News
June 25, 2018
Developing Leaders Follows the Example of Christ
By Pam Ekey Recruiting and developing leaders is vital to the success of the congregation, said Rev. Mike Schreiner, lead pastor of Morning Star Church in O’Fallon. Not only that, the process of developing leaders is ...
June 25, 2018
Difference Makers
By Ken Rosenauer Amy Thompson, in her second year as conference lay leader, launched the laity address on the second morning of the 2018 Annual Conference and told lay members gathered that their presence acknowledges ...
June 25, 2018
Fierce Conversations
By Fred Koenig Fierce conversations may sound like a rough way to go at a topic, but you must consider the definition of fierce that Susan Scott uses in her book Fierce Conversations: robust, powerful, authentic, eager,...
June 25, 2018
Freed-2-Lead
By Ken Rosenauer Rev. Dr. Antonio Settles started by inviting the 16th Missouri Annual Conference to put their hands together in praise. He finished by inviting each district to stand up because the Holy Spirit has ...
June 25, 2018
Full Connection
Provisional Members Welcomed into Missouri Conference as Ordained Elders
June 25, 2018
Generosity Puts Conference in Strong Position
By Fred Koenig Rev. Sheri Swanson, chair of the Missouri Conference Finance and Administration Team, presented a report to the session that indicated the Missouri Conference remains in a financially strong position. ...
June 25, 2018
Lending a Hand to Puerto Rico
By Susan Sneed Rev. Lucas Endicott, mission strategist, presented the Global Connect website, a resource for learning about mission opportunities and planning for a trip. Churches can share information on this ...
June 25, 2018
Meaningful Volunteer Training: What It Takes & How To Do It
By Fred Koenig Volunteer training is something that cuts straight to the mission of the church. “Volunteer training is important because when it works, you are making disciples,” said Melissa Baum, literacy ...
June 25, 2018
Missouri Conference Moves Forward In Ministry
By Fred Koenig Missouri Bishop Bob Farr began the 16th Session of the Missouri Annual Conference with a nod to history, noting that the United Methodist Church have existed for 50 years, as has the Kansas City Royals. ...
June 25, 2018
MSJ Celebrates Partnerships & New Endeavors
By Susan Sneed Rev. Tina L. Harris, director of the Office of Mission, Service and Justice, introduced her team and lifted-up 20 years of partnership with Mozambique as well as the partnerships with Festival of Sharing,...
June 25, 2018
New Initiatives with UMM
By Pam Ekey Bill Mooney, president of the Missouri Conference United Methodist Men, announced two new initiatives at the Saturday morning session of Annual Conference. The first, an initiative to end domestic violence ...
June 25, 2018
New Places for New People
By Fred Koenig Director of Congregational Excellence Roger Ross has now had a year to survey what’s going on in his area in Missouri. He liked what he saw. Now he wants to multiply it. Ross visited all new church ...
June 25, 2018
Next Generation Continues to Grow, Find New Paths
By Ken Rosenauer Were there a single word to describe how staff and supporters of Next Generation Ministries feel about their programs right now, it might be “outtasight.” At least that seems to be the message ...
June 25, 2018
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson Photographers often attempt to capture decisive moments which have an element of no turning back. This is true of my sports photos, much like my earlier picture of the hurdler. No turning back; when that...
June 25, 2018
Pastoral Excellence Transforms to Leadership Excellence
By Pam Ekey The Missouri Conference is expanding its focus on the development of church leaders by transforming the Center for Pastoral Excellence into the new Center for Leadership Excellence, according to Director of ...
June 25, 2018
Remembered: Clergy, Churches Memorialized for Faithful Service
By Ken Rosenauer The bell tolled 36 times. The first 18 were for Missouri United Methodist clergy who died in the past year. The next 13 were for clergy spouses. Then, four for clergy and one for a spouse from ...
June 25, 2018
Sunday Morning Learning Time
By Ken Rosenauer “Welcome to the largest Sunday School class in the state of Missouri.” With that, Bishop Bob Farr opened the Sunday morning Bishop’s Learning Time. In short order, he turned over the mic to the Rev. ...
