COVENANT MINISTERIUM COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS, We write to you today as we look out toward our Ministerium and ECC Annual Meetings on June 22-26, 2021. These days of online, virtual meetings are very important in the story of our Covenant denomination. Even though most of us are SO EXHAUSTED FROM ZOOM MEETINGS, we hope that you will register and participate, since cost and access issues are minimal. Together online, we will enter into spaces of worship, lament, discernment, celebration of ordinands, and moving forward in our collective witness. We encourage you to identify delegates from your churches, or for you yourself to join as a delegate, to participate in the ECC Annual Meeting and Ministerium Annual Meeting. A number of items on both agendas need the careful, prayerful involvement of each one of us as credentialed clergy.
This blog post contains practical information about several agenda items particular to the Ministerium Annual Meeting - as well as timely updates on realities impacting us in this season. Please review items linked here, deadlines coming up this month and next, and watch for more information that will be forthcoming related to our Annual Meeting.
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2021 MINISTERIUM ANNUAL MEETING
We look forward to gathering together June 22nd 1-4pm CST, and June 23rd 10-12noon, and 1-5pm CST. Registration is open now through June 15th to attend the virtual Ministerium Annual Meeting - note the corresponding deadline for being in Good Standing by May 25th (below.) To register visit: https://gather.covchurch.org/.
GOOD STANDING FOR ECC CLERGY
We’re grateful for the Dept. of Develop Leaders helping do the behind the scenes work of processing and accounting for the various aspects of affirming that clergy are in Good Standing and therefore able to virtually attend the Ministerium Annual Meeting. The deadline for being in Good Standing is earlier this year due to the work needed to prepare for an online meeting - please confirm/update all aspects of Good Standing by May 25th to guarantee participation and voice at the Annual Meeting. (This includes paying ministerial dues for the 2021-2022 year, completing your annual Vocational Growth Tool, updating your Profile if this hasn’t been done in the past three years; participating in ongoing education, and noting places of collegial engagement.)
BUSINESS ITEMS AT 2021 MINISTERIUM ANNUAL MEETING - Multiple items related to the Agenda will be added online at our website (scroll down to "Business Meeting Documents") in the next month as they become available; three are posted below for you to review now.
COVENANT MINISTERIUM BYLAWS AMENDMENT – This item was drafted for 2020 and is on the agenda for a vote this year. Please review its history, purpose, and content directly here
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP 2021 AWARDS – The Second Annual WIL awards will be named at the 2021 Ministerium Annual Meeting. All Ministerium members are invited to submit names to honor women leaders, preachers, and advocates through our online form. Nominations are open now through June 1 and final names will be voted on by reps from our various Ministerium and Mosaic leaders upon submission. For more information visit: https://www.eccclergy.org/womeninleadership
RESOLUTION on REPUDIATING THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY – Our Ministerium Executive Board is thankful for all the prayer, study and writing from the CAC and beyond that contributed to this excellent document. We, the Ministerium Executive Board (Liz Mosbo VerHage, Dieula Previlon, Laurie Cornell, Mark Tao and Eric Hedberg), gratefully endorse this Resolution and encourage the wider body to review and engage with the materials provided. It will be voted upon at the ECC Annual Meeting, and will be on the Agenda as a matter of discussion at the Ministerium Annual Meeting. The Resolution and a video about it can be found here: Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery- VIEW PROPOSAL / VIEW VIDEO
OMAHA ANNUAL MEETING 2019 – It likely is true that many of us as credentialed clergy have memories, emotions, questions or concerns in response to the 2019 Ministerium and ECC Annual Meetings. In our diverse body, the nature of these stories may spread all across a broad spectrum. While we each may have a different perspective on the events and votes of our meeting two years ago, we certainly do agree that our gathering included harm and sadness for brothers and sisters within our family, along with confusion and questions about various parts of the process. We also acknowledge together that mature relationships of any sort require that we name significant experiences, if we hope to be spiritually, relationally and emotionally healthy people. Know that the Ministerium Executive Board is prayerfully seeking discernment about the best ways to process our 2019 experience as a community of pastors and leaders when we gather again this year.
RESTRUCTURING PROPOSAL FOR THE ECC – As many of you may know, there has been a Strategic Alignment Team at work for the past seven months, listening to the voices of the broad ECC community and then, drafting a proposal to restructure the organizational life of our denomination. Since the proposal was released, there have been questions about various parts of this possible new structure. Please know that there will be an opportunity for the Ministerium to discuss this restructuring proposal before it is voted upon at the ECC Annual Meeting.
COVID-19 - The virus has caused pain, suffering, fear, personal loss, isolation, depression and trauma for so many human beings. The story continues in many ways, even as vaccine access provides hope! We pray that you have experienced God’s merciful presence in your lives, both as followers of Jesus, and as shepherds guiding others. Our Covenant family; our country; and the whole globe will not immediately return to our old rhythms of life - nor should we. There is so much relational, spiritual, and emotional healing work to be done. Remember to extend grace to yourself and all those around you.
RACIAL RIGHTEOUSNESS - Woven right in and through these months of a virus pandemic, the systemic racism and white supremacy within our country and in our ECC story together, have been further revealed. God has graced us with Covenant leaders who have been guiding and resourcing us throughout this past year, as we seek to do justice together. While we give thanks for our individual and collective growth, there is so much more work to be done as we learn to live and love like God. We’re thankful for the ongoing work of many in our Ministerium, in the Mosaic Commission, and through the CAC’s work on the Resolution linked here, which all reflects the incredibly important work that continues to move us along this shared Kingdom journey.
In closing - sisters and brothers, please feel free to contact our Board with any questions. We look forward to the prayerful Kingdom work we will enact together in June.
God’s mercy and peace,
Secretary Laurie A. D. Cornell, along with the Ministerium Executive Board