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BY MELISSA LAUBER AND LINDA WORTHINGTON
UMCONNECTION STAFF

Pre-Conference FAQs | Pre-Conference Report

The Call to Action and church vitality, increased stewardship of apportionments, outreach to the homeless and the election of delegates to the 2012 General Conference will be among the highlights of the 227th Baltimore-Washington Conference, which meets May 26-28.

Annual conference members received a preview of these and other issues when they met at regional pre-conference briefings April 30, where the importance of local churches and their ministries was emphasized.

In all we do, we are aware that disciples are made and ministry is most effectively done at the local church level, said conference Chief Financial Officer Paul Eichelberger.

To assist local churches, the Council on Finance and Administration is recommending the annual conference members vote to lower the benevolence factor to 18 percent, down from its 19.5 percent rate in 2011.

The decrease in the benevolence factor is made possible by cost saving measures in the conference budget and the increased collection rate in 2010, Eichelberger reported. Churches paid 90.51 percent of the apportionments asked of them, Eichelberger said. This was up from 89.24 percent in 2009.

It is the hope of conference leaders to continue to empower mission at the local church level by decreasing the benevolence factor to 16 percent over the next four to six years.

Of course, being able to follow through with these intentions requires churches to continue to faithfully pay their apportionments, said Eichelberger, who encouraged strong giving to create a collection rate in 2012 of 93 percent to finance the $15.1 million budget conference members will be asked to pass.

Local churches are also the focus of the denomination’s Call to Action, an initiative adopted across the global church to streamline and enhance the operations of The United Methodist Church and increase vitality among local churches.

A comprehensive research study of 33,000 churches found four areas that reflect on the vitality of a congregation: small group participation, lay engagement, worship and clergy leadership.

Resources are being developed throughout the conference and denomination to help churches build their ministries in these areas.

In addition, each local church will be completing a Ministry Plan this fall, which provides them with an assessment of key factors like membership, worship attendance, small group participation and mission engagement and provides them with the opportunity to set SMART goals for their congregations. Guides will help churches with this process and training will be provided.

The BWC will join other conferences throughout the world to present these goals as an offering at the 2012 General Conference.

At the pre-conference sessions, conference leaders also shared proposals by the Board of Pensions coming before the May session.

“Apportionments and retiree contributions do not cover all benefits,” said Frank Gould, outgoing chair of the Board of Pensions and Health Benefits. “Reserves are gone.”

As a result, he announced that the conference “will discontinue payment of retiree medical costs for any persons newly hired after Dec. 31, 2011.”

The conference reimbursement plan for current and future retirees is being carefully evaluated. Any required modifications will be brought before the conference in 2013.

In a little good news, Gould said, Health Flex premiums will remain unchanged for 2012 and that the conference has made progress in collecting arrearages from those churches that have not paid or are behind in payments.

In addition, lay and clergy members at the pre-conference briefings learned how local churches can support ongoing and burgeoning homeless ministries in the Baltimore-Washington Conference and contribute to ending malaria in Africa. Of particular note is Calvary Place, a church in Washington that is being renovated to become a worship space and home to 79 homeless people.

At the annual conference session members will also consider resolutions dealing with people living with disabilities, immigration reform, same gender marriage, the church’s stance on homosexuality, usury, financial investments in the Middle East, and faith and science.

Balloting for clergy and lay delegates to serve at the 2012 General and Northeastern Jurisdictional conferences will also be conducted. This year, for the first time, the voting will be done electronically. Volunteers to assist with the process are needed. For more information contact the Rev. Mark Smiley at or 410-668-5665.