Conference Offices
Any changes in the location of conference offices will be decided in 2015 or later. Staffing changes and the location of the episcopal office will be considered as part of this decision.
The Great Plains United Methodist Conference Session in June 2014 will elect an Episcopal Residence Task Force. The task force will bring a recommendation for the location of the Episcopal Office and Residence to the 2015 Annual Conference Session. Any change to location will take effect on Sept.1, 2016.
There will be no changes in district alignment in the Great Plains United Methodist Conference at the present time.
1. Guiding Principles:
a. Each working group’s function shall be clearly connected to the calling and missional priorities of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference (GPUMC).
b. We recommend a minimal structure for the GPUMC.
c. Ministries should be encouraged to form and function outside the formal structure of the GPUMC.
2. There shall be a Connecting Council, similar to Common Table, Leadership Team and Focus Team, whose purpose shall be to review and evaluate the conference’s missional progress, to align major initiatives of the GPUMC, to enhance communication with all parts of the annual conference, and to take such actions between sessions of the annual conference as are permitted.
3. Committees under the Connecting Council include those mandated by The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012. Mandated are the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM), Pensions, Trustees, Council on Finance and Administration (CFA), Episcopacy, Archives and History, Committee on Investigation for Diaconal Ministers and Administrative Review.
4. The Connecting Council will include appropriate structure for developing spiritual leadership, creating vital churches and connecting disciples to transform the world. The proposed structure supports our preferred future: a vision of great churches, great leaders, great disciples— transformed world. The proposed structure is foundational to our purpose to equip and connect local churches. The structure will be grouped into the following five areas: Episcopal Office, Clergy Excellence, Congregational Excellence, Mercy and Justice, and Administrative Services.
5. Any team that is part of the annual conference structure may form sub-teams as needed to address emerging opportunities for mission within its area of responsibility. It may form such sub-teams by using its own members or by recruiting new people from within the annual conference. Additionally, lay or clergy members of the GPUMC may request that the Connecting Council form a new team to address an emerging opportunity for mission or to assign a specific responsibility to an existing team. Such requests should be sent to the Assistant to the Bishop.
6. Boards and committees of all three conferences may have a final meeting in the fall of 2013 to conclude their business and transfer their responsibilities to the new conference structure.
7. Whenever the Conference has a person serving as a member of a General Board or Agency, that person shall be an ex officio member with vote of the Conference Board or Agency with responsibility for relation to the General Board or Agency.
The Connecting Council connects the various boards, committees, agencies and leaders of the GPUMC.
1. Purpose 
a. Review and evaluate the conference’s missional progress.
b. Align major initiatives of the GPUMC.
c. Enhance deep communication with all parts of the GPUMC.
d. Take such actions between sessions of the annual conference as permitted.
2. Composition
a. Bishop as non-voting chairperson (1)
b. Directors (4)
c. District superintendents (17)
d. Lay leader(1) and associate lay leaders (4)
e. District lay leaders (17)
f. Representatives from teams (13): Trustees, Pensions and Health Benefits, Council on Finance and Administration, Lay Leadership/Vital Congregations, New Church Development, Youth Ministry, Camping, Campus Ministry, Episcopacy Committee, Board of Ordained Ministry, Mercy and Justice, Disaster Response and Archives and History.
g. The United Methodist Women’s and United Methodist Men’s presidents or the designated representative from these two organizations (2).
h. At-large members for expertise and inclusiveness, 3 of whom will be youth (17).
3. Meeting Schedule
a. October and March, Friday afternoon and Saturday until 3 p.m.
Episcopacy Team (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012, ¶637)
Staff Liaison: Assistant to the Bishop/Director of Clergy Excellence
1. Membership:
a. 10 members, one-fifth of whom are appointed by the Bishop, majority shall be lay members, one of whom shall be the conference lay leader
b. Additionally, the members of the Jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy serve ex officio
2. Duties as outlined in ¶637 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012.
3. Also serves as Episcopal Residence Committee, ¶638 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012
4. Fulfills the function of the Commission on Communication, ¶646 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012
5. Responsible for connection to the General Commission on Communication
Staff Liaison: Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) Registrar
1. Membership:
a. 51 people (full member elders or deacons, except as noted in ii and iii below) including at least:
i. 1 person from each district
ii. 2 associate members or local pastors who have finished Course of Study
iii. 11 lay people
iv. 1 retired clergy person
v. 1 clergy serving in extension ministry
vi. 2 deacons
vii. 2 people under 35 years of age
viii. 1 district superintendent
2. BOM will organize itself with an executive committee and three teams: Covenant Team, Competency Team and Call Team.
3. Responsible for connection to General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
Purpose: as outlined in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012, ¶636.
