The NCJ Mission Council calls the million United Methodists in the region to pray for God’s guidance as the North Central delegates come together online November 10-11, 2021. The Dakotas Conference delegates to the North Central Jurisdictional Conference clergy delegates are: Rev. Rebecca Trefz, Rev. Sara Nelson, as well as Rev. Ray Baker, first reserve, Rev. Roger Spahr, second reserve, and Rev. Jenny Hallenbeck Orr, third reserve. Lay delegates are: Kara Togel, Beata Ferris, as well as Jane Hincks, first reserve, Jodi Cataldo, second reserve, and Tanner Carlson, third reserve. 

In September of 2021, the North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops decided to hold a special session of the NCJ virtually rather than in-person and pare down the schedule to focus on three critical areas: the work of dismantling racism, the future United Methodist Church, and the role and deployment of episcopal leadership within the jurisdiction. The “Building Beloved Community” session will be live-streamed and you can watch it here. Bookmark this page in your browser so you can navigate to it easily on Wednesday, November 10, beginning at 8:00 a.m. CST.

The Wednesday morning session will be from 8:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. when Bishop Hee-Soo Jung from the Wisconsin Annual Conference preaches the opening worship.

At 8:30 a.m., a presentation and a discussion led by Bishop Hope Morgan retired from Resident Bishop from the North Carolina Conference and chairperson of the anti-racism task force for the Council of Bishops, will frame the Antiracism teaching session in two movements: truth-tellers and commitment. After, the delegates will break into small group conversations led by non-delegate facilitators.

After the lunch break, at 12:05 p.m., Bishop David Bard, who is serving the Michigan Area and the Minnesota Conference and who is also the president of the North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops, will co-lead a special presentation about the Future of the Episcopacy with Rev. Sara Isbell from the Illinois Great Rivers Conference and the NCJ Committee on Episcopacy chairperson.

At 1:45 p.m., Bishop Laurie Haller, interim bishop of the Dakotas Conference, and resident bishop of the Iowa Annual Conference, will present on the Future of The United Methodist Church.

Following Bishop Haller at approximately 2:05 p.m., Michelle Hettmann, board member of the Connectional Table and the Southeastern Jurisdiction, will introduce the Connectional Table Visioning process the delegates will engage in during the afternoon. While the Connectional Table doesn’t expect to write a vision statement for the global UMC due to this process, the conversations will encourage and help all who are trying to shape the vision of the UMC moving forward and produce a written covenant. This section will include presentations and breakout group discussions. The team planning this expects feedback from the conversations to form a document for consideration of the delegates at Thursday’s plenary session.

Thursday’s sessions opening worship, led by Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, begins at 8:32 a.m., introducing the writing team's draft of the covenant, followed by refining, and voting. The session should convene at approximately 11:00 a.m. CST.

You can find more information and a detailed schedule of the NCJ Special Session here.