Ohio Structure

It is a discussion long overdue. As most such conversations go, this one is uncomfortable and controversial, rapt with passions on every side. I have been personally inviting the conversation since 2008. Just when I was weary and ready to admit failure, new leadership was forced to make a move that brought the parties to the table. The conversation is now taking place.

The discussion is about structure. More concretely, it is about the structure of the Ohio Conference of the United Church of Christ and its Associations. Let me explain. Ohio is the only Conference within the United Church of Christ that is structured with both free-standing organizational Associations, served by Association staff who are called and hired by the Associations, and a Conference organization that ministers for, across, through and within all five Associations. I suppose the anomaly comes from the original merger of so many Evangelical and Reformed background churches with those that were Congregational Christian. Instead of reaching a compromise structure, those who organized the Ohio United Church of Christ decided that the mixed organization made everyone happy. The E&R folk appreciated the strong Conference presence, while the C/C congregations embraced the regionalized organizations.

The structure worked for a long time, like having two camps within less than 100 miles in the Conference. There came a time, however, when the structure no longer functioned optimally. That time was marked by a decline in membership throughout the church world. As membership declined, so did the dollars. As money grew tighter, churches in Ohio were forced to face the question of judicatory structure, its redundancy, and the efficacy of continuing to be both Associations and a Conference.

I think that everyone, from local church persons to Association and Conference Boards, to members of the national staff, acknowledged a need for change. The old structure, of providing for both the E&R centralized identity and the C/C local expression, was no longer viable. We all know it. But the questioned demands compromise: Should we organize around separate Associations or around the Conference?

I believe that everyone involved in the discussion loves the church and wants to do what is best and most effective. But I also believe that there are voices that remain adament about protecting certain pieces of the organizational pie.

The initial stages of the conversation, with representatives of every articulation of the United Church of Christ at the table, starts on Tuesday, June 14. While the outcome of these discussions is important to Ohio, its churches and the United Church of Christ, the process and our attitude toward one another is even moreso. Let's not be the kind of church that accuses, calls names, wonders at motivations and acts supiciously. We all have a horse in this race. No matter how we end up, though, let's make sure that everyone wins in the process.