Staff Liaison: Assistant to Bishop/Director of Clergy Excellence
1. Membership:
a. 3 clergy in full connection and 2 alternates (may not be members of BOM, cabinet or relatives of the above)
b. Nominated by the bishop and elected quadrennially by the clergy session of members in full connection
Purpose: this committee is to fulfill the requirement of ¶2703.2 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012 that such a group be named.
1. Membership:
a. 4 diaconal ministers (or professing members) and 3 clergy in full connection.
b. 10 alternates, 5 clergy in full connection and 5 diaconal ministers or professing members
c. Nominated by the bishop in consultation with the Board of Laity and BOM
d. Elected quadrennially
Purpose: this group provides oversight for the Transition into Ministry (TiM) process, currently funded by a Lilly grant. In the event the TiM process does not continue beyond the term of the grant, the team will be dissolved.
Staff Liaison: TiM Coordinator
1. Membership:
a. 2 lay people
b. 2 district superintendents
c. 2 pastors of local churches
d. 2 representatives from the BOM
e. Assistant to the bishop/director of clergy excellence
f. Bishop
Team Purpose: to equip and connect local congregations so that they may become more vital and effective in the mission of the church. The team will give special attention to the development of lay leadership, ministries with ethnically diverse people and the ministry of small membership churches.
Staff Liaison: Director of Congregational Excellence, ex officio (without vote)
1. Membership:
a. Vital Congregations Coordinator, ex officio (without vote)
b. Small Membership Church Coordinator, ex officio (without vote)
c. Conference Lay Leader, or designee, ex officio (with vote)
d. Conference Director of Lay Servant Ministries, ex officio (with vote)
e. 12 other members, including at least four from ethnic local churches and four from small membership churches (average attendance fewer than 50)
2. Fulfills purpose of Board of Discipleship ¶630, Board of Laity ¶631, Disability Concerns ¶653, Parish and Community Development ¶633.5, and Young Adults ¶650. (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012)
3. Responsible for connection with General Board of Discipleship.
(Sub-teams for lay development (¶631), ethnic concerns (¶¶632, 654-655) and small church concerns (¶645) may be formed as needed to support these ministries - The Book of Discipline of The United Great Plains United Methodist Conference Plan of Organization Page 13 of 155 Final Draft – August 23, 2013 Methodist Church-2012. Sub-teams will include members of the larger team and also have the freedom to recruit additional members.)
Purpose: this corporation will be formed by merging the existing church development entities from Kansas East and Kansas West, and will oversee aspects of New Church Development (NCD) throughout GPUMC in cooperation with the district superintendents and the bishop. It not only administers conference funds for NCD but may also purchase and sell property and undertake such financial obligations as are necessary to its mission.
Staff Liaison: Coordinator of New Church Development, ex officio (without vote)
1. The treasurer of the GPUMC will serve as the treasurer of the corporation
2. Board of Directors: 12 members, serving 4-year terms, and elected in classes of three. For 2014, the GPUMC Committee of Nominations will nominate and the GPUMC will elect:
a. 3 directors for the class of 2014
b. 3 directors for the class of 2015
c. 3 directors for the class of 2016
d. 3 directors for the class of 2017
e. The board will be free to add non-voting consultants, as needed, to accomplish its work. (For instance, experts in real estate, finance, construction, etc.)
Purpose: this council coordinates the conference-wide youth events (¶649- The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012)
Staff Liaison: Coordinator of Local Church Youth Ministry, ex officio (without vote)
1. Membership:
a. 2 youth from each district (with one alternate)
b. Up to 9 adults, representing diverse geography.
c. CCYM may select up to 4 additional youth in order to allow for ethnic and geographic diversity as well as allowing active youth to continue serving when they move outside the bounds of their district.
2. Responsible for connection to General Board of Discipleship’s Division on Ministries with Young People
Purpose: this corporation will be formed by merging the existing camping entities, except The Lakeside Camp of the United Methodist Church, Inc., which will maintain its separate legal existence but will be in relationship with Great Plains Camps and with GPUMC. The Board of Directors coordinates the vision and standards for camps of the GPUMC and administers conference funds for the camps. It will hold camping ministry accountable to the mission of the annual conference.
