Colleagues and Friends,
Currently the cabinet, pastors, staff-parish committees, and churches are working on the upcoming appointment year: July 2024 to June 2025. I have found that cabinet transparency is vital in building trust. To inform you of our process, but most importantly to ask for your prayers, I want to share the following:
The cabinet, consisting of the four district superintendents, Rev. Ashley Davis, and myself will be working to make many appointments between now and annual conference, scheduled for June 16-18.
I have said this before but there are many factors that go into this process which include retirements; churches open by the death of a pastor; pastors leaving our annual conference; local church needs and concerns; pastors’ needs and concerns; and family considerations, to name a few. Some of our local churches have also reduced clergy salaries due to fewer incoming resources. The combination of these circumstances leads to many emotions. Our United Methodist appointment process is like no other mainline denomination.
As you hopefully read in our conference priorities, the cabinet has given significant time and effort to prioritize the appointments of female clergy and clergy of color. The AWF Cabinet has developed guidelines to be used when a female clergyperson is appointed to a church that has not previously had a female clergyperson as its senior/lead pastor. The cabinet is also continuing its work around clergy of color with the incoming director of justice and diversity ministries and general church resources. There are many resources available relating to this need, but the timeline usually takes 12-24 months to implement.
What I have come to learn and have experienced is that the Holy Spirit is in this process. As unusual as it may seem, I have been so blessed by my appointment-making time. It is sacred work, and the Alabama-West Florida Conference has a Godly cabinet that makes our work deep and rich. Please pray for us!
To help guide your time of prayer, let me share the following timeline with you:
February 20-21: As consultations take place, the district superintendent marked each pastor as remain, must move, should move, could move, or retiring. The majority of pastors were marked as remain. As we begin to make some appointment projections, we may or may not communicate them out of the cabinet.
March 11-13: The cabinet will project most of the appointments during these days.
March 18-19: Those pastors moving will receive a phone call from their district superintendent to set a meeting to go over their projected appointment and pastor-parish chairs will be called and told of the projected appointment. The full SPRC will be informed and instructed to keep the appointment confidential.
April 2: The cabinet meets to review all projections and to make any adjustments.
April 8-June 15: The cabinet will continue to work at filling part-time appointments and other situations that might arise as pastoral introductions are made.
April 7: Pastors and churches are free to publicly communicate the new appointment unless otherwise directed by the district superintendent.
April 8-9: Called and Sent: A Retreat for Moving Pastors will be held for all pastors receiving a new appointment at Blue Lake Camp. More details are forthcoming.
In some churches we will conduct a process called off-boarding to help churches prepare for a new pastor and in other places on-boarding to help the new pastor move into his/her new appointment. Furthermore, there will be a Beginning Pastors Workshop for those who have their first appointment in our conference on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at Brantley United Methodist Church. More details will be released in the coming weeks.
As you see, the appointment process is the most important work we do and one that I want to live into God’s will. I feel it is important to be transparent to all our clergy and congregations.
We need and appreciate your prayers.
In Christ,
Bishop David Graves
Resident Bishop