Rev. Rebecca Trefz participates in worship at NCJ. Photos by NCJ communicators.

At the North Central Jurisdictional Conference, Bishop Lanette Plambeck, resident bishop for the Dakotas-Minnesota Area of The United Methodist Church, talked about ecotones. She described that ecotones can occur naturally, or they can be human made. Ecotones look for beneficial relationships both above ground and underground. There is a thing called connectional planting. In ecotones, plants connect with neighboring plants. When the roots connect, they share resources—water and nutrients, for the best overall health of the ecotone culture. The roots intertwine and communicate looking for threats.

“You and I in the North Central Jurisdiction, we are an ecotone that our God has planted. We can share resources. We can interconnect our roots. We can communicate in new ways to expand the ecotone, which is The United Methodist Church,” said Bishop Plambeck.
 

Four voices in four languages share the communion liturgy. (Left to right) Rev. Guy Sederski, Rev. Woojae Im, Rev. April Casperson, Bishop Lanette Plambeck, Pastor Herman Perez, Rev. Henry Dolopei.

Inspiring worship

Opening worship with Bishop Lanette Plambeck: “I have a confession”— The conference opened with worship on Wednesday afternoon with a message from Bishop Lanette Plambeck. She explained that edge-walkers are called to live and lead where two cultures meet. “I have a confession to make,” Bishop Lanette Plambeck told those gathered at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. “I’ve discovered in my assignment in the Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area that I’m an edge walker.”  Read more. Watch the sermon. View the entire worship service.

Doing good and doing justice— “There is great power in the name of Jesus Christ” was Bishop Julius C. Trimble’s commanding refrain in the sermon he gave during Thursday morning worship. Bishop Trimble, retiring from the Indiana Area, delivered the message focusing on living into the transformative power found in Jesus Christ, which changes lives and dismantles societal structures that bind people and keep them from their full humanity. We are not to be "mere historical spectators of the mighty works of the Holy Spirit through the apostles and the early believers" in the book of Acts, he said. Like Peter, we've received the "baton of greater works, including those of healing, restoration, reconciliation, and liberation." Read article. Watch sermon video. View the entire worship service.

Bishop Beard: The battle is the Lord’s— “Spiritual warfare is real.” That’s how Bishop Frank Beard, president of the North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishop, began his Episcopal Address to the North Central Jurisdiction on Thursday afternoon. Drawing from 1 Samuel 17, he explained that there are four weapons the enemy uses against us in spiritual warfare—all of which show up in that story of David and Goliath, and all of which show up in our lives and churches today: fear, faking, failure, and finality (death). Read more. View the NCJ Episcopal Address.

Retiring Bishops Palmer and Trimble honored for leading courageously—Retiring bishops Gregory V. Palmer and Julius C. Trimble and their spouses were celebrated. Bishop Dan Schwerin (Northern Illinois), preaching at the two bishops’ retirement recognition at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference on Friday, noted that the two will be taking on other jobs within the denomination. What Bishop Schwerin said he most appreciates about the two bishops—aside from their tireless passion for helping the church—is their courage. Read an article. View the service. Watch the sermon. See the tribute video for Bishop Palmer. View the tribute video for Bishop Trimble.

Bishop Palmer: We are beloved children of God— “Is there any more important message that the church has to commend to the world than every human being is a child of God?” Bishop Gregory V. Palmer asked those participating in the final worship service at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference on Saturday. Drawing from 1 John 3: 1-3, the resident bishop of the West Ohio Conference suggested that our key ministry is spreading that message far and wide. Read article. View video of the sermon. View video of the worship service.
 

Business 

Delegates to the North Central Jurisdiction approved:

• A budget for the 2025-2028 quadrennium that held apportionments the same from the previous budget. The budget propel was adjusted on day two to include a $80,000 increase in the Episcopal Area Transition Fund.

• Two resolutions based on the information received in the Racial Audit report. One resolution calls for a second audit report. View this resolution. Another resolution asks for annual conferences act on the information in the audit report back to the jurisdiction. View this resolution.

• Received and affirmed the Nominations Committee report that includes the election of a new treasurer, Sarah Sneider from the Wisconsin Conference.

• Affirmed the assignments of six bishops to 10 conferences and 6 episcopal areas. Read more. 

Rev. Barrie Tritle, retired elder of the Iowa Conference and Beata Ferris, lay delegate of the Dakotas Conference, present the Episcopacy Committee recommendations.

Articles related to the business at NCJ:

Episcopacy Committee requests funds to help with reduction of NCJ bishops— North Central Jurisdictional (NCJ) Conference delegates on Friday agreed to add $80,000 to the $40,000 currently allocated in the 2025-2028 jurisdictional budget, specifically for the Episcopal Area Transition Fund. The purpose of this fund is to resource bishops and episcopal areas related to the reduction of bishops that was approved at the 2024 General Conference. Read more.

