The 250 Task ForceThe 2006 session of the Annual Conference approved the following resolution “That the Virginia Annual Conference adopt a goal of starting 250 new faith communities in the next thirty years and that the Cabinet and Office of Congregational Development formulate a plan to accomplish this goal and, together with the Council on Finance and Administration, propose means to implement such a plan financially and report such plan and means to the 2007 session of annual conference for consideration and action.” In response to this resolution, the bishop appointed a task force composed of the following persons: Robb Almy, Darlene Amon, Tom Berlin, Brenda Biler, Keith Boyette, Janet Bracey, Marc Brown, Shirley Cauffman, Young Jin Cho, Paulo da Silva, Melissa Dunlap, Lorenzo Hill, Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Young Bong Kim, Peter Moon, Carl Moravitz, Mark Ogren, Bruce Tuttle, Brooke Willson and Anna Workman. In its meetings, the task force discerned the following: 1. The goal of starting 250 new faith communities in the next 30 years must be understood as a missional spiritual movement rather than simply another program of the annual conference. A new way of being and doing church will be required as our annual conference lives out the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ through the formation of new faith communities. 2. The task force affirms the proposal of the Common Table for Church Vitality for the formation of a Congregational Development Mission Team separate from the Conference Board of Global Ministries. 3. Because the impact of starting 250 new faith communities in the next 30 years will have a significant effect on our annual conference, this spiritual movement will require intentional partnered discernment of our congregations and conference leadership. To empower the voice of our congregations and our current annual conference ministries to be heard, the task force presented the following plan as approved by the Cabinet. The goal of this plan is to enable a partnership of connectional ministry as we live our Conference vision of welcoming all God’s people to table through the starting of 250 new faith communities. 4. The task force has identified that additional work must be completed in developing a comprehensive plan to achieve the objectives of the 2006 resolution. In preparing such a comprehensive plan for the 2008 annual conference, the task force would: 1. Invite the churches and leadership of the annual conference to join in prayer as we discern how we live out The Great Commission together. 2. Compile and analyze demographic and statistical data with regard to the annual conference and the state of 3. Collaborate with the leadership of the annual conference through the Cabinet, Common Table for Church Vitality, Conference Ministry Staff, and the Conference Council on Finance and Administration. 4. Conduct regional listening posts throughout the annual conference to present information and receive input from local congregations and members. 5. Develop a comprehensive plan for achieving the goal of starting 250 new faith communities in the next 30 years that will include a strategic model for identifying and preparing leaders, identifying models of new faith communities, potential areas for the development of new faith communities, and presenting a financial plan. This comprehensive plan will include a report on how the next 5 years of establishing new faith communities will facilitate the achievement of the goal for the following 25 years. 5. Based on this proposed plan, the following recommendations are presented to the 2007 Virginia Annual Conference: RECOMMENDATIONS 1) That the Virginia Annual Conference reaffirm the goal of starting 250 new faith communities in the next thirty years and that the 250 Task Force formulate a comprehensive plan to accomplish this goal and, together with the Cabinet, Common Table for Church Vitality, Office of Congregational Development, and Council on Finance and Administration, propose means to implement such a plan financially and report such plan and means to the 2008 session of annual conference for consideration and action. 2) That the work of the 250 Task Force be continued for the purpose of presenting this comprehensive plan and that the work of the task force will be funded by $7,500. Marc Brown, Chair |