Bishop Lanette leads the district superintendents in the appointment discernment process. (Photo courtesy of Kris Mutzenberger)

One of the named and lived-out values in the Dakotas Annual Conference is connection.  We know one another, we see one another, and we help one another. Our Annual Conference gathering is described as a big United Methodist family reunion. We appreciate and recognize that we are better together and we value that connection.  

We come by this quite naturally as The United Methodist Church is purposefully structured to foster deep connection.  The whole worldwide UMC connects to accomplish the mission to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world" and support our local churches, the primary place this occurs. As ¶701 of the United Methodist Book of Discipline 2020/2024 states, “Connectionalism is an important part of our identity as United Methodists. It is a vital web of interactive relationships…[that] provides us with wonderful opportunities to carry out our mission in unity and strength." 

One of the ways United Methodists experience this connection is through the appointment process and itinerancy of pastors. This time of year (January-May) is often referred to as “appointment season.”  It is a time of mission and connection in action.

• When we seek to utilize the resources of our Dakotas connection—our churches and clergy—to best accomplish our mission.
• When the Cabinet (Bishop/DSs), clergy, and church leadership consider the missional needs of churches and communities across the Dakotas and the unique gifts of clergy leaders.
• When consultation, conversation, discernment, and prayer guide the process of determining where best to deploy our clergy so that the mission of making disciples and transforming the world through our local churches continues to thrive.
• When United Methodist clergy and laity prepare for possible transitions in pastoral leadership so that the whole of our connection is positioned for the greatest possible usefulness for God’s work among us.

It is a time of excitement and trepidation as we embark on this journey together.

Dakotas Conference clergy are deeply committed to Christ, and to the people and places they serve. They each have unique gifts, passions and skills which provide them the tools to faithfully follow God’s call and lead our congregations. Our Dakotas Conference churches  have mission and ministry unique to their communities, are filled with wonderful, gifted lay people who love God and their neighbors, and seek to follow God faithfully no matter their current circumstances. The goal of the appointment season is to look at the whole of who we are as connected Dakotas United Methodists, to see the mission and ministry opportunities and to send pastors to churches so that we continue to live out the mission to make disciples and transform the world.   

It is the work of the Cabinet to deploy our clergy in the most strategic way possible. Your Dakotas Conference cabinet is committed to an intentional process of consultation, conversation, prayer and discernment as we do this vital strategic work. Here’s a summary of the intentional steps the Cabinet takes as they look at the whole conference:

• The people involved in the appointment process
  All clergy (ordained elders, ordained deacons, commissioned ministers, and local pastors) are appointed to their places of ministry by the bishop assigned to the Dakotas-Minnesota Area. The bishop works through the district superintendents, who help the bishop by supervising a portion of the Area, called a district. In addition, the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Conference (composed of laity and clergy) approves clergy for ministry, deems them appointable, monitors their fitness, and provides for their continuing education, removal from ministry, retirement, and other changes of their status. The local congregation is represented in the appointment process by the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (PPRC) (or in larger churches it may be called the Staff-Parish Relations Committee a.k.a. SPRC) that is elected by the annual Charge Conference of the congregation.
  

  A map of the Conference is a helpful tool in discerning places for missional opportunities. (Photo courtesy of Kris Mutzenberger)

• Gathering information: the cabinet gathers information on a variety of levels all throughout the summer and fall as they consult with pastors and churches.  
  • Each appointed pastor has a one on one conversation with their superintendent that includes an invitation for the pastor to talk about their current and future appointments. 
  • Later in the fall pastors are asked to fill out a Stay/Move Form, and to formally designate their sense of calling regarding their appointment. 
  • Each fall, every congregation is consulted through their Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (PPRC/SPRC.) The PPRC/SPRC is invited to also fill out a Stay/Move form to denote whether they believe it’s in the best interest of the mission of the local church to have their current pastor stay, or to ask for an appointment of a new pastor.  The pastor and church stay move forms are taken into consideration during the process. 
  • In December, a letter is sent to all clergy in the Dakotas-Minnesota Area listing churches that are “Clear Opens.” A clear open church is one without a current pastor or one in which the pastor has formerly requested and announced their retirement or where the current pastor has been appointed to a new location. This practice engages the connectional nature of discernment as pastors are invited to share who they think might be a good fit for a church, including themselves. These inquiries are noted and taken into consideration as appointments are made.
• Prayer and Discernment: The cabinet schedules meetings twice each month  January-May in order to continue conversation, consultation with pastors/churches, and prayer as they determine best fits for pastors and church to advance the mission.  This journey of discernment begins with a retreat in January where the cabinet meets to create the big picture of which churches are open, which pastors may need a change, which churches may need a change, which pastors gifts would best meet the missional needs of an open church etc. During this retreat, and in subsequent meetings, a great deal of prayer and time is taken to try to fit all of the pieces together taking into consideration church needs, mission focus, gifts, passions, family situations, spouse jobs, etc.  The Cabinet also trusts in the fact that the Connection—clergy and churches alike—are praying for and through this entire process.
• Invitation: Once it has become clear through the consultation, conversation, discernment and prayer that a certain pastor is the best missional match for a congregation, the DS contacts the pastor and informs them of the intention to appoint them to a new charge. The DS shares information about the church and the reasons why the bishop and cabinet believe them to be the best fit for this new appointment. The pastor is given a few days to pray, have more conversations with the DS, and to consult with their family. 
  

  District Superintendents, Rev. Joel Winckler, Dan Bader, Kris Mutzenberger, and Brandon Vetter, are integral to the appointment process. (Photo courtesy of Bishop Lanette Plambeck)

• Introduction. When the pastor accepts the new appointment, plans are set in place to introduce them to the new congregation. An introduction meeting/visit is set up and the superintendent, new pastor, and S/PPRC meet as an “introduction”– not an “interview.”  The bishop is responsible for each appointment, and unless there would be red flags that arise during the introduction that would cause either the cabinet, pastor, or church to have reservations, the pastor introduced becomes the new pastor to be appointed to the new charge at Annual Conference. On the rare occasion that an appointment is reconsidered due to a red flag, sometimes a new pastor is selected, but sometimes the same pastor is selected to serve, and measures are put into place to address potential concerns. 
• Announcement: After each new pastor is introduced, an announcement is made in both charges concerning the change, and the charge and pastor prepare to begin the new ministry relationship. Weekly, appointments that have completed the process are posted on the Dakotas Conference website at this link. As that new appointment is made and announced, a new clear open is also created, so the process of profiling, contacting the pastor, and introducing the pastor in each new church setting is repeated until all the available pastors have an appointment and open churches have pastoral leadership.
• Preparation and Support. Appointments and appointment changes are formally made at Annual Conference in June and begin on July 1 of that year. Obvious exceptions include unexpected deaths or other events that remove a pastor from their appointment between Annual Conferences.  S/PPRC involved in the process and pastors receiving a new appointment are invited to a training to help them navigate the transition of goodbye and welcome in healthy ways, to share logistical information about scheduling and preparing for the physical act of moving, and to prepare for a successful beginning in this new relationship. 

We invite you to join our whole connection in praying for this appointment season, the process, our cabinet, our pastors, and our churches. This is the season that leans into deploying our best resource for ministry (our pastors) into the primary arena for fulfilling our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (our churches) so that all across the Dakotas all people may come to know the love of God through Jesus Christ.