Navigating Change: Report of the NCJ Committee on Episcopacy—Recommendations from the Committee on Episcopacy to not hold election of bishops, and to approve the names of two new episcopal areas—Ohio Area and the Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Area, were approved. Read more.

LGBTQ+ delegates applaud change, but ‘there is still work to do’— General Conference 2024 was a good start. But there is still work to be done. LGBTQ+ delegates who had breakfast with the NCJ College of Bishops on July 11 said they felt relief when this year’s General Conference rescinded the harmful language about LGBTQ+ people. Read more.

Bishops and BIPOC delegates discuss diversity and inclusion— Retired and active members of the North Central Jurisdictional (NCJ) College of Bishops met with BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) delegates for a time of reflection and conversation over lunch. Read more
 

Learning

Throughout the four-day conference attendees spent time learning in large and small groups. Learning experiences are summarized in the following articles:

The Three Simple Rules were part of the learning with a tactile activity shaped around visuals and a cross designed by John Srtska, Dakotas Conference Co-Lay Leader.

Wesleyan vile-tality: A call to United Methodist renewal— Dr. Ashley Boggan D., general secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History, encouraged those gathered at the North Central Jurisdictional (NCJ) Conference to embrace a core aspect of the Wesleyan identity that she called “Wesleyan vile-tality.” She defined this term from John Wesley as “that willingness to look beyond today’s acceptable practices, standards, and norms and bend the rules in order to ensure that more and more persons can be included within the kin-dom and that all persons, no matter who they are, how they identify, whom they love, or how they live can know and experience the love of God, can know their own self-worth, and can then grow to love themselves and others.” Watch her presentation here.

Lifting Every Voice post-General Conference to multiply love— Dr. Boggan, along with Rev. Paul Chilcote, an award-winning author and retired United Methodist minister and theological educator, led the time of reflection and asked, “What lessons can The United Methodist Church take from the history of the church moving forward?” Watch their discussion here.

What to Teach: A practical theology of love—Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote has a deep commitment to social justice and how he integrates faith into real-world issues. With a compassionate approach, Paul's wisdom offers a unique perspective on how spirituality can be a force for positive change in our communities. View the video of this presentation.

How to Teach: Learning Through Spiritual Practices - Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote presented his third "Special Topic" on Thursday afternoon at 3:45pm in Sioux Falls, SD. He was joined by Rev. Tyler Sit for a discussion and audience participation segment. Watch the video here.

What to Do: A community of wide embrace—Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote shares how John Wesley invites us to build Shalom communities and to unite in faith together. Compassion and justice is our work as we partner with God to create shalom on earth. View the session.

Spiritual innovations and the future of church— What does spiritual innovation look like today? Rev. Tyler Sit, church planter and pastor of New City Church and Northeast UMC in Minneapolis, explored that question in a presentation to North Central Jurisdictional Conference attendees. Read and article. View the presentation at 1 hour, 46 minutes in this video.

Three Simple Rules frame each day at NCJ —Each person registered for the 2024 North Central Jurisdictional (NCJ) Conference was given a personal copy of the book Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living by Bishop Rueben Job, who grew up and served in the Dakotas Conference. The book, about John Wesley’s three simple rules, helps people apply faith to everyday life and not only live in a way that honors God but encourages them to work toward continual growth and development of their faith. Those three simple rules— do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God — framed the topics for each of the first three days of the NCJ Conference. 

Lunch and learns offer training, education— Five lunch and learns were offered to delegates attending the 2024 North Central Jurisdictional Conference, providing continuing education and training for church leaders: Clergy Well-being, Community Development and Ministry, Innovation in Ministry, Practical Church Leadership, and Regionalization.

Bishop David Bard, right, takes time to thank Rev. Art Scanson for his dedication in making crosiers.

Dakotas’ hospitality

Throughout the week Dakotas Conference staff provided transportation, greeted people and guided them to various sessions, conducted registration, served as pages and marshalls, hosted attendees for a night of eating and entertainment in downtown Sioux Falls, offered music at worship, created visuals, technology, a prayer room and hospitality rooms.

Rev. Art Scanson, retired elder of the Dakotas Conference, was honored with gratitude for his craftsmanship.  Rev. Scanson has been creating wooden crosiers for newly elected bishops in the North Central Jurisdiction since 2000. Read more. 

Bishop Lanette Plambeck, in her closing remarks, thanked the Dakotas Conference and all who attended the quadrennial conference.

Click on this image to see all the videos of the livestream, sermons, teaching sessions, and theme videos from NCJ 2024.

“It may be true that the Dakotas Conference of The United Methodist Church is our smallest annual conference. I would suggest to you, that it is the annual conference with the largest spirit of hospitality. We hope that you feel loved. We hope you feel led. We hope you feel fed in mind, body, and spirit,” Bishop Lanette Plambeck said in closing remarks at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. “Thank you all for your engaged participation. Thank you all for how you have shown love to the Dakotas Conference and loved one another. This week has enriched us. May we go forward and plant this Wesleyan ecotone in our neighborhoods.”

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Get more details at North Central Jurisdiction website.