Mountain Sky Appointment Announcements
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Mountain Sky Appointment Announcements
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Updated as of 11/20/2022, approved by MSC Roundtable
Starting at C300- C360 of the 2021 Guiding Policies and Procedures, or read below
C412 of the 2021 Guiding Policies and Procedures, or read below
C300 Focus Teams and Measurable Outcomes
Each focus team of the Mountain Sky Conference (Leadership Development, Congregational Vitality, Community Engagement, Responsible Stewardship, Communications, and any cross-functional team receiving budgeted funds) shall develop measurable outcomes for their work that shall be affirmed by the Mountain Sky Roundtable. These outcomes shall relate to the Vision, Values and/or Principles of the Mountain Sky Conference. A progress report on these outcomes shall be included with any Mountain Sky Conference budget request.
C301 Recommend the Guiding Policies and Procedures
Any of the foregoing focus teams is empowered to recommend the Guiding Policies and Procedures to the Conference Rules team for adoption at any future annual conference session.
C310 Leadership Development
There shall be a Leadership Development team whose general purpose shall be to equip excellence, guide discernment and nurture the call to leadership at all levels of the conference. Its focus shall be programmatic. The composition of the Leadership Development team shall be:
Conference Superintendent of Leadership Development and Director of Connectional Ministry — With voice and vote
Cabinet Liaison — With voice and vote
Member of Board of Ordained Ministry (¶635) — With voice and vote
Member of Board of Laity (¶ 631) — With voice and vote
Elected members (6 to 8) — With voice and vote
Youth — With voice and vote
CLM Rep — With voice and vote
CLM Rep — With voice and vote
Lay Servants Ministries Rep — With voice and vote
Lay Servants Ministries Rep — With voice and vote
Ex-Officio Staff — With voice and vote
C311 Entities that Shall Associate with the Leadership Development Team
The following mandated entities shall associate with the Leadership Development team:
Board of Ordained Ministry and Board of Laity; Administrative Review Committee (¶ 636); Committee on Investigation (¶ 2703).
C312 Roles Assumed by the Leadership Development Team
The roles assigned to the following committees or bodies shall be assumed by the Leadership Development team:
Board of Higher Education & Campus Ministry (¶634); Council on Youth Ministry (¶649); Safe Sanctuary Task Force; Commission on Equitable Compensation (¶ 625); Nominations Committee; Council on Young Adult Ministry (¶ 650) (Note: CYM will self-select its representative(s) to the Leadership Development team), Camping Ministries.
C313 Leadership Development Accountability
The Leadership Development team shall be accountable to the Mountain Sky Roundtable.
C314 Responsibility or Authority over Clergy Appointments
The Leadership Development team shall have no responsibility or authority over clergy appointments and cannot spend beyond its approved budget without authorization from the Council on Finance and Administration (CF&A).
C320 Congregational Vitality
There shall be a Congregational Vitality team whose general purpose shall be to begin new faith communities, support revitalization and implement discipling processes throughout the conference at all levels. The composition of the Congregational Vitality team shall be:
Conference Superintendent of Community and Congregational Development — With voice and vote
Cabinet Liaison — With voice and vote
Elected members (6 to 8) * — With voice and vote
CRM Cohort Leaders — With voice and vote
* At least two people from rural/small churches.
C321 Roles Assumed by the Congregational Vitality Team
The roles assigned to the following committees or bodies shall be assumed by the Congregational Vitality team:
Board of Discipleship (¶ 630); Commission on Small Membership Church (¶ 645).
C322 Congregational Vitality Accountability
The Congregational Vitality team shall be accountable to the Mountain Sky Roundtable. The Congregational Vitality team cannot spend beyond its approved budget without authorization from the Council on Finance and Administration.