Staff Liaison: Coordinator of Camping Ministry, ex officio (without vote)
1. The Treasurer of the GPUMC will serve as the treasurer of the corporation
2. Board of Directors:
a. Site directors, ex officio (without vote) Great Plains United Methodist Conference Plan of Organization Page 14 of 155 Final Draft – August 23, 2013
b. The chair of each local site council, ex officio (with vote) (up to 6 members)
c. 2 additional directors nominated by the site council and elected by the GPUMC (up to 12 members)
d. 6 at large directors, nominated by the GPUMC nominating committee
e. The directors designated above, excepting those serving ex officio, shall be nominated in classes to serve 4-year terms. For 2014, the GPUMC will elect:
i. 4 directors for the class of 2014
ii. 4 directors for the class of 2015
iii. 5 directors for the class of 2016
iv. 5 directors for the class of 2017
Purpose: This corporation will be formed by merging the existing United Methodist campus ministry entities, and fulfills the functions of the Conference Board of Higher Education and Ministry, ¶634- The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012. The Board of Directors provides direction and support to the campus ministry sites within the GPUMC and administers conference funds for campus ministry. The Directors may provide grants to local churches, UM colleges and universities, or ecumenical campus ministries. The board may establish additional sites, with the approval of the Connecting Council.
Staff Liaison: Young Adult Leadership Coordinator, ex officio (without vote)
1. The Treasurer of the GPUMC shall serve as treasurer of the corporation.
2. Board of Directors:
a. Campus pastors (including campus pastors of UM colleges) shall serve ex officio (without vote)
b. 18 additional directors, elected in classes to serve 4-year terms
c. For 2014, the GPUMC will elect:
i. 4 directors for the class of 2014
ii. 4 directors for the class of 2015
iii. 5 directors for the class of 2016
iv. 5 directors for the class of 2017
Purpose: this team has the primary purpose of helping local congregations transform the world through ministries of mercy and through ministries of justice that address systemic issues. It fulfills the functions of the Conference Board of Global Ministries (¶633), the Conference Board of Church and Society (¶629), Christian Unity and interfaith organizations (¶642), relates to our global mission partnerships (Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Haiti), Volunteers in Mission (VIM) and criminal justice and mercy ministries (¶657). (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012)
Staff Liaison: Mercy and Justice Coordinator, ex-officio (without vote);
Conference Secretary of Global Ministries, ex-officio; Peace and Justice Coordinator, ex-officio
1. Membership: 17 members, no more than 7 clergy Great Plains United Methodist Conference Plan of Organization Page 15 of 155 Final Draft – August 23, 2013
2. Fulfills the purpose of the Commission on Religion and Race ¶643, and the Commission on the Status and Role of Women ¶644. (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012)
3. Responsible for connection to General Board of Global Ministries, General Board of Church and Society, General Commission on Status and Role of Women, General Commission on Religion and Race.
(Sub-teams may be organized for advocacy, VIM, and any other function necessary for the group to fulfill its mission. Sub-teams will include members of the larger team and also have the freedom to recruit additional members as needed.)
Purpose: this team will oversee training of disaster response volunteers, emergency preparedness efforts in local churches, and response to disasters.
Staff Liaison: Disaster Response Coordinator, ex officio (without vote)
1. Membership: 12 members, no more than 5 clergy
Purpose: this team is responsible for planning and coordinating all aspects of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference Session. It may enlist people with particular expertise as needed for fulfilling its tasks.
Staff Liaison: Assistant to the Bishop/Director of Clergy Excellence
1. Membership:
a. Other staff ex officio (without vote): Communications Director
b. Conference Secretary
c. Lay Leader (or associate lay leader) Six additional members, lay or clergy
In May and June 2013, each of the three annual conferences elected 5 people to function as part of the interim GPUMC Nominating Committee. That committee of 15 members proposed a slate of leaders to the Uniting Conference. This 15-member committee is a one-time, short-term committee to nominate the initial group of leaders for the GPUMC, including the 6-member Nominations Committee, which shall be on-going beginning January 1, 2014.
Purpose: this team is responsible for designing and implementing a process that will identify and recruit qualified, passionate leaders for the GPUMC (beginning with the June 2014 Annual Conference Session).
