Report to the 2007 Metro Association Fall Meeting
Regional Conference Minister

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The Rev. Louise Green, former Associate Pastor at Judson Memorial said to me once: "For the UCC, wider church life is always hard because no single agenda holds our congregations together." We can see that challenge in name alone: we are variously Congregational, Community, United Church of Christ and unidentified. But I protested: "We could organize ourselves around a common interest-- a passion for prospering our local churches. Despite each congregation's uniqueness, serving as the UCC in these days offers our churches more in common than they might realize."

The Blue Ribbon Committee's recent survey of our leadership reminded me of my conversation with Louise over 7 years ago. when I saw the three of the four top desires for "future focus" were:

Membership Growth
Church Revitalization Strategies
Vision/Direction for the Church in the 21^st Century.

A major new program initiative of the NYConference is "Casting Your Nets on the Other Side." CYN, for short, is for congregations committed to evolving to share God's love further in an increasingly dynamic, diverse and secular society.

After running a demonstration project in winter/spring 2007, last month CYN initiated its coaching for pastors and "Fishing Schools" for lay leaders. "Casting Your Nets" is already helping 29 congregations reach out to neighbors no longer familiar with the Christian story or the church's faith and practice.

I say all this, first, as an invitation: there's room for 75 congregations to participate in CYN. But we are hoping to close enrollment by the next Fishing Schools, February 23-24, 2008 . It's not too late to get your local church going with CYN, but if you want to be involved, you have to get going now. For your congregations to participate:

• speak with your pastor about the initiative;
• check out materials on the website: www.castingyournets.org ;
• let us know of your interest by contacting JohnDory@uccny.org .

But I mention this new initiative, second, to introduce a serious conversation:

The changing reality of (conference) ministry-- dwindling resources in a time of great need-- means that I, like you in local churches, must make difficult choices about how best to use my limited gifts and energy. I am learning to be less consumed by the immediate crises in congregations' daily lives, so I can be more pro-active about longer term growth towards health and vitality. I want to be-- and you deserve me to be-- an innovative pastoral leader for a time when church desperately needs to change in order to serve a changing world. I pray this is what I offer though my leadership with CYN.

Not so much a radical redefinition of how I will do my job, I am sharing my emerging commitment to better prioritizing: 1) what can I do to make the greatest difference for your congregation and the life of the whole church, and 2) how can I engage you, working with me, on hard choices about what needs to get done (so together we can feel faithful and effective in ministry and help our churches prosper)?

These commitments call me away from the "stuck situations," where intransigent predicaments or people seek attention and time without any real openness to personal or institutional change. Accountably, I promise to tell you when I feel we are in one of those stuck situations. And I will name options that could make a difference.

As your Regional Conference Minister, I offer the experience of other congregations and the wider church, but the hard choices and changes that lead to transformation are yours to make for yourself. I will be there to work with individuals and communities motivated to move forward, even through the most difficult situations. But, please also understand, in other situations, I am going to stick to my priorities. Far from being an unchristian, bottom-line management style, these are faithful and hopeful responses to the mission field in which God calls us to minister.

Shrinking resources and tough choices, and the consequent shifts in attention and behavior they entail, occasion discomfort. I feel it. So will you. I ask your support and understanding as we feel our way into a new day and new ways of ministry. And let's keep talking about how we serve together in a time of rapid and profound change in the church.

.Because seven years into serving as your Regional Conference Minister, I am still excited and grateful for the honor to work with you.

Here's a priority you can help with right away: it's the end of the year, please make sure that your congregation's generous OCWM gifts to support UCC ministry beyond (and to) the local congregation are forwarded to the NYConference (before I have to call)!

Faithfully yours,

Michael Caine