Pastor Cory reflects on the proposed denominational vision statement offered for the Brethren Church at last week's General Conference in Boise, ID:

"Our vision is to be a diverse family of Brethren churches, led by the Word and Spirit, innovating together to create relational spaces for every tribe, language, race, and nation to encounter God's redemptive Kingdom."

​In a world marked by prejudice, how do we live into the revolutionary equality of Christ's Kingdom? What do we do with ourselves when we discover that our prejudices are wounding others and dishonoring God? Join Pastor Cory for a reflection on James 2:1-9 for some thoughts on examination, confession, repentance, and celebration at the welcome table.

Like our local congregations and regional organizations, General Conference finds it necessary and beneficial to elect officers and committees to continue our shared work when the gathered body is unable to meet. See below for a list of our current officers and committees along with our nominations for the coming term.

*Shout out to our own Pastor Brenda Colijn serving on National Board of Oversight, as well as Pastor Rudy Bocanegra who is currently serving on North Central Leadership Team and is nominated to join Pastor Cory Smith on Executive Board.*
​

Last year at General Conference we adopted some changes to the licensing and ordination process for our pastors. With these changes, we recommended an Ordination Task Force to reconfigure our current processes to match the decisions made by conference in 2021.

The National Executive Board appointed the task force to do this work on behalf of the National Conference. See the link below for recommendations:

There can be a big difference between what NOT to do (temptation) and what TO do (faithful action). Listen in as Pastor Cory gives some encouragement to faithful action in reflection on James 1:19-27.

General Conference 2022 will mark the end of the third year that we have been working together as a denomination, led by the Executive Director and Executive Board of The Brethren Church, to write a new vision statement for our denomination. This has been good work, and we are so grateful to everyone who has participated in conversation and
prayerfully supported this endeavor.

Click the link below for a look at the process of how we got here.

General Conference exists as the cumulative voice of the Brethren Church in the United States. It is an opportunity for us to gather for fellowship and shared mission. As with gatherings of all sizes, we are seeing our share of necessary adaptations. The great news is that these serve as opportunities for us to reflect upon and clarify our values for WHY we gather. 

This year, we will be discussing some recommendations around how we gather, and we hope you'll share your voice in the process! Even if you will not be at conference yourself, feel free to comment or reach out to our pastors and delegates to share your thoughts on the recommendations being made.

See below for the summary of recommendations from our conference booklet.

This year, our Global Partners have sent the Brethren Church in the USA some heartfelt letters of greetings. Check out the link below to see the letters!