Graphics for Annual Conference 2022 created by Karla Hovde, Minnesota Conference.

Registration is now open for the 29th annual session of the Dakotas Conference of The United Methodist Church. The three-day event will take place at the Event Center in Bismarck, North Dakota. View the schedule. 

The Dakotas Conference Session Committee invites you to experience powerful worship, rich learning opportunities in workshops and plenary sessions, and fellowship with United Methodists across North and South Dakota. 

God is calling United Methodists in the Dakotas to remain rooted in Christ in a time of continual changes. Drawing on Psalm 23 and John 10:10-11, our theme is “Jesus: Healer.” We are a people and a world in need of healing beyond our doing. God invites us to come sit by still waters, and to allow God to restore our soul.

Here are a few questions people have been asking about this year's conference.

What will all happen at annual conference?
After two challenging years of being apart we are ready to gather as one body at the Bismarck Event Center.  Here are some of the details for our time together.

Several learning sessions including four engaging speakers on healing, that will be in a TED Talk style format. We will learn from four speakers about: Healing our Discord (consensus building), Healing our Loss of Direction (discipleship-Do/Know/Be), Healing our Racial Divides (building bridges), and Healing our Sense of Scarcity (rural ministry). Lunch-and-Learn sessions on Thursday and Friday. Get more details here.

The 2021-2022 Missional Report will highlight the ways we have been in ministry together and are seeking to follow Jesus our healer. View last year's Missional Report here. 

At a Celebration of Life in Ministry worship service Friday evening we will honor friends and colleagues who have died in the past year. We will also celebrate our retiring clergy, clergy being commissioned, elders being ordained, newly assigned licensed local pastors, and licensed local pastors completing their educational requirements.

Voting members will consider legislation put before them during the twenty-ninth session of the Dakotas Annual Conference, including the 2023 Budget Proposal, the Report of the Nominations Committee, the Board of Pensions Report, resolutions, and petitions. 

When and how do I register?
Registration is now open online here. To obtain voting privileges and attend one of the necessary pre-conference gatherings, you must register by Monday, May 23, 2022, at 5 p.m. CDT.  Only the worship services including opening worship, Celebration of Life in Ministry Service, and closing worship will be live streamed for public viewing.  

Why is there a registration fee? 
The registration fee for voting delegates is $115. Non-voting clergy spouses and visitors can register and attend for a fee of $25 per day. 

The fee covers the costs for the conference, including presenters fee, charges for the technology platforms— including a new voting procedure with handheld devices, polling and presentation software, wi-fi, and other necessary, production costs, support for each of the participants and presenters, worship service expenses, as well as lunch on Thursday and Friday. 

Can I watch everything on the livestream and not register?
Only the worship services will be available to the general public via Livestream on the conference website. These are the services and times of broadcast:

• June 9, 2022, 8:00 a.m., CDT, opening worship with the episcopal address.
• June 10, 2022, 7:00 p.m., CDT, Celebration of Life in Ministry Service, a time when we remember those clergy and conference leaders who have left this earthly home to be with Jesus, celebrate clergy entering retirement, bless local pastors entering a ministry, and commission and ordain new clergy.
• June 11, 2022, 11:20 a.m., CDT, closing worship, we will set the clergy appointments and remember our baptisms.

AC 2022 will take place at the Event Center in Bismarck, North Dakota. Photos by jlynn studios.

What is the Pre-Conference Gathering, and why should I attend?
There will be four Pre-Conference Gathering sessions held virtually via Zoom webinar. These sessions will inform delegates about how voting will occur, the 2023 budget proposal, the nominations report, the consent calendar, and any other items in the Conference Workbook, published online by May 16. This will be an opportunity to discuss the legislation happening during the conference. There will be little time during the actual session for discussion about these issues. Participants must take this time to get their questions answered. Connection information will be sent via e-mail to each registered participant in advance of your session. 

Please register for one of the Pre-Conference Gatherings when you register for Annual Conference:
1. Thursday, May 19 at 7-8 p.m. Central Time (CDT); 6-7 p.m. Mountain Time (MDT)
2. Sunday, May 22 at 8-9 p.m. CDT, 7-8 p.m. MDT
3. Tuesday, May 31 at 8-9 p.m., CDT, 7-8 p.m. MDT
4. Saturday, June 4 at 10-11 a.m. CDT, 9-10 a.m. MDT

Will childcare be provided?
Childcare for children ages 0-10 will be available on Thursday, June 9, 2022, and Friday, June 10, 2022, at McCabe United Methodist Church in Bismarck, North Dakota. 

Childcare for children ages 0-10 will be available on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at the Bismarck Event Center.

I don't see a time for clergy session on the schedule, when is clergy session?
The 2022 Clergy Session will be held virtually on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. CDT, 12:30 p.m. MDT. Clergy will be asked to register for the session to receive the link to the Zoom webinar and instructions about participation.  Clergy should look for upcoming communication about how to register and other details. 

Do you have questions we have not answered?
You may still have some questions that we have not answered please feel free to reach out to one of us. Here is a list of people and the role that they play for annual conference. 
Conference Secretary: Amber Laffey | e-mail 
Worship: Lou Whitmer | e-mail
Agenda Coordinator: Duane Coates | e-mail
Registration, Lay Equalization: Susan Punt | e-mail
Event logistics, hotel reservations: Al Roll| e-mail 
Technology and production: Doreen Gosmire | e-mail