Clergy Services Connexion May 2022

Clergy Services MAY 2022

Vol. 1 — No. 2

Sue Weber’s Retirement Brings Changes to the Office of Clergy Services By now, most have heard that Sue Weber is retiring effective May 31, 2022. Her role within the Office of Clergy Services (OCS) has primarily focused on: COS/ ACOS (billing, class taken tracking); MEF (paying Seminaries, administering the funds); Continuing Education (WLI newsletter, CEU tracking); Convocation Design Team (Administrative support and planning.)

With the announcement of her retirement I was able to reinvision the OCS and divide it into OCS: BOM Concerns and OCS: DCOM Concerns. Brandy was to handle BOM related matters and the new hire was to handle DCOM matters.

In the middle of the interview process, I was informed that CFA had requested that Personnel Resources Committee institute a hiring freeze and undertake an evaluation of the personnel needs of the annual conference. Until that was completed, no new hires would be allowed. Personnel Resources, however, did approve retaining Sue on a part time (20 hours per week basis) for the foreseeable future

(i.e. later in the year when she would then really retire.) Of that 20 hours some will be used by Congregational Development so, I really will only have Sue’s services for about 12 hours per week.

Moving forward, Personnel Resources hopes to finish their study and present something at the 2023 Annual Conference. In the meantime, I am undertaking my own evaluation of things the OCS does and will have to move some of those responsibilities onto other entities within the annual conference.

In regard to BOM and DCOM, that means that some BOM functions will not be fully supported and some things formerly done by OCS will now have to shift to the DCOM’s. This reorganization is ongoing and will slowly roll out as the year progresses. I cannot wait until Sue does “retire” to make some of these changes. I must begin integrating a new way of doing things with the hope that one day PRC is able to allow more administrative support to be hired. Until then, we must all do our best to adapt to a new way of doing things.

-Rev. Terry Goodman

A Quarterly Publication for District Superintendents, DCOM’s, and the Board of Ordained Ministry

What is a Letter of Recommendation?

One of the things that we still need to work on is the interface between the work of the District Superintendent and the Board of Ordained Ministry. In particular, the connection between the Superintendents and the BOM in regard to recommendations that the BOM receives from Superintendents at the time of a person being recommended for provisional membership.

The BOM has been seeking to be more intentional in its interview process and has increased its “scrutiny” of candidates by allowing for longer interview times and a new process that allows more BOM members to get “eyes” on the candidate during the interview process.

One of the elements of that process is the DS Recommendation. Herein lies the problem. There seems to be a fear of saying anything of a critical nature about a prospective Provisional Member.

Perhaps it is the title of the document “Letter of Recommendation” that is the problem. When you see those words you default to the following mode: If it says recommendation, it must mean I have to say nice things about the person. Let me try to reframe that thought and at the same time know that I will be talking to the BOM interview teams to help them rethink what the letter of recommendation can truly say about the prospective provisional member.

Here are some of the givens in this situation.

1.) As the DS, through the DCOM and the yearly interview process you have had (if you follow the suggested schema) four hour long opportunities to meet with the prospective provisional member prior to the writing of the recommendation.

The District Superintendent Corner

2.) As DS, you may also have had other opportunities to interact with this person outside of the required meetings. Perhaps, the person is a student pastor within your district.

3.) You have had a chance to form opinions based upon the interview process and other interactions.

4.) From this relationship you are then asked to write a recommendation.

Here is what I am suggesting you include in your recommendation.

1.) A brief statement of how you have interacted with the person. “I was present when Person X met with the DCOM X times over the last X years for a total interview time of X hours. In addition, I have/have not

had other contact with Person X.” 2.) You should then describe your reactions to the interactions with the prospective provisional member. “Based upon my interactions with Person X, I would like to highlight the following strengths: (briefly list 3-5 strengths you have noticed.)” In addition to strengths, you should also say: “I would also like to list the following areas in which I believe that Person X is growing/still needs help/is deficient/ that are weaknesses (use whichever terminology you prefer.)”

Dates for DS’s to Remember....

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Extended Cabinet May 5th

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Onboarding Training May 9-11

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If you as a DS can begin to give a recommendation based upon strengths and weaknesses you will be putting forward a document that will allow the interview teams to:

BAC Review Day May 19: 1000am- ???

Conference Center

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Extended Cabinet: May 31st

1.) Have a more realistic picture of the candidate.

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AC Clergy Session: Sunday June 5th: 5:00 pm– Stuart Auditorium

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Juneteenth Community Cookout: June 17th from 5:00-7:00 pm

3. Offer a conclusion: “Therefore, based upon these strengths and weaknesses/areas of growth I recommend this person for provisional membership.

2.) Have a basis on which to affirm the candidate and/ or probe the candidate’s areas of lesser strength.

I will counsel the interview teams to see your recommendation as deliberately showing strengths and weaknesses/areas of growth so that they can better do their job of assessing the overall viability of a candidate for provisional membership.

