Spring Conference Gatherings

This Spring, the Bishop’s Election Committee and Conference Deans will host our Spring Conference Gatherings at various locations throughout the synod. These Conference Gatherings will have two key focuses: discernment of our upcoming Bishop’s Election, and a Conference Assembly for business items.

All Conference Gatherings will follow the same general flow:

1st Half: Discernment of Bishop’s Election

2nd Half: Conference Assembly with Nominations

All of the information in this post can be found on the synod website under the "2023 Synod Assembly" tab.

Discernment of Bishop's Election

The Spring Conference Gatherings will begin with a time of guided discernment surrounding our upcoming Bishop's Election. All are invited to attend the Conference Gatherings - Rostered Ministers, Lay Leaders, Youth, Parishioners - to be a part of the important discernment of our Bishop’s Election. ​ “Our decisions and our search for guidance take place in the active presence of a God who intimately cares about our life situations and who invites us to participate in the divine activities of healing and transformation.”— Frank Rogers, Jr. ​ What is Discernment? ​ Discernment is the intentional practice by which a community or an individual seeks, recognizes, and intentionally takes part in the activity of God in concrete situations. The aim of discernment is to enhance one's participation in the work of God, for the glory of God and the healing of the world. The communal practice of discernment places group decisions within the context of God's transforming activity. How can groups get beyond differences, interests, clashes, and power strategies that crowd out genuine dialogue and respect In order to come together for a shared futur ? In what ways can we prepare the soil for what God longs to do in our synod?