2015 Missouri Conference

The Missouri Conference met June 5-8 in Springfield, Mo., with Bishop Robert Schnase officiating. The featured guest speaker was the Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey, director of missional church initiatives for the West Ohio Conference.

The Missouri Conference voted to sell all four of its Camping and Retreat Ministry properties. A resolution calling for two more years of consideration was defeated by a vote of 425 in favor, 667 against. A resolution calling for one property (Wilderness Retreat and Development Center) to be given to an association of local United Methodist churches lost by a vote of 429 in favor, 460 against. A third resolution calling for one property (Camp Jo-Ota) to be donated to group of local United Methodist Churches was amended so that the property would be sold to the group for $120,000. This passed overwhelmingly.

Elected to the 2016 General Conference and South Central Jurisdictional Conference were:

General Conference: Brian Hammons, Lynn Dyke, Cody Collier, Bob Farr, Emanuel Cleaver III, Margie Briggs, Larry Fagan, Jill Wondel, Matt Miofsky, Randy Biggerstaff, Ivan James, Karen Hayden.

Jurisdictional Conference: Yvette Richards, Shannon Meister, Andy Bryan, Ken Willard, Kay Kotan, Megan Sinn, Kendall Waller, Trista Soendker Nicholson, Jeremy Vickers, Steve Breon, Andrew Ponder Williams, Jim Downing, Charity Goodwin Rosario. Alternates are Amy Thompson, Tammy Calcote, Charity Goodwin-Rosario, and Ron Watts.

Ten people were ordained, and 13 were commissioned. The average age of those ordained was 45. The average age of those commissioned was 44. Twenty-eight new retirees were recognized.

Membership stands at 161,047, down 1,171 from last year.

Worship attendance stands at 77,284, down 926.

Church school attendance stands at 24,572, down 669.

— Fred Koenig, publications director, Missouri Conference