The relationship between District Superintendents and the BOM must continue to evolve. We both want the same thing—effective pastors capable of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. These simple changes in a letter of recommendation might be a small step in helping to make that happen.

District Committee on Ordained Ministry

Changes That Need to Be Made Due to Restructuring

and prayerful consideration, these seem to be the items that would logically fall on the shoulders of the DCOM’s. I pray that this will only be for a season and that we are able to fund this position in the future so As the Office of Clergy Services (OCS) restructures following the hiring freeze, I must begin to shift some that OCS can once again take the responsibility of these items. of the responsibility formerly in OCS back to the DCOM’s. As I have examined the functions of the OCS, I believe that DCOM’s will need to assume the UMCares Becomes Passage following items/tasks: 1.) Candidacy Process– A.) Tracking candidates B.) Maintenance of Candidate Records in Passage (formerly UMCares) 2.) COS Records A.) Maintaining records of COS classes successfully completed by Local Pastors 3.) Working with AA’s to approve: A.) Approval must be given for Local Pastors to take COS/ACOS classes and Conference Accounts Payable must be told to reimburse students for classes taken.

B.) Approval of persons to receive MEF funds and informing Conference Accounts Payable that funds must be paid on behalf of students.

C.) Maintain Basecamp(s) related to DCOM’s I am sorry that I must ask DCOM’s to pick up some of the load in regards to these matters, but after careful

If you have tried recently (last couple of weeks) to get into UMCares, you will find a read only version available to you as we transition from UMCares to Passage. The transition has not been smooth, nor has it been on time. We are running about four weeks behind. Once it is up and running, new roles will have to be defined and new permission sets will have to be created to allow proper access to those things to which persons should be allowed.

The possibilities of Passage are great. However, the reality is still rocky. As I get access to the system and its potential, I will share some ideas with you about how we might best be able to use Passage to progress the work of the DCOM’s

DCOM Cohort Created and First Meeting Held I asked District Superintendents to send me two persons from each of their DCOM’s to begin a training and support cohort for DCOMs. Our initial meeting generated some ideas that were taken to the BOM and as a result DCOM members will now be required to sign NonDisclosure (Confidentiality) Agreements as do all members of the BOM. The group will convene again in July.

Training is Available for DCOM’s

DCOM Focus Items

Things to Focus on in May •

In general, if not previously done, this month you should be submitting Summary Report Action Outlines (SRAO) for actions you are making concerning candidates and other persons.

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May 19 -DCOM PE PD AM recommendations due to Brandy Williams and Division of Elders

I remind you that I am open to coming to your district and providing in person training for your DCOM’s. You would need to schedule the training with my office and I would prefer a couple of months notice. So, if you are interested, then have the DCOM chair reach out to Brandy to get it on my schedule. I will call back and see the topics that you would like for me to cover during the training session.

Disaffiliation Process for Local Pastors Being the frontline for interactions with local pastors, the DCOM will need to insure that should a local pastor seek to disaffiliate that the following is done.

the DS informs you of the disaffiliation.

2.) The DS should collect the license to preach and return it to my office.

3.) The DCOM should place a note in the pastor’s DCOM file clearly indicating that the pastor chose to discontinue to unite with another 1.) Do not act until the pastor has denomination. Should the person had a conversation with the DS and seek to return at a later date, the

person would need to meet the Book of Discipline requirements at that time for seeking to serve from another denomination.

4.)Alert my office via the SRAO –04 Continuance Recommendation PLEASE NOTE: A more formalized process is in place for Associate members and Full Connection members. These would not be processed by the DCOM.

Board of Ordained Ministry Focus Items Interview Teams—Evaluating a Recommendation As stated in the DS portion of this edition, I would like the Interview Teams to begin to view District Superintendent Recommendation letters in a new manner.

I challenged the Superintendents to offer an honest appraisal of both the strengths and the weaknesses of the candidates that are coming up for an interview. In the past, I am sure, that Superintendents have offered glowing reports of candidates that we (the BOM) only found out later had some blemishes that were not mentioned in the letter of recommendation. As an interview team, you deserve an accurate representation of a candidate not just words that a DS thinks the interview team wants to hear. So I am challenging the DS to offer a more candid and less flowery approach.

By the same token, I am challenging interview teams to see this more candid approach not as a negative toward the candidate, but as a more accurate representation of who the candidate is and what the potential of the candidate might be. Look carefully at the strengths that the DS is noting and also look at the weaknesses. Look for ways to affirm the strengths and to push the candidate to reflect

upon the weaknesses. Challenge the candidate to deal with the weaknesses and make notes of the candidates responses. Three years later, when the candidate could come forward for Full Connection, it is my hope that the Full Connection interview team will have access to the letter of recommendation from the Provisional Stage as well as the provisional stage interview team notes. These could help the full connection team be better equipped to conduct its interview. In addition, the provisional interview team should also make this record of conversation available to the Residency in Ministry team so that they can be aware of potential weaknesses and, perhaps, seek to address these weaknesses during the RIM process.

