During the Iowa Annual Conference 2020 Legislative Session, a majority of the AC2020 Pre-Conference Manual passed as it was written.
The Session started by approving the working agenda, the electronic voting requirements, attendance, limiting debate to two speeches for and two against and sticking to the items in the Pre-Conference Manual and then if time permitted, the body would begin working on other items.
Action Calendar 1 (Rules of Order and Plan of Organization) - approved as is.
- Action item #101
- Action Item #104
- Action Item #105
Action Item #102 - removed and approved as amended.
- Action item #102 - To make transitions smoother Action Item #102 was edited and the approved version reads, “Incoming chairs may invite the outgoing chair (or other former member of the group) to serve the agency in an ex-officio (voice but no vote) capacity for one year following the outgoing chair’s departure from the agency.
Action Item #103 - Was not approved.
- Action Item #103 - After some discussion, Action Item #103, which read, “The Annual Conference Sessions Committee, in consultation with CF&A, may set a registration fee for participants attending Annual Conference Session,” was not approved.
Action Calendar 2 (Program Reports) – approved as is.
- Action Item #201 - Board of Conference Camp & Retreat Ministries
- Action Item #202 - Board of Church & Society
- Action Item #203 - Board of Discipleship
- Action Item #204 - Board of Global Ministries
- Action Item #205 - Board of Higher Education & Campus Ministry
- Action Item #206 - Board of Laity
- Action Item #207 - Commission on Ministries with Persons with Disabilities
- Action Item #209 - Commission on the Status and Role of Women
- Action Item #210 - District Connectional Ministries Council
- Action Item #211 - District Matthew 25 Initiative
- Action Item #212 - District Askings
Action #208 - removed and approved as amended.
- Action Item #208 - There was one amendment to the Commission on Religion and Race which added, “work in tandem with the Anti-Racism Leadership Team so efforts will not be duplicated or supplanted” to the ministry plan.
Action Calendar 3 (Conference Ministries – Connectional Resources) – approved as is.
- Action Item #301 - Board of Trustees
- Action Item #302 - Episcopal Office & Operations
- Action Item #303 - Conference Connectional Ministries Council Funds – Resources and Operations
- Action Item #304 - Commission on Archives & History
- Action Item #305 - Conference Administrative Committees
- Action Item #306 - Council on Finance & Administration
Action Calendar 4 (Clergy & Congregations Support) – approved as is.
- Action Item #401 - Board of Ordained Ministry
- Action Item #402 - Commission on Equitable Compensation
- Action Item #403 - Districts/Cabinet Administration
- Action Item #405 - Clergy Support Funds
Action Item #404 - removed and approved as amended.
- Action Item #404 - There was a substitute submitted the morning of the Annual Conference for Action Item #404 which is the report of Episcopal Funds (Other) that includes information about the Ministry Directors and other Healthy Relationships. The substituted plan updated some of the responsibilities of the Director of Clergy/Leadership Excellence. The updates to that position recognize the impacts by COVID-19 and other current events moving the focus from the 8-year assessment to developing transformational leadership teams to “facilitate the Bishop’s Anti-Racism Initiative” and “work with local communities/leadership in leadership development and alignment of supports and resources that will include addressing social services which meet immediate symptoms of need and injustice and underlying root systemic causes of social injustice.”
Action Item #601 (Board of Pension and Health Benefits) – approved as is.
Addendum to the 2020 Pre-Conference Manual – Healthy Conference Initiative
- This report was presented by the Bishop’s Operational Team and included information about moving to a circuit ministry model to “grow people in discipleship (leadership).” Pilot circuits will begin in the Fall of 2020 and the “hope is to have most of the conference in circuits by the end of 2021.”
Action Item #701 – (Recommendation to reduce the number of districts from eight (8) to five (5) effective July 1, 2021.) – approved as is.
The working budget was approved as the final budget.
