Jeremiah Teams continue work, offer initial reports
By Dan O’Mara
Four Jeremiah Teams—formed to help the South Carolina Conference envision a future in which local United Methodist churches not only survive but thrive—are up and running after beginning their work in January and February.
Bishop Leonard Fairley, resident bishop of the South Carolina Conference of The UMC, invited this diverse group of lay and clergy leaders from across the conference to take the lead in developing recommendations in four areas: Missional Priorities, Strategy for the Black Church and Ethnic Ministries, District Alignment and Conference Staff Alignment. They are working to bring proposals for each of these areas to the South Carolina Annual Conference for approval.
Here is a summary of their reports:
Missional Priorities Team
Formed to evaluate the effectiveness of all current ministries and missions, identify what things are essential for us to live into Our 4 Priorities and what we need to stop doing to free us up for more imaginative, creative ways to help us reach new people in new places in new ways, the Missional Priorities Team began its work by identifying the needs of the local church as its first and most important focus—identifying and nurturing the connections between local churches and between local churches and the conference.
The team is led by the Rev. Millie Nelson Smith, who is director of Connectional Ministries.
During conversation about a “stop-do list,” team members agreed such an assessment should not be only about money; there may be ministries and missions with little or no associated costs, but which are no longer effective.
Team members reviewed the current structure of Connectional Ministries, including the four ministry areas under which its work is organized—Advocacy, Discipleship, Lay Leadership and Outreach—and the Connectional Ministries budget.
The team next plans to take deeper dives into each ministry area, beginning with the programs within the Advocacy Area.
The Black Church and Ethnic Ministries Strategy Team
Formed to create and resource an effective conference strategy for strengthening the Black church and other ethnic ministries, looking to ensure strong leadership and finding the new thing God is calling us to in this area, the Black Church and Ethnic Ministries Strategy Team, led by the Rev. James Friday, director of congregational development, began its work with a discussion that centered on two major points. Several counties across South Carolina do not have a Black United Methodist church presence, and a few counties have no United Methodist church at all. Friday said the church must adapt to new methodologies for equipping, training, retraining and assessing the effectiveness of clergy in pastoral ministry and of lay leadership.
He said we will work to do this by redefining expectations, supporting creativity and ensuring we have processes for intentional discipleship for spiritual and professional growth and maturity in ministry, so that pastors and lay leadership can more effectively disciple believers while building thriving churches and faith communities.
“We are in a season when it’s a prime opportunity to reset,” Friday said, “but we have to be willing to do the hard work and be honest.”
District Alignment Team
Formed to review district lines and reduce the number of districts to create a more nimble, cost-effective structure that will allow district superintendents to truly be a missional strategist in more places, spend more time in communities and develop new ideas to strengthen our witness and work, the District Alignment Team organized itself into two sub-teams—one (the Map Team) focusing on studying the physical layout of the current 12-district structure, and a second (the Workload Team) to review the duties and workload of the district superintendents and district administrative assistants.
The team is led by the Rev. Cathy Mitchell, superintendent of the Spartanburg District and dean of the Cabinet.
The Map Team is focusing primarily on the demographics and geography of the current districts, paying close attention to particular characteristics of each district, such as the breakdown of churches based on size and ethnicity, and categorizing strengths and challenges of each district.
The Workload Team is working to identify ways to accomplish the work of the district staffs in the most efficient manner possible, including how reducing the number of districts would create a greater workload for those staffing the restructured district offices.
Members are reviewing information from a previous study of the existing district system, looking at the experiences of other conferences that have reduced the number of districts, and consulting with district superintendents and district administrative assistants about their responsibilities.
Conference Staff Alignment Team
This team was formed to align conference staff with our missional priorities and resources, compensate our employees properly for their work and leadership and create more opportunities for staff to be creative and imaginative in their work.
With much excitement for the possibilities that lie ahead, the Conference Staff Alignment Team, led by Bishop Fairley, met to organize and prioritize their work.
The team has enlisted the General Council on Finance and Administration to conduct an audit of conference staff, which included a survey and one-on-one interviews with all conference employees.
That audit has been completed, and the team is reviewing its findings in hopes of developing recommendations related to current work processes and how to make them more efficient.
This work is ongoing and is anticipated to reach completion for consideration by Annual Conference 2026.
Anyone who has questions for Jeremiah Teams is asked to email [email protected], and their information will be shared with the team.