C330 Community Engagement
There shall be a Community Engagement team whose general purpose shall be equipping congregations and ministries to connect with communities as a way of transforming the world. The composition of the Community Engagement team shall be:
Conference Superintendent of Community and Congregational Development — With voice and vote
Cabinet Liaison — With voice and vote
Elected members (6 to 8) — With voice and vote
At least one person from a rural/small church — With voice and vote
Elected member (Youth) — With voice and vote
Ex-Officio Staff — With voice and vote
C331 Roles Assumed by the Community Engagement Team
The roles assigned to the following committees or bodies shall be assumed by the Community Engagement team:
Global Ministries (¶ 633); Church and Society (¶ 629); Hispanic/Latino Ministries (¶ 655); Native American Ministry (¶ 654); Disabilities Concerns (¶ 653); Religion and Race (¶ 643); Commission on Status and Role of Women (¶ 644); Ethnic Local Church Concerns (¶ 632).
C332 Addressing Ministry Priorities
The Community Engagement team may create action-oriented task forces to address ministry priorities related to programmatic areas, including: Missions (UMCOR, Advance, VIM, Missionary Covenant Relationships, Angola Pastors Support, Blackfeet Parish, Intermountain Children’s Home, Mission Adventures); Mission U; Church & Society and Social Principles; CONAM (Committee on Native American Ministry); Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations; Emerging Topical Issues and Ministry Priorities.
C333 Community Engagement Accountability
The Community Engagement team shall be accountable to the Mountain Sky Roundtable.
C334 Community Engagement Budget
The Community Engagement team cannot spend beyond its approved budget without authorization from the Council on Finance and Administration.
C340 Responsible Stewardship Team
There shall be a Responsible Stewardship team whose general purpose shall be to provide and care for the physical, financial, and administrative needs of the conference, including cultivating resources needed for ministry through transparent financial management and missional budgeting. The composition of the Responsible Stewardship team shall be:
Conference Treasurer (Chief Financial Officer) — With voice and vote
Conference Benefits Officer — With voice and vote
Cabinet Liaison — With voice and vote
Member of CFA (¶ 614) — With voice and vote
Member of Board of Pensions (¶ 638) — With voice and vote
Member of Board of Trustees (¶ 640) — With voice and vote
Co-Lay Leader (1) — With voice and vote
Mountain Sky UM Foundation Rep — With voice and vote
Commission on Archives and History Rep — With voice and vote
C341 Entities that Shall Associate with the Responsible Stewardship Team
The following mandated entities shall associate with the Responsible Stewardship team: Council on Finance & Administration (¶ 611); Board of Trustees (¶ 640); Board of Pensions (¶ 639), and Commission on Archives and History (¶ 641).
C342 Roles Assumed by the Responsible Stewardship Team
The roles assigned to the following committees or bodies shall be assumed by the Responsible Stewardship team: Personnel Policies and Practices (¶ 613).
C343 Coordinating Body on Missional or Program Objectives
The Responsible Stewardship team shall be a coordinating body on missional or program objectives between the mandated and non-mandated committees or bodies relating to it.
C344 Authority over Properties and Budgets
The Responsible Stewardship team shall not have authority over properties and budgets and cannot spend beyond its approved budget without authorization from the Council on Finance and Administration.
C350 Communications
There shall be a Communications team whose general purpose shall be to ensure efficient communication with well-trained people serving in these roles. The composition of the Communications team shall be:
Director of Communications — With voice and vote
IT Coordinator & End-User Support Technician — With voice and vote
Media and Communications Specialist — With voice and vote
Bishop — With voice and vote
Elected Members (3) — With voice and vote
Ex-Officio Staff — With voice and vote
C351 Communication Team Accountability
The Communications team shall be accountable to the Mountain Sky Roundtable.
C352 Roles Assigned to the Communication Team
The roles assigned to the following committees shall be assumed by the Communications Team:
Commission on Communication (¶ 646).
C353 Communication Budget
The Communications team cannot spend beyond its approved budget without authorization from the Council on Finance and Administration.