June 05, 2018
Obvious Wisdom Offers Pragmatic and Poignant Lessons on Ministry
COLUMBIA, Mo. – June 4, 2018 – Bishop Bob Farr’s latest book, Obvious Wisdom: 52 tips for effective ministry, is now available for purchase. Published by Market Square, the book provides succinct, practical advice ...
June 01, 2018
Quilts Cover Hurricane Survivors in Florida
By Fred Koenig As the Missouri Conference is beginning to assist local churches that want to send mission teams to Puerto Rico or support recovery projects there financially, some United Methodists in the Missouri have ...
May 24, 2018
Bishops, The Upper Room launch Phase 3 of Praying our Way Forward
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Council of Bishops in partnership with The Upper Room is launching Phase 3 of Praying our Way Forward. Phase 1 involved 84 members of the Council of Bishops praying for The United Methodist Church...
May 22, 2018
1968: Church Unites, Country Divided
By Fred Koenig Fifteen years ago the United Methodist Church celebrated John Wesley’s 300th birthday. It’s been 278 years since the first Methodists society formed. The 50-year celebration of the United Methodist ...
May 22, 2018
1968: History Converges, A Church Comes Together
By Heather Hahn On April 23, 1968, two bishops followed by two children, two youths, two adults, six ordained ministers, two church officers and finally all 10,000 people present joined hands and repeated in unison: “...
May 22, 2018
1968: Those To Be Merged
By Fred Koenig In Missouri the formation of the United Methodist Church wasn’t too significant for most Methodists, but it was more life-changing for the clergy of the Evangelical United Brethren who were about to ...
May 22, 2018
1968: Uniting to End Segregation
By Fred Koenig The Uniting Conference in 1968 had much more significant meaning for African-American pastors than the merger of the Methodists with the Evangelical United Brethren. It brought about the end of the ...
May 22, 2018
Freed To Lead Together
By Bishop Bob Farr It’s Annual Conference season in Missouri and across America. In Missouri, Annual Conferences for Methodists have been gathering for 202 years! This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the United ...
May 22, 2018
Harry Denman Evangelism Award
By Fred Koenig The Harry Denman Evangelism Award honors one lay and one clergy for their exceptional ministry of evangelism - expressed in Word (what), Sign (why) and Deed (how) – that brings people into a life ...
May 22, 2018
Journey For Justice
By Fred Koenig While in seminary, Rev. Sheila Sledge made use of some of her prescribed quiet time to take a five-hour drive to Memphis alone to visit the Civil Rights Museum. The experience was profound, and she wanted...
May 22, 2018
New Conference Staff
By Fred Koenig Accounts Receivable Coordinator Lindsay Denny is from Jefferson City and previously worked for the State of Missouri for 11 years. She is married to Eric, who works for the Department of the Interior. She...
May 22, 2018
ONE Matters Discipleship Award
By Fred Koenig The ONE Matters Discipleship Award recognizes churches who in recent years have moved from zeros in baptisms and professions of faith to positive numbers with a renewed focus on intentional discipleship. ...
May 22, 2018
Open Doors
By Fred Koenig In April I was back in Boston for my second go at the Boston Marathon – as a spectator. I’ve been a runner for several years and really enjoy it, but don’t run anywhere near fast enough to qualify to ...
May 22, 2018
Parting Shot
By Eric Mattson Ansel Adams said, “Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.” Good photography is born from readiness and opportunity. Readiness applies to the largest or the...
May 22, 2018
Right Start
By Fred Koenig Come July nearly 50 Missouri Conference clergy will begin answering their call to ministry in a different church. Before they begin, they already share one thing in common with their new congregation: ...
May 22, 2018
Right Start with Bishop Farr
By Fred Koenig The Right Start event for moving clergy in the Missouri Conference is a familiar event for Bishop Bob Farr. For several years before being elected Bishop, he led off the event with a presentation advising...
