Charge Conference

Dear church family, 

Do you have Thursday, October 28 on your calendar? 

I hope you do! It is our annual Charge Conference. I encourage any and all members and constituents of Aldersgate UMC to attend. Why?

Two Reasons: 

First, we have a new District Superintendent Rev. Debra Hobbs Mason. She is making it a point to meet with each and every church this year. Rev. Hobbs Mason has set aside time during the charge conference for questions and to have a conversation with you. This is a great opportunity for you to share your love of Aldersgate UMC and for you to help our new DS get to know our church. Share your passion and love for the ministry we do here in North Carrollton. 

Second, attendance is important because it is an indicator of lay involvement in the local church. The North Central Districts and North Texas Annual Conferences have resources to share with local churches, but, like all of us, they are called to be good stewards of those resources. Lay involvement is one of the factors used to determine which congregations receive those resources.

If you are new to the Methodist church, you might want to know what exactly is a Charge Conference? 
According to The Discipline (the United Methodist rule book), “the primary responsibility of the Charge Conference in the annual meeting shall be to review and evaluate the total mission and ministry of the church, receive reports, and adopt objectives and goals recommended by the church council that are in keeping with the objectives of The United Methodist Church (par. 247.3).” 

Also included at Charge Conference is the election of leaders (standing committees) to the local congregation; examination and recommendation of all clergy or church-related vocations candidates, lay ministers, lay servants and speakers; the setting of the compensation of all clergy appointed to the charge; and receiving a membership report from the senior pastor. Typically a charge conference lasts about an hour. 

I hope you will plan to attend. If you have any questions or want more information please let me know. I love being the pastor at Aldersgate UMC and looking forward to sharing a little of our story with our new DS on October 28, 2021 @ 7:30 p.m. 

With Gratitude,
Rodney Whitfield 
Senior Pastor