Everything you want to know about church/charge conferences but were afraid to ask! Be sure all who will be responsible for form completion and submission see this information. Remember that all documents must be submitted electronically. Please contact the MIV district office if you have questions: 937-739-4445 or miamivalley [at] wocumc.org.

What do I need to do to get ready for charge/church conferences?

• Announce the date and time of your church conference to your congregation at least 10 days and two Sundays in advance

• Start your nominations/lay leadership team meetings as soon as possible to fill your committee positions for 2023. Don't forget to include a Lay Member to Annual Conference. (Several churches have people in this position who don't attend Annual Conference.)  Make sure to update the new officers under the Lay Leadership Nominations or Lay Officers section of the website - position start dates can be set. (this should be done any time there is a position change!)
• Meet with your S/PPRC to decide upon the pastoral compensation for 2023, including accountable reimbursement and housing allowance exclusion amounts, if applicable.  Minimum salary information can be found below.
• Meet with your leadership board/team to determine your Breakthrough Goals for 2023.
• Review your membership lists to compose first and second year reading lists for removal from the rolls.
• Make sure you have an updated Safe Sanctuary Policy. - Every church MUST have a Safe Sanctuary Policy.  If you don't have one, let the district office know so we can help you get one!
• Determine who will be participating in the church conference and invite them to attend.
• Let the Trustee Chair know they should complete the Trustee Legal & Property Report and the Parsonage Inspection (if applicable) to the church conference. The S/PPRC's signature is required on this form.  These forms can be found online under the My Church, Local Church Reports, Annual Reporting, 2022 tab.
• Determine if your church has any candidates for ministry or certified lay servants, lay speakers, or certified lay ministers who must be approved at your church conference.  If so, have your laity complete and submit their annual report  and request for renewal to the church conference.
• Complete your church conference forms online.  The process has been streamlined to make online submission very simple!
 

How do I access my charge/church conference online forms:

• All pastors and Church Data Administrators have access to the online forms.  If you’d like for someone else from your church to complete the forms online, contact the district office to have that individual designated as a Church Data Administrator.  Please do not share your login/password with others.
• To access forms online:  go to www.westohioumc.org  Note that online submission can be started at any time, and you can save and return to the data, it does not need to be completed all at one time.
• First, log in to the website.  If you forget your password, click on ‘retrieve user name and password.’ Do not create a new account if you already have one, as it will not be set with the correct permissions.  You can contact the district office to see if you have an account or to obtain your User ID.
• Once you are logged in, click on ‘My Church’ then on Local Church Reports, Charge Conference, 2022.  If you have more than one church, choose My Church, then Local Church Reports, then My Church on the middle menu, then select one of your churches, then Charge Conference, 2022.
• From here you can print out the packet of worksheets (also available below).  Note that if you completed the forms online last year, much of that information is set to auto-fill for this year, so check the online forms first before filling in the worksheets by hand.
• Please don’t wait until the days right before your charge/church conference to start the online submission process!  Go online now and make sure you can log in and access the forms electronically.  That will give us time to fix any issues with access before you need to do the data entry for your charge/church conference.  If you need assistance with the process, please contact the district office.

What do I need the day of my charge/church conference?

• Take any forms that you want to refer to for the meeting, copies of your agenda, any forms/information you want to share with those in attendance, and the minutes form.
• Only if these forms have not been completed and uploaded online: You will need to submit a hard copy to the MIV district office at your church conference of the Pastor’s Compensation Report, Accountable Reimbursement Policy, Housing Allowance Exclusion Form, the Signature page, and any Lay Servant Annual Reports (if applicable).

What do I need to do after my charge/church conference?

• If there are any changes that occur during your charge/church conference, be sure to make those changes online.   Upload your minutes and signature page (Rev. Jim Wilson will sign the document after it has been uploaded), then submit your forms to finalize the process no later than 10 days following your charge/church conference.  Copies of your completed forms can be printed at any time.

We hope that you find this information helpful.  Contact the district office at any time if you have questions or need assistance!