Centered on the theme “Christ is All,” Delegates selected by their geographic regions from around the globe met for the 2011 ICOC annual Delegates Conference in Budapest, Hungary December 1-2. We dearly missed the Delegates from East and West Africa whose visas were denied.
Churches in 137 countries representing over 90% of the membership in the International Churches of Christ family have committed to the Plan for United Cooperation. Each year the spirit of cooperation and unity grows and matures. The annual Delegates Conference will be held before a regional conference in various parts of the world to give an opportunity for the Delegates to meet disciples on all continents. We look forward to the 2012 meeting preceding the 2012 World Discipleship Summit in San Antonio, Texas which is scheduled for July 5 – 8 with over 10,000 expected. Here are the highlights of the 2011 Delegates Conference:
Prayers of Repentance and Devotion:
Southeast Asia: Harliem Salim, Jakarta, Indonesia
Eurasia: Aleksay Donskoy, St. Petersburg, Russia
North America: AT Arneson, Chicago, USA
Australia: Mike Vassallo, Melbourne, Australia
Asia: Steve Chin, Hong Kong, China
Europe: Chris Reed, Stockholm, Sweden
South America: John Reus, Miami, USA
Africa: Justin Renton, Johannesburg, South Africa
United Kingdom: Mohan Nanjundan, London, England
Central America: Josue Ortega, San Jose, Costa Rica
“Christ is All” Main Messages:
“Faith in Christ” – Koko Enrile, Manila, Philippines
“Salvation in Christ” – Randy McKean, Northern Virginia, USA
“Growing in Christ” – Justin Renton, Johannesburg, South Africa
“Unity in Christ” – Mike Taliaferro, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Celebration of Unity:
Voting on Proposals (see below) that were reviewed and discussed throughout the year.
| Proposal |
Yes |
No |
Neutral |
| Youth & Family Ministry Principles |
68 |
0 |
0 |
| Unified Curriculum |
68 |
0 |
0 |
| Unified Approach to Missions |
64 |
2 |
2 |
| Women’s Service Team Selection |
64 |
2 |
2 |
| Future Intl Leadership Conference Dates and Locations |
68 |
0 |
0 |
Service Team Reports:
Leaders from numerous nations serve on these committees as an extra responsibility to address need areas in our movement. Reports are given to the Delegates each year and published for all members on icoc.org and DisciplesToday.org
- Click here for the Service Teams and members.
- Click on the appropriate Service Team in the Main Menu to see their reports.
- Click here to learn more about the Roles and Responsibilities of Delegates and Service Teams.
Chairmen for the various service teams are selected by the Delegates on a rotating basis. The Chairman then selects the members of his or her service team with the exception of the Evangelists Service Team whose members are all selected by the Delegates.
These Chairmen were elected for the next three years of service:
- Women’s Service Team: Robin Williams, LA and Jeanie Shaw, Boston
- Elders Service Team: Wyndham Shaw, Boston
- Communication and Administration Service Team: Roger Lamb, Chicago
- Chairmen Service Team: Roger Lamb, Chicago
Implementation:
Follow up and accountability with the implementation of previous decisions that were made.
- Support of HOPE worldwide
- Support of Disciples Today
- 2020 Vision Reports
New Proposals and Presentations:
In another growth step for our unity and cooperation, the Delegates were given an opportunity in