Staff Liaison: Director of Congregational Excellence
1. Membership:
a. 2 members from each of the three former conferences (including one Transition Team member from each conference)
Purpose: this team fulfills the functions of the Annual Conference Commission on Archives and History as outlined in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012, ¶641.
1. Membership:
a. Archivist from Kansas
b. Archivist from Nebraska
c. Four people from the state of Nebraska
d. Four people from the state of Kansas
2. Responsible for connection to General Commission on Archives and History.
Purpose: this team develops and maintains personnel policies for the GPUMC, makes recommendations regarding compensation and benefits, approves the overall staffing plan and consults with the bishop and directors regarding personnel matters. They also oversee Equitable Compensation policies and funds, ¶625 - The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church- 2012.
Staff Liaison: Treasurer/Director of Administrative Services, ex-officio (without vote)
1. Membership:
a. Other staff, ex-officio (without vote): Human Resources Officer/Senior Benefits Officer
b. 1 district superintendent, ex-officio (without vote)
c. Assistant to the Bishop/Director of Clergy Excellence, ex-officio (without vote)
d. 5 additional members (3 laity and 2 clergy recommended)
Purpose: this team fulfills the functions of the Conference Board of Pensions and Health Benefits as outlined in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012 ¶639 and as directed by the conference.
Staff Liaison: Treasurer/Director of Administrative Services
1. Membership:
a. Other staff: Human Resources Office/Senior Benefits Officer, ex officio (without vote)
b. 1 district superintendent, ex officio (without vote)
c. 7 lay people
d. 5 clergy, 1 or 2 of whom are retired
2. Responsible for connection to General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits.
Purpose: this team fulfills the functions of the Annual Conference Board of Trustees as outlined in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012 ¶640 and as directed by the conference.
Staff Liaison: Treasurer/Director of Administrative Services
1. Membership:
a. Other staff: Property Manager, ex officio (without vote) Great Plains United Methodist Conference Plan of Organization Page 17 of 155 Final Draft – August 23, 2013
b. 8 lay people
c. 4 clergy
Purpose: this team fulfills the functions of the Annual Conference Council on Finance and Administration as outlined in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012, ¶¶611-619, and as directed by the annual conference.
Staff Liaison: Treasurer/Director of Administrative Services, ex officio (without vote)
1. Membership:
a. Other staff: Director of Congregational Excellence, ex officio (without vote)
b. The bishop, ex officio (without vote)
c. 1 district superintendent, ex officio (without vote)
d. Any members of the General Council on Finance and Administration, ex officio (with vote)
e. 6 lay people
f. 3 clergy
2. The council will establish an Audit Review Committee, ¶617.4- The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012.
3. Responsible for connection to General Council on Finance and Administration
Purpose: this team will oversee the assets and money raised for the subsidy provided to assist retirees with health care. It will recommend to the Nebraska clergy members and lay members meeting each year the action for the following year. Of the 5 members, 1 will be a member of the Great Plains Council on Finance and Administration and 1 will be a member of the Great Plains Board of Pensions and Health Benefits. None of the 5 (except for the retired clergy) will have an immediate family member affected by the team’s recommendations.
1. Membership:
a. 3 lay people
b. 1 active clergy
c. 1 retired clergy
A. Rules of order and parliamentary procedures
The current Book of Discipline and the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall be the guides and authority for parliamentary procedure in the conduct of all session business. These rules may be suspended or amended by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. No decisions of the conference may be overturned on procedural grounds after the adjournment of the conference. The agenda shall be the final distributed form at the beginning of the session. In the interest of efficiency, the chair may adjust agenda items as necessary. The Bar of the Conference shall be as designated in the Enabling Motions adopted at the beginning of the session. Only members within the Bar may vote. However, a member outside the Bar, absent on conference business at the seat of the conference approved by conference order, may vote by absentee ballot.
B. Membership, Privilege of the Floor, and Attendance
All lay and clergy members of the Great Plains Annual Conference, as well as clergy from other conferences or denominations serving churches within the Great Plains Annual Conference, shall have privilege of the floor and may address the session on any issue before the body. Persons serving as District Superintendent Assignees (DA) or Certified Lay Ministers (CLM) shall have voice as lay members of the conference. This privilege shall be extended as well to the spouse of the Bishop; to any members of conference, General, or Jurisdictional boards, agencies, or institutions who are not otherwise members of the annual conference; to all members of the Extended Cabinet; and to anyone else presenting items on the agenda.
Lay Equalization Plan for Annual Conference Membership: The formula for lay/clergy equalization was determined at the Uniting Conference.