C360 Cross-Functional Teams
There may be additional teams formed to cover specific tasks. Examples include Annual Conference planning and Conference Rules.
C412 of the 2021 Guiding Policies and Procedures
C412. Nominating Process.
a. The Conference Nominating Process, as part of the Office of the DCM, shall be accountable directly to the Annual Conference.
b. The Purpose of the Conference Nominating Process is to assist the conference in the selection of members for all groups within the Annual Conference, including, but not limited to, Annual Conference councils, boards, agencies, standing committees, and commissions, whether mandated by the current Discipline, by the Structure Plan, by these Rules, or by action of an Annual Conference. Agencies of the Conference, which elect their own officers and/or membership, are asked to submit their names to the Conference Nominations Guiding Team and the Director of Connectional Ministries, as soon as these elections (or vacancies) occur.
c. The Mountain Sky Conference Nominating Process shall be guided by two (2) members (1 Lay and 1 Clergy) from each District. Attention shall be given to Lay/Clergy balance, gender balance, geographic balance, and inclusiveness. The committee shall elect its own chair and vice-chair to serve for the quadrennium. The Guiding Team shall be responsible for filling positions based on gifts and graces needed for each ministry area.
d. The process of Nomination will resource the five (5) program areas, including: Leadership Development, Congregational Vitality, Community Engagement, Responsible Stewardship (Trustees, Pensions, COFA), and the Communications Team. The Guiding Team on Nominations is also responsible for the Committee on Episcopacy, and others as determined by the Annual Conference.
e. The five program areas shall represent all areas of diversity and lay members shall be members of a United Methodist Church within the Mountain Sky Conference. When a lay or clergy representative is needed from a specific District, the chair of the Mountain Sky Conference Nominations Guiding Team will contact the appropriate District Roundtable to request a replacement. Four-year terms will be the standard length of service. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall be elected from within the committee.
f. A person shall not serve on the same group within the Annual Conference for more than eight (8) years, unless an interval of at least four (4) years intervenes, with the exception of the Board of Ordained Ministry, when the maximum term is three (3) consecutive four-year terms. Groups within the Annual Conference may set term limits for periods less than eight (8) years. A person may serve four (4) additional years with the same group for missional reasons, with the approval of the Nominations Guiding Team.
g. Performance of members of boards, councils, commissions, or agencies: The Nominations Guiding Team shall contact the Chairperson of each board and agency annually, between February and March, to inquire concerning the participation of persons related thereto. When an agency of the conference considers a person inactive, it shall go through a review of the matter and determine whether a vacancy exists.
h. Representation of clergy, laymen, laywomen, youth, racial, ethnic, and rural groups: The Nominations Guiding Team will prepare nominations which will encourage equitable representation of clergy, laymen, laywomen, youth, racial and ethnic groups in all agencies of the Conference. This includes small town and rural churches from across the Annual Conference.
i. The Conference Nominations Process seeks to be aware of person with handicapping conditions and seeks to nominate them for responsible leadership, when appropriate.
j. A single slate of officers shall be presented at Annual Conference for election, and nominations shall be invited from the floor of the Conference.
k. Where District representation is mandated, a position shall be declared vacant when a person moves form the District in which he/she was elected. Further, the vacated position shall be filled by a person elected from the District where the vacancy occurred.
l. When a position is declared vacant, the Chairperson of the committee, board, agency, or commission shall notify the Chairperson of the Conference Nominations Guiding Team. The person elected or designated to fill the position shall serve for the unexpired term. This shall count as the first full term. If a vacancy is filled between Annual Conference sessions, the Conference Roundtable shall be the body which approves replacement members.
m. When a Chairperson moves from the District in which he/she was elected, he/she may be permitted to continue in that office until the present term expires. The vacated position shall be filled according to normal procedures.
n. The eligibility of retired clergy to continue in elected position is approved in the same manner of retired laypersons, except as The Book of Discipline provides other guidelines.