What I am suggesting is that we stop doing things in isolation (some might use the terms silos). Our role on the BOM is to credential men and women to be the representatives of Christ in our churches and to lead them. This is not an automatic process in which everyone is given a green light. Sometimes, we need to see the yellow lights that cause us to pause and question. At other times, we and the candidates need to see the red lights that tell us that we must stop.

Conference Relations Committee (CRC) Begins New Role

Psychological Assessments to Include New Element to Assist DCOM’s in Their Evaluative Role

Since the last edition, the CRC has taken on new responsibilities and is now vetting Other Fellowship (OF) pastors that are seeking to serve within Holston Conference. In addition, the CRC is also interviewing persons seeking to enter or exit Voluntary Leaves of Absence (VLOA). In all instances, the CRC is making reports to the DCOM (for OF’s) and the BOMEC (for VLOA’s)

The Rev. Mary Thompson, co-chair of the Psychological Assessment Team of the BOM, reported at the Spring meeting of the BOM that a new element has been added to the psychological assessment process. We have asked our Ministry Assessment Specialist to include a Green, Yellow, or Red light assessment of each candidate.

Board to Emphasize “Working” Nature of Board Membership

A Green light would signal no psychological issues that would affect this person’s ability to engage in ministry.

A Yellow light would indicate that there are some issues that should be addressed by the DCOM, but Slowly, but surely, it has become evident that there that should not affect the person’s ability to engage in ministry. needs to be a change in understanding of what it means to serve on the Board of Ordained Ministry.

A Red light indicates that this person has some severe For the past decade (?) membership on the Board has issues and that the DCOM should more critically had a basic understanding that all was needed was evaluate this person’s ability to effectively engage in your attendance at the spring and fall meeting of the ministry.

Board. That expectation still holds true. However, it is It is hoped that this system will allow DCOM’s to now expected that you will be a working member of make a better evaluation of the candidates as they the Board. Service will occur in two ways. You will come forward for certification. We also want to serve on one of the board sub-committees and you remind DCOM’s that they do have the right to access will also be expected to participate in the Provisional, the Psychological reports of any candidate that comes Associate, and Full Connection interview teams and before the DCOM. The reports are sent to the District provide service as evaluators for the Local Pastor Superintendent by the Office of Clergy Services.

Licensing School. If you cannot be involved in these types of things, then perhaps service on the Board of Ordained Ministry is not an avenue of service you BOM Votes to Require all need to currently pursue. Just as we are calling the DCOM’s to step up their game, we are also calling on Members of DCOM’s to Sign Non the BOM members to step up their game and provide -Disclosure Agreements a new level of involvement.

Just as the BOM has required all members of the BOM to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, the BOM has now voted to require that all members of DCOM’s

also sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. These agreements emphasize the confidential nature of the work of the DCOM and remind us that what is heard and said in the DCOM remains in the DCOM. The form will be sent to districts upon its development and all members of a DCOM should have it signed and on file by the fall.

Gathering of Orders is to be Planned Bishop Wallace-Padgett has requested that I convene a group that will plan a Gathering of the Orders. The group will be composed of Sharon Bowers, Chair of the Order of Elders; Stephanie Parrott, Chair of the Order of Deacons; Wayne Cook, Chair of the Order of Local Pastors; (To be elected Chair of the Order of Associate Members) and the following BOM members, who volunteered to serve on this group: Walter Cross, Scott Spence, Barbara Doyle, and Susan Arnold.

The group will be given a study packet with readings and questions to help prepare us for a meeting with the Bishop to plan the Gathering. Please be in prayer for this group as they begin this process.

Team Formed to Plan Seminary Visits With the loss of Sue Weber’s position, Brad Hyde and Sharon Bowers have agreed to plan our future seminary visits. Our goal is to have fall visits for at least: Asbury, Candler, Duke and Gammon. We are seeking to have a DS, an elder, and a deacon on each of the visitation teams. If we cannot get on campus access, then we will seek a virtual visit of some sort to connect with the seminarians.

BOM Upcoming

Events

May 17 —Day Apart with the Bishop for those coming into Full Connection, Provisional or Associate Membership June 5—Clergy Session: 5:00 pm in Stuart Auditorium

June 5-8—Annual Conference

Wesley Leadership Institute Board Reformed In light of the discovery of a sizable endowment, the Wesley Leadership Institute has created a Board of Directors to assist the Director, the Rev. Terry Goodman, in the administration of the endowment funds. The following persons have agreed to serve on this board. Rev. Mary K. Briggs, Rev. Robert Countiss, Lauri Hale, Ralph Skinner, Rev. T.J. Burdine, and Rev. Jane Taylor. It was suggested that one of the items that will be explored would be a diversity scholarship for a seminary student.