MISSISSIPPI ANNUAL CONFERENCE of The United Methodist Church 2019 Annual Conference Session The POWERthat makes us One John 17:20-23 LOVE | GENEROSITY | JUSTICE | APPRENTICESHIP 2019 Pre-Conference Journal June 5-8, 2019 Jackson Convention Complex 2019 JOURNAL MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE of THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Uniting THE MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE (1972) and THE NORTH MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE (1973) THIRTIETH SESSION held in Jackson, Mississippi at Jackson Convention Complex June 5 - June 8, 2019 Journal Editor — Leslie Bounds Conference Secretary — Trey Harper Assistant Conference Secretary — Angela Griffin Statistician — Rex Wilburn All photos courtesy of the Mississippi United Methodist Communications TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome Letter from Bishop James E. Swanson, Sr. ....................................................................................5 Welcome Letter from Rev. Andy Stoddard and Dr. Dorothy Terry, Annual Conference Chairs ..............6 Welcome Letter from Rev. Trey Harper, Annual Conference Secretary .....................................................7 “And We Are Yet Alive” ................................................................................................................................8 Section I - Leadership A. Conference Nominations Committee ............................................................................................9 B. Annual Conference Officers ............................................................................................................9 C. Conference Leadership Council ................................................................................................... 10 D. Annual Conference Leadership Groups ...................................................................................... 12 E. District Boards and Committees ................................................................................................... 16 F. Tellers ............................................................................................................................................. 26 Section II - Business of the Annual Conference (Section will be added after 2019 AC Session) Section III - Administry A. Council on Finance and Administration ..................................................................................... 29 B. 2020 Budget Requests ................................................................................................................... 41 C. Board of Trustees ............................................................................................................................51 D. Board of Pensions ...........................................................................................................................53 E. Board of Medical Benefits ..............................................................................................................60 F. Commission on Archives and History ......................................................................................... 67 Section IV - Connectional Ministry Updates ...................................................................................... 69 Section V - Spiritual Leadership A. Conference Lay Leader Report ......................................................................................................91 B. Commission on Equitable Compensation ................................................................................... 92 C. Higher Education and Campus Ministry ......................................................................................96 D. Residency in Ministry ................................................................................................................... 99 E. Board of Ordained Ministry ........................................................................................................ 100 F. Center for Ministry ...................................................................................................................... 101 Section VI - Faith Community Formation ........................................................................................ 103 Section VII - Episcopal Office A. Episcopacy Committee ................................................................................................................ 105 B. Advocacy Reports........................................................................................................................ 106 Section VIII - Other Reports ................................................................................................................ 109 Section IX - History (Section will be added after 2019 AC Session) Section X - The 2019 Session of the Mississippi Annual Conference A. Speakers........................................................................................................................................ 119 Section XI - Resolutions and Petitions A. Regular ......................................................................................................................................... 123 B. Property and Changes in Charge Lines ..................................................................................... 132 Section XII - Conference Directory and Rolls (Section will be added after 2019 AC Session) Section XIII - Rules and Policies A. Standing Rules of The Mississippi Annual Conference ........................................................... 141 B. Mississippi Conference Clergy Behavioral Policy ..................................................................... 150 Section XIII - Rules and Policies, continued C. Parsonage Guidelines .................................................................................................................. 152 D. Clergy Vacation and Days Off Policy ......................................................................................... 156 E. Safe Sanctuaries Policy ............................................................................................................... 157 2019 PRE-CONFERENCE JOURNAL OF THE MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE (SEJ) 5 The United Methodist Church Mississippi Area + Episcopal Office James E. Swanson Sr., Resident Bishop WELCOME TO ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2019! If this is your first time attending Annual Conference please know you are in for a wonderful time of worship, decision making about the budgetary needs for mission and ministry of the Mississippi Annual Conference, sharing of glory sightings, God’s movement among us, opportunities to be actively involved in missions work, fellowship and developing new friends. This year’s theme is “The POWER that makes us One.” We will celebrate our annual coming together with opening worship and the sharing of the Holy Eucharist together. You will witness the class of 2019 new ordinands, associate pastors and the local pastors receiving their licenses. I personally want to welcome Dr. Jessica Moffatt to the Mississippi Annual Conference. She will be our preacher for opening worship and our service of ordination. Dr. Claire Sterk, President of Emory University, will be the speaker for the Laity Luncheon. Rev. Dr. Embra Jackson will be the preacher for the Service of Remembrance. We will be electing General and Jurisdictional Delegates to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences, as well. I look forward to seeing y’all there. Blessings, BISHOP JAMES E. SWANSON, SR. Resident Bishop, The Mississippi Conference of The United Methodist Church 6 2019 PRE-CONFERENCE JOURNAL OF THE MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE (SEJ) GREETINGS FROM REV. ANDY STODDARD, ANNUAL CONFERENCE CHAIR Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, It’s time once again for the People Known as Methodists to once again gather together for our Annual Conference. What a joy it is for us to once again come together in Jackson for worship, for service, for the ordering of our life together, and most of all give glory to our Triune God of Grace for the great things that have happened since we have gather last. I know we’ve done it from the very beginning, but I think of the word that we sing in a matter of weeks, And Are We Yet Alive? Verses three and four especially resonate with me: What troubles have we seen, what mighty conflicts past, fightings without, and fears within, since we assembled last! Yet out of all the Lord hath brought us by his love; and still he doth his help afford, and hides our life above. This past year has not been perfect. There has been pain within our greater connection, our local connection, and within our local bodies. But even in the midst of the pain, the “fightings without, and fears within” God remains good. God remains Lord and Jesus Christ remains the hope for the word. It is under the shadow of the cross we come together, and it is in the hope of the resurrection that give us our strength. We come together this year with The POWER that Make Us One. This power is not our power, but is the power of Almighty God. Alone, we are not one. We all know that. But alone, we cannot become one. We can only become one through that divine, supernatural power. We can only become by and through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is my prayer for this session of the Mississippi Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church: that we are one, through that Power. But the grace of the Lord, may it be so! Peace of Christ, REV. ANDREW “ANDY” STODDARD Chair, Annual Conference Planning Team 2019 PRE-CONFERENCE JOURNAL OF THE MISSISSIPPI CONFERENCE (SEJ) 7 WELCOME LEttER FROM REV. TREY HARPER, CONFERENCE