Delegate News – Winter 2024 Cluster Meeting Materials

Please review these documents in preparation for cluster meetings

Dear Ohio Conference Delegates,

Thank you for your diligent work over the last 20 months! Your involvement has been important. This is the home stretch for the strategic planning process approved by delegates in 2022.

In the upcoming January delegate cluster meetings, we will work in groups to address three items:

  • One more opportunity to revise or clarify the Strategic Plan for 2024-2026 before delegates share the plan with their congregations in February in preparation for the ACA in March.
  • Offer feedback on a draft constitution revision. For your convenience, we have prepared a document that highlights the key proposed changes to the Constitution.
  • Participate in creating the list of competencies and qualifications to guide the search process for the next Conference Minister.

Please read carefully both the four-page Strategic Plan and the Constitution before coming to the January cluster meeting. Consider spending two separate blocks of 15 minutes for this task. It will help our time together if you come prepared to discuss the documents. When preparing comments and questions for discussion, please note the document, page and line number so that others will be able to follow along.

Ohio Conference is preparing for two votes in March.

The first is a vote to adopt the proposed Strategic Plan for 2024-2026. The Plan is the result of a two-year process of consultation with delegates. Three questions guided the Ohio Mennonite Conference two-year strategic planning process:

  • What is Ohio Mennonite Conference’s identity, and what are its commitments?
  • What are Ohio Mennonite Conference’s strategic priorities for the next three years?
  • What structure and staffing will allow Ohio Mennonite Conference to carry out its strategic priorities within available resources?

The second is a vote on the constitution revision. This revision updates the constitution to agree with proposals in the strategic plan. Many details were included in the last Constitution revision, so that even small adjustments required a constitutional change. This revision aims to be shorter and more concise. It focuses on governance-level articles for the long term. Shorter-term specific plans for the coming three years are now found in the Strategic Plan instead of in the Constitution.

You will note that both documents are in draft form. Final edits will be completed after cluster meetings and distributed for delegates to share with congregations and vote on at the ACA.

A proposed spending plan and a cover letter also are attached. As usual, there will be a time for delegates to offer feedback on this proposal.

We offer this work and our time together to God and continue to trust God’s Spirit to grant us wisdom as we speak and listen to one another.

Grace,
Dan Miller
Interim conference minister

Documents
« News & Stories Blog