Option Technology provided the voting devices at the 2023 Annual Conference. Photos by jlynn studios.

Voting members of the 30th Session of the Dakotas Annual Conference ratified 24 church disaffiliation agreements, approved four legislative items, referred one item, and one legislative item was ruled out of ordered. The body approved the 2024 budget and spending plan, the nominations report, and the consent calendar. Access the legislation.

For the second-year electronic devices were used.  Option Technologies provided each voting member of the body a push button device. Voting on each motion took place, 30 seconds, with results displayed instantly. Everyone had to pick up their device each morning and return the voting device each day. 

Kelsey Morgan, program assistant for the Dakotas Methodist Foundation, coordinated the distribution and volunteer assistance with the voting devices. "Everything went smoothly. People were receptive to using the voting devices," she said.

Here’s a look at key items, along with some of the details behind them:

2024 budget: The 2024 budget and spending plan was approved, including apportionments and direct billing, totaling $5,841,743.87. The 2024 apportioned spending plan of $3.06 million, represents a 7.5 percent decrease from 2023 and 15.8% from 2022.

“CCFA has worked diligently this past year through several disaffiliation agreements. This season of transition added complexity to the 2024 budgeting process. We worked to prepare a budget that is realistic and strived to reduce the apportionment to churches,” said Rev. Bob Ruedebusch, chair of the Conference Council on Finance and Administration.

In the 2024 Budget, there will be a decrease in the apportioned request to churches from 14% to 13.5%. The goal remains to get to 10%. 

Several reasons contribute to the request decrease: Thrive funds will be utilized for assist in church revitalization and the Practical Church Leadership training for clergy. There will be fewer clergy that move this year, reducing expenditures, and there is a lower request less for salaries because Rev. Rebecca Trefz, is serving in multiple roles and staffing is being re-aligned.  The annual conference session is being reimagined resulting in less dollars.

Through the 2024 budget, the Dakotas Conference will continue to invest in these strategic areas:

• Developing Missional Leaders, including leadership development for clergy, lay servant ministries, and youth ministries.
• Extending Missional Congregations, including new church development, church revitalization, and tools and training for churches.
• Extending Missional Impact, including conference missionaries.
• Generating Missional Resources, including the conference finance office, worker’s compensation coverage, and equitable compensation for clergy.
• District Superintendents who support and resource clergy and churches in various ways.
• Support Services, including the Commission on Archives and History, conference communications, conference support staff, our video conferencing system, and the production of the Annual Conference Session.

Rev. Rebecca Trefz, district superintendent and director of ministries, speaks on the floor of annual conference.

Legislative items 2.1-2.4, pages 19-179, Resolutions to ratify disaffiliation agreements: Twenty-four disaffiliation agreements were ratified. There were 11 disaffiliation agreements in the Northeast District that were ratified. In the Northwest District, seven disaffiliation agreements were ratified. Four agreements were ratified in the Southeast District and two in the Southwest District.

Legislative item 1.2: Resolution to create Green Teams for climate justice, energy conservation, and creation care. Legislative item 1.2 passed. The legislation encourages every local church in the Dakotas Annual Conference to create a Green Team or strengthen an existing one for action in four areas each year—worship, education, practice, and advocacy—providing children, youth, and adults of all ages with inspiration, knowledge, encouragement, and practical means for caring for creation and justice.

Legislative item 1.3: Resolution to Form a Non-Permanent Standing Committee for Disability Ministries. Legislative item 1.3 passed. Now the Dakotas Conference will form a committee that supports individual churches, groups, districts, or other United Methodists groups to facilitate formal and informal groups of Circle of Friends or other ministry and outreach programs with the support and resources of the Non-Permanent Standing Committee on Disability Ministries.

Legislative item 1.4. Modifications to the Clergy Vacation and Time Off Policy passed. The processes and policies for clergy related to vacation, sick leave, parental leave, continuing education, weekly time off, leave for annual conference, connectional responsibilities, Higher Ground—eight-year assessment leave, short-term renewal leave, long-term renewal leave, and sabbatical leave were clarified and updated.

Legislative item 1.5: Suspension of Rules 6.2. and 6.3. The Nominations Committee of the Dakotas Annual Conference moved to suspend Conference Standing Rules 6.2 (tenure) and 6.3 (limitations) until the presentation of the slate of nominations for election by the 2025 regular session of annual conference. Legislative item 1.5 passed.

Legislative item 1.6 request for November Special Session was ruled out of order. Bishop Lanette Plambeck ruled the item of out order stating the request does not meet the requirements of paragraph 603.5 of The Book of Discipline that reads, “A special session of the annual conference, may be held at such a time, and in such a place, as shall have been determined by the annual Conference after consultation with the bishop…” There was no consultation held with the resident bishop, Bishop Plambeck, therefore the petition was ruled out of order.

Legislative item 1.7 Resolution reaffirming commitment to retirees and widows The resolution seeks to add language to clarify the retiree health policy (p. 180, The 2022 Conference Journal) to include “Once retired, clergy need not maintain membership in the Dakotas UMC to retain this benefit." A motion to refer this matter to the Board of Pensions succeeded.

View the plenary sessions for the 30th Session of the Dakotas Annual Conference:
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Friday, June 9, 2023
Saturday, June 10, 2023