable faith – when life feels anxious, unsettling and chaotic. Is anything permanent in these times? Our anchor institutions seem to be crumbling. The very Constitution of this nation is being tested. Our government of checks and balances and our nation’s support for humanitarian aid around the world face daily threats.
Amid this tempest, one thing remains unmovable: the love of God expressed in the life, witness and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. This is the hope to which we cling, the strength that undergirds our bold Gospel witness, and the source of our courage to carry on. May the deep roots of your faith keep you anchored like a tree planted by the water.
It is in that context that I want to share a progress report on the plan for restructuring of our Conference life. Last fall, you may recall, I shared details about the proposal to dissolve our four associations and shift to a single middle judicatory body – the Conference – responsible for carrying out the wider mission and ministry of the United Church of Christ in Wisconsin. In Reshaping our Wider Church Connections I lifted up the two themes that arose during a series of conversations that unfolded over many months: the desire for UCC relationships beyond the local church and the desire for more robust resource sharing across the Conference.
Our vision going forward is to continue building a network of resources to support congregational life. This graphic of our Local Church Resource Hub conveys the many ways in which we already provide ministry and programming guidance. Can you imagine if we had 75 working groups – think of them as passion hubs – that could help your congregation develop new ministry initiatives? Such covenantal collaborating is one way to foster vitality in the future Church.
The most significant shift ahead will be the move of the ecclesiastical work of Committees on Ministry to a unified approach across the Conference. The proposed Unified COM will have regional representation by nearly 50 volunteers in working groups dedicated to fulfilling three main ministerial functions: Authorization, Oversight and Support.
The dissolution of associations will be financially neutral because the missions and ministries carried out by associations will be carried out by the Conference. The administrative efficiencies and cost savings we gain will allow us to invest time and money into further developing relationships and resources. This Dues and OCWM Explainer details our plans to continue membership dues, assessed beginning in 2026 for the purpose of covering core administrative. Our Church’s Wider Mission will continue to be the primary way we fund the mission and ministry of the Conference.
Meetings will be held in each association over the next four weeks to provide additional information and engage in conversation. Zoom options will allow you to attend any of the four meetings online. Please see the blue box below for links to access registration and virtual options for these meetings.
The meeting schedule
- Feb. 22, Southeast Association, Emanuel UCC in Hales Corners. In-person meeting begins at 9 a.m., online at 10 a.m.
- March 1, Southwest Association, McFarland UCC. In-person meeting begins at 9:30 a.m., online at 10 a.m.
- March 8, Northwest Association, St. Paul's UCC in Wausau. In-person and online at 10 a.m.
- March 13, Northeast Association. Online only starting at 6:30 p.m.
In the meantime, the Governance Team of the Wisconsin Conference Board of Directors is working on conference bylaw changes, and we are continuing conversations with association leaders regarding the combining of association funds and the transfer of functions to a unified ministry.
Official Action
Official action on the restructuring proposal will occur during the Wisconsin Conference Annual Meeting, scheduled for June 6 and 7 at Green Lake Conference Center. The associations will meet in breakout sessions on June 7 to conduct final association business, to vote on dissolution and to offer a litany of gratitude and leave-taking. That afternoon, Annual Meeting delegates will vote to take on the functions of associations, with appropriate timetables established for the transition.
Thank you for your feedback and your participation in conversations that have helped shape this next chapter of the life of the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ.
May God continue to bless you all.
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