Consistent with the provisions of ¶32 and 602.4 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012, the basic lay membership of the annual conference shall include:
For each clergy campus minister, chaplain, and Wesley Foundation director, there shall be a lay board member or student from the ministry. In addition to the lay members of annual conference mandated by The Book of Discipline (¶32 and 602.4), the first priority in equalizing the number of lay and clergy members will be to grant a lay member from each local church.
If, after meeting the requirements of 1 and 2 above, additional lay membership positions are available, lay people assigned by district superintendents to serve as pastors of local churches [District Superintendent Assignment (DA) and Certified Lay Ministers (CLM)] will be seated as lay members. “For each lay campus minister, chaplain, and Wesley Foundation director, there shall be a lay board member or student elected from the ministry.”
If, after meeting the requirements of 1, 2, and 3 above, additional lay membership positions are still available, they will be filled in the following order of priority:
C. Roll will be taken by the signing of attendance cards
Cards not submitted by the end of the session will not be accepted. Cards not submitted by the end of the session will not be accepted. Members shall be responsible for indicating which days they will be in attendance. If changes in attendance become necessary for lay members, the alternate lay member shall report to the secretarial staff to be seated.
D. Excuses for Pastoral Absences
Excuses for pastoral absence for cause during the session shall be secured from the respective district superintendents, rather than from the floor of the conference. The clergy person must also send written notification (by letter or e-mail) to the conference secretary setting forth the reason (¶602.8).
E. Addressing the body
Those who wish to address the body shall move in an orderly manner to a microphone and wait to be called upon by the chair. When addressing the body, members shall identify themselves by name, church or current appointment and district. This practice may be relaxed at the chair's discretion, such as when a particular individual by virtue of office or role addresses the conference multiple times in a single plenary session.
Proceedings of the session shall be recorded in a manner determined by the secretary and staff. The secretary shall daily review and consolidate records of the session to ensure accuracy of the official record and recommend adoption by the annual conference. The secretary shall edit and publish the minutes and reports, which when published, shall be the Official Report of the conference.
Any matter requiring action by the annual conference shall be printed and in the hands of the members of the conference at least four session hours prior to action, to be monitored by the conference secretary. Such items for general distribution shall be prepared and distributed by the sponsoring person or agency at their own expense.
All reports and main motions must be submitted to the conference secretary on paper or in an electronic format determined by the secretary. All motions to amend shall be committed to writing and submitted either when being moved or immediately afterward.
Privileged and Subsidiary motions other than motions to amend shall be recorded by the conference secretary and secretarial staff and need not be submitted in writing. (Privileged motions include Adjournment, Recess, Question of Privilege, and Order of the Day. Subsidiary motions include Lay on the Table, Previous Question, Limit or Extend the Limits of Debate, Postpone to a Certain Time, and Refer.)
Members shall speak no more than twice on a given item nor longer than three (3) minutes at a given time without special permission from the chair.
Limitation of Debate
When the chair determines the agenda to be 30 minutes behind schedule or at his/her discretion, the chair may declare that debate on motions shall be limited to two speeches for and two speeches against, not to exceed two minutes per speech. This limitation shall include allowing any member to speak only once on a given item. If the chair determines the conference agenda has returned to schedule, the chair may declare the limit on debate to be lifted.
At any time when this limitation is in effect, any member of the body may move to suspend the limitation for a particular item or series of items. Such a motion is not debatable and requires a two-thirds majority.
This limitation of debate shall not apply to sub-groups or any other committee.
With Respect in Debate
In accordance with John Wesley's general rules to do all the good that you can and to do no harm, debate is to be conducted in an atmosphere of respect in listening and speaking.
Certain rules of respect are already addressed in Robert's Rules of Order; the extra mile of respect may be done in the model of Holy Conferencing or other communication models.
Voting Matters
When balloting for representatives to General and Jurisdictional conferences, any individual’s ballot shall be invalid in any of the following instances:
Between sessions, when the Bishop, in consultation with the Connecting Council, determines that a matter of the annual conference cannot wait until the next regular session, a vote may be taken by email and/or mail ballot.
The members of the annual conference (lay and clergy) who are eligible to vote will be notified that a vote will be taken and informed of the issue via electronic and written methods.
Ballots shall be sent out via written and electronic means by the conference secretary in coordination with the office of the Bishop. Ballots will be received and counted by the conference secretary.
