Why Annual Conference Sunday?

Bishop Trimble and the Extended Cabinet invite you to take the good news of the 2018 Indiana Annual Conference back to the local church in our first Annual Conference Sunday to be hosted locally June 24, or an upcoming Sunday of your choosing.

What is Annual Conference?

Each year clergy members and lay members of the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church attend the Indiana annual conference session for worship, fellowship, and to conduct the business of the conference over a 3 day period. These sessions include reports of past and ongoing work; adoption of future goals, programs and budgets; an offering collection in support of the mission of the Church; ordination of clergy members as deacons and elders; and election of delegates to Jurisdictional and General Conferences (every 4 years). The bishop presides over these meetings.

Photos from 2018 Annual Conference

What happened this year? 

THE INDIANA CONFERENCE IN NUMBERS

  • Membership at the close of 2017 – 184,513, 2% decrease
  • Average worship attendance – 92,523, 4% decrease
  • Sunday church school (all ages) – 29,407, 5% decrease
  • Professions of Faith through confirmation – 923 (new category)
  • Professions of Faith other than confirmation – 2,105, 32% decrease
  • Baptisms – 2,675, 10% decrease

    • *This information is not completely accurate due to the many churches that do not report.
  • Mission offering – $9,159.81 (with more gifts to come)
  • Emergency fund $4,094.90

See All The People

32 clergypersons celebrated a milestone anniversary, fifth year intervals, with Called to Fruitfulness.

23 members were confirmed by the annual conference for commissioning and ordination.

34 clergy members who are entering retirement along with their spouses were celebrated and honored.

“More than 4 million people in Indiana are unaffiliated with a religious group. That is every other household on your street,” said Emily Reece, Director of Church Development during the Church Development report.

40 home owners in South Bend, Indiana have recovered from flooding this year because of the work of the Indiana Conference, and the South Bend Disaster Response Team, in partnership with Catholic Charities.

The General Board of Higher Education’s Francis Asbury Award was presented to Rev. Sharon Samsell with the United Campus Ministries of Terre Haute.

The Conference Cane, stewarded by the oldest Elder in the Indiana Conference, was presented to the Rev. Elmer Bosworth who is 99.

Radical Generosity, Creating Legacies

The United Methodist Foundation of Indiana and the Loan & Savings Ministry announced the giving of $226,557 to the Minister’s Retirement Fund for Indiana Conference retirees.

The Advance celebrated its 70th anniversary this year. To date, $1.6 Billion, have been given over the last 70 years.

The Indiana Conference has given nearly $1.1 Million towards the General Board of Global Ministries and UMCOR throughout its ministry.

The Annual Conference collected a special offering designated to assist with UMCOR, Indiana Disaster Response, and Ministry With the Poor matching grants. Indiana Conference members gave $9,159.81.

100% of the 2017 INUMC General & Jurisdiction Church Apportionments have been fulfilled to total $5,259,000.

$680,000 will be used for new church ministries created by the legacies left by congregations who have retired their ministries in 2017.

The 2018 Cabinet Emergency Fund, which is used for extraordinary financial needs for clergy and clergy families, is $4,094.90.

The Conference approved the 2019 Budget, unanimously.

2019 Total Income Budget – $13,149,000

2019 Expense Budget – 40% General Church, 60% Indiana Annual Conference

Celebrating Ministry

We’ve reached our goal of starting 30 new faith communities by 2020, two years ahead of schedule.

We commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the merging of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and Methodist Church. We celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the merging of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and Methodist Church to make The United Methodist Church.

3,000 cleaning buckets, 3,000 health kits, and cash contributions from Indiana were given after hurricanes hit in Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Puerto Rico. These contributions totaled $1,385,000.

Resources

A bulletin insert with highlights from the 2018 Indiana Annual Conference gathering has been made available to encourage continued learning and sharing in your local church:

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 Join us next year for the 2019 Indiana Annual Conference session!

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District Conversations around the Way Forward

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DIALOGUE CARDS

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