May 22, 2018
Robert & Martha Mission Award
By Fred Koenig The Robert and Martha Marble Mission Award is given to an individual in the Missouri Annual Conference who exhibits outstanding commitment to mission. This year’s recipient of the Robert and Marble ...
May 22, 2018
Serving With A Changed Heart
By Dr. Hal Knight While we focus attention on clergy such as John and Charles Wesley, the truth is that early Methodism was a lay movement. Most of the preachers were unordained lay persons, as were all of the society ...
May 22, 2018
Sing Along
By Ryan McLouth “Help! People aren’t singing during worship at my church. What do I do?” According to numerous blogs shared endlessly on Facebook, this is a growing problem in the modern church. Though I think these ...
May 22, 2018
Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology Foundation Give Leadership Gifts to the Clergy and Church Financial Ministry (C2FM) Initiative
By Fred Koenig The Missouri United Methodist Foundation has received leadership gifts from the Steward Family Foundation and the World Wide Technology Foundation for the C2FM Initiative. As part of the Lilly Endowment ...
May 22, 2018
Unity Award
By Fred Koenig The Unity Award celebrates the spirit and work of an individual in light of the values of the Conference with particular emphasis on inclusiveness, justice and worth. This year’s recipient of the Unity ...
May 22, 2018
What Leading Meant To Me
By Amy Thompson It’s June and time for Annual Conference. The theme this year is Freed-2-Lead. As I attend meetings and talk with directors and district superintendents, I find myself in many conversations centered ...
May 18, 2018
Bishops clarify statement on Commission on a Way Forward recommendation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Council of Bishops is issuing the following statement, written by the bishops who served on the Commission on a Way Forward, and approved by the Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops this ...
May 17, 2018
Commission ends its work; hears bishops’ recommendation for a way forward
NASHVILLE — The 32-member Commission on a Way Forward for The United Methodist Church concluded its ninth and final meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, yesterday (May 16). The Commission met nine times over 17 months. The ...
May 07, 2018
A Pastoral Letter to the People of The UMC from the Women Bishops
Grace and peace! We, the active and retired women bishops of The United Methodist Church, are writing in response to the news release this week, announcing the results of five proposed amendments to our Constitution that...
May 07, 2018
Bishop Farr's Statement in Support of Women’s Equality and Full Inclusion
I am saddened and disappointed that two of the constitutional amendments related to the right of girls, women, and other vulnerable groups did not receive the necessary 2/3 aggregate vote of all the annual conferences in...
May 07, 2018
Bishops announce results of five constitutional amendments; two fail to get required two-thirds majority
WASHINGTON, D. C. The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church has completed canvassing of the votes of annual conferences on the five constitutional amendments that were approved by the 2016 General ...
May 07, 2018
Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church Statement in Support of Women’s Equality and Full Inclusion
The Council of Bishops notes with dismay that two amendments to the Constitution of The United Methodist Church regarding gender equality did not pass. While we are not completely clear concerning the motivation that ...
May 07, 2018
Thoughts on the Council of Bishops’ Work on the Way Forward
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have been in deep and prayerful reflection for the past several days since the Council of Bishops concluded our spring meeting. I want to thank you for your prayers ...
May 04, 2018
United Methodist Bishops Recommend a Way Forward
CHICAGO – United Methodist bishops, meeting in Chicago, engaged in a prayerful process to discern a way forward. At the conclusion of the discernment process, the Council of Bishops strongly approved the following ...
April 23, 2018
A Time of Connection
Freed 2 Lead is grounded in scripture as we consider the words of Paul in Ephesians, “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints ...
April 23, 2018
Annual Conference Offerings
OPENING WORSHIP Mozambique Sustainability Reboot This offering will relaunch the Mozambique Initiative’s efforts to create opportunities for church-going entrepreneurs through sustainability projects. In 2012, the ...
April 23, 2018
Community Playground
In October, Church of the Shepherd opened a Community Playground on their lot. As soon as it opened neighborhood families started coming to play. They aren’t just Church of the Shepherd families. They are families who ...