Reasonable time will be given for the body to respond and a deadline for response announced.
A two-thirds majority of the respondents must affirm the motion for the vote to be binding.
The members of the annual conference will receive notification of the results of the vote as soon as possible after the deadline for voting.
Financial matters
Revenue neutrality: After adoption of a funding plan and formula for mission shares, any motion from the floor to increase spending in any area of the budget must include an equal or greater, corresponding reduction in spending as part of the same motion.
All items with financial implications will be referred to the Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) before final adoption. Such referral, at the chair’s discretion, may be before or after discussion and refinement by the body.
The Great Plains United Methodist Conference United Methodist Men will be constituted in accordance with ¶648 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012. It will be responsible for connections with the General Commission on United Methodist Men.
The Great Plains United Methodist Conference United Methodist Women will be constituted in accordance with ¶647 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2012. It will be responsible for connection with the national United Methodist Women.
The Great Plains United Methodist Conference will have a resource center based in Lincoln to continue the resourcing ministry currently conducted by the conferences separately. We will continue the ecumenical partnerships currently active in the resource centers. The resource collections will be combined by Sept. 30, 2013. The Kansas Area Resource Center will be closed on Sept. 1, 2013 and its material available from Lincoln on Sept. 30, 2013. Kansas churches will not be charged a fee through Dec. 31, 2013.
A strong camping ministry is an important component of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference’s (GPUMC) commitment to develop Christian spiritual leaders. This emphasis is 1 of 7 foundations for camping and retreat ministries. The other 6 are:
1. to provide intentional places apart to encounter God,
2. to extend genuine Christian hospitality and community,
3. to nurture Christian faith and discipleship,
4. to teach creation care and appreciation,
5. to collaborate with United Methodist churches and agencies,
6. and to inspire and equip guests to do love and justice.
A related camping ministry corporation, Great Plains United Methodist Camps, Inc. (“Great Plains Camps”), will be created by merging the existing camping entities, except Lakeside. Great Plains Camps will hold title to all camp properties except Camp Lakeside, which will continue to be a separate legal entity, governed by its own board, but will continue in relationship with GPUMC and Great Plains Camps. A long-term agreement will be negotiated with Camp Lakeside and approved by the Lakeside Board of Directors and the Board of Great Plains Camps. At each of the 6 camps, the local site council will retain day-to-day operational responsibility for the camp, including use and care of the property. The site director will coordinate local and site-specific programming efforts and will hire, supervise, and terminate all staff of the camp. The site council will hire the site director, in consultation with the Great Plains Annual Conference Coordinator of Camping Ministry, and with the affirmation of the Board of Great Plains Camps. The site council will be nominated locally and elected by GPUMC, but vacancies in between annual conference sessions may be filled ad interim by the local site council.
The Coordinator of Camping Ministry will provide support and accountability for the 6 site directors and serve as the staff leader for visioning, branding and overall program design. He or she will facilitate communication with the Administrative Services department of the GPUMC, which will perform all accounting functions. A petty cash account will be kept on site. Each site director will manage the camp within the budget developed by the local site council and approved by the Board of Great Plains Camps.
A related ministry corporation, Great Plains New Church Development, Inc., will be formed to hold title to and manage the assets related to new church development for all new churches in the Great Plains United Methodist Conference. This corporation will report to the Connecting Council and will be staffed by the Coordinator of New Church Development.
A related ministry corporation, Great Plains United Methodist Campus Ministry, Inc. (“Great Plains Campus Ministry”) will be formed to hold title to all United Methodist campus ministry properties and be responsible for the budgets of all United Methodist campus ministries of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference (GPUMC). United Methodist ministry on a campus may be provided through 1) a distinctively United Methodist organization, 2) a university ministry at a UM college or university, 3) an ecumenical campus ministry, or 4) a grant to a local congregation near a campus. All accounting functions for ministries in category 1 will be provided by the administrative services office of the GPUMC with a petty cash account at each site. Ecumenical sites may contract with the GPUMC administrative services office for the same purpose. Each campus ministry will have a local board that functions similarly to a local church administrative council and staff-parish relations committee. All campus ministers are appointed or assigned by the bishop. Additional staff are hired, supervised and terminated by the campus minister after consultation with the local board.
The current Archives/Historical Library Centers at Baker University and Nebraska Wesleyan University will continue to be open and available to serve the churches, members and friends of the Great Plains United Methodist Conference.
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