Redistricting 2022

The Book of Discipline gives to the annual conference the responsibility for determining the number of districts, and then gives the Cabinet the responsibility to draw district boundaries. If the annual conference session votes to approve the resolution, the bishop will work on establishing district office locations. The task force offered a suggested map for district lines, but the Cabinet will tweak these lines over the next year, as charges are realigned, as churches close, and as they balance responsibilities of superintendents and elders. The bishop and Cabinet are considering district office locations based on property the Conference owns and the logistical needs of the entire Conference. It is the bishop’s decision as to the location of district offices. All these decisions will be shared prior to the 2022 Annual Conference, mostly likely in early spring of 2022.

If the annual conference session votes to approve the resolution, the bishop will begin work this fall on establishing district office locations and will determine the impact of that decision on district employees. The resolution provides funding for 1.5 administrative staff in each of the five proposed districts. If the proposed districts determine their needs require more than 1.5 administrative staff, the district will have to supplement its district ministries budget from their existing reserves. The Task Force did consider the ages of all current district administrators affected by the proposal. At the time, there were at least three within retirement age by 2022. The bishop is also taking into consideration the natural term limitations and retirement ages of District Superintendents.

Great question. If the resolution is adopted in June, Conference and district leadership will begin work on implementation of the resolution including streamlining or merging leadership groups and positions as needed. This process will welcome the input of existing Conference leaders in these roles currently. Ultimately, decision making about district leadership will occur at the new district level following a positive vote. The DS will be in conversation with district leadership about structuring lay leadership, mission councils and other teams for the new district.

Given the rate of decline in the Missouri Conference related to the natural closure of local churches, it is anticipated that the number of churches in Missouri per five districts by 2023 will be close to the current workload of the nine districts in 2020. Additionally, Bishop Farr is thinking through solutions to help resource District Superintendents in their workload where needed. Each church will have a district office to assist churches in the ministry of administration. And each pastor will have a District Superintendent that serves as an extension of the superintending role of the bishop.

Exactly as they were managed in 2021 and the several years before that. End-of-year reporting occurs through an online portal managed by the Office of Finance & Administration. The Conference office certainly relies on the assistance of District Offices in completing that work, but the proposed realignment will not change the way churches report. At most, a church failing to input data or entering data that seems to be incorrect might be called by a district administrative assistant or conference staff-person different from the person who called in 2021. By the time reporting occurs in January of 2023, churches will be fully integrated into their new districts. But data will still be entered as it always has. The Office of Finance & Administrative Ministries will educate should General Conference change any of the reporting tables. And, entered data will be reviewed by district staff and conference staff, just as it has been for many years.

Over the course of the past year, we have learned many things about how to work efficiently through virtual business that saved money and time. Bishop Farr is thinking through solutions to help resource District Superintendents in their workload where needed. Ordained elders may be asked to step in a lead “routine” church or charge conferences and mentor licensed local pastors. We are hopeful that this may be an opportunity to incorporate more lay leadership to meet district needs.

The Task Force has been in conversation with the Conference UMW President and understands from their leadership that the UMW will request an exception so that the Conference and District United Methodist Women align to the new five districts on January 1, 2023. This exception will simply be reported to the Annual Conference Session, as the Session does not vote on UMW or UMM matters.

After consultation with Conference leadership, it was felt that the legwork of moving financial assets, creating five new corporate entities and managing the staffing change would be smoother over two years than within one 12-month period. The budget for 2022 includes nine District Superintendents. In 2023, the budget would account for five District Superintendents.

In the 2023 proposed budget, there is a Staffing: Bishop Request for $290,000. Bishop Farr is thinking through solutions to help resource District Superintendents in their workload where needed. One of the possibilities is moving two District Superintendents into the episcopal office to provide roaming support for the five district superintendents in the new districts. This has not been fleshed out at this point and if the resolution is adopted in June, the Bishop, along with the Cabinet, will begin this work in earnest, looking at district workloads. It is important to note that the 2023 budget line has not yet been set (and would not be voted on until June 2022). This is simply an example of how much money will be saved.

In 2022, the Conference will experience some savings as there will be nine District Superintendents for six months, and five for the remainder of the calendar year. The combined savings will be fully felt in 2023 when there are no longer district apportionments, and the Conference is funding district ministries.

If the resolution is adopted in June, Conference and district leadership will begin work on implementation of the resolution. The task force offered a suggested map for district lines, but the Cabinet will tweak these lines over the next year, as charges are realigned, as churches close, and as they balance responsibilities of superintendents and elders. The bishop and Cabinet are considering district office locations based on property the Conference owns and the logistical needs of the entire Conference. It is the bishop’s decision as to the location of district offices. All these decisions will be shared prior to the 2022 Annual Conference, mostly likely in early spring of 2022.

To the same place your church sent apportionments in 2021. Paying 2022 district apportionments allows the nine previous districts to pay all remaining obligations. CFA will then handle the transition of remaining assets to the new districts per the terms of the proposal and the task force’s recommendations.

Compensation for district administrative staff is determined at the district level. District Superintendents will work with their superintendency committee and mission councils to determine compensation for district staff moving forward in the same way they determine those salaries currently. District Superintendent pay is included in the Annual Estimate of Apportionments (“Budget”) voted on annually during annual conference session. The Council on Finance and Administration recommends the district superintendent’s salary be increased each year the same percent as the increase in the Conference Average Compensation, as published/projected by the General Board of Pensions. Currently, the district superintendents receive salary support such that their total “plan compensation” as defined by the Clergy Retirement and Security Plan (CRSP) and Comprehensive Protection Plan (CPP) equals $125,990. This represents no increase since 2020. For 2022, CFA is recommending an increase of 0.7%, which is the increase in Conference Average Compensation as determined by Wespath. This increase is not related to increased number of churches or workload.

Festival of Sharing invites churches, groups and individuals to engage in the Sharefest location of their choosing - whether that is the event closest to you, one occurring on the most suitable weekend or one hosting activities you would like to participate in. We appreciate your engagement and look forward to seeing you at any of the Sharefests!