Dear Beloved Leaders of Iowa Annual Conference,
Greetings with the love and grace of Jesus Christ!
We want to express our special thanks and gratitude for your tireless work and creativity in this challenging time. We are so grateful for our connectional shared ministry that has never been halted but rather been further strengthened to enhance the disciple-making mission, while acknowledging that we have been journeying through the extraordinary time brought by the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. Our connectional spirit has been proven to be a strong ligament that binds us together as the Iowa Conference. Truly, all of you have been creative and adaptive and resilient to provide new ways of serving, connecting, and discipling in your communities. You and your congregations have stood up for this challenge to create a space of grace and hope for all.
In this new season, to move forward with the Conference’s strategic priorities (creating world-transforming communities of faith, equipping transformational leaders, and directing our resources to our common goals), the Appointive Cabinet created a strategic plan for the potential district lines that will be reflected on the development of circuit ministries. To this end, we invite you to walk together through upcoming strategic changes in our districts and Conference, as we develop the circuit ministry with the realignment of resources, such as the reduction of districts and Conference staff.
More specifically, for the transitional year of 2020-2021, Bishop Laurie Haller has assigned five district superintendents who will supervise the current existing eight districts (see the attached assignment of churches to superintendents). The five district superintendents have each been assigned an equal number of clergy persons and charges as possible. These assignments may be revised as the circuits are formed.
Here are the lists of district superintendents, their supervisory assignments, and circuit ministry development team:
District Superintendents:
Pastors and local churches will continue to relate to their existing eight district committees and the five district superintendents will support these relationships from their supervisory regions. Pastors and local churches will also continue to relate to the District Administrative Assistants (DAAs) that they currently relate to.
Circuit Ministry Development Team:
Bishop Laurie Haller and the Appointive Cabinet continue to support each of you in a time of preparing the future of our church in Iowa and birthing new ways of ministry more relevant to new people in new generations to come. Acknowledging that the denominational anxiety on human sexuality is lingering amid the pandemic crisis, we will continue to enhance our core mission of the United Methodist Church: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Thank you for your partnership in ministry and your faithful commitment to our connectional ministry.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Heecheon Jeon
Incoming Dean of the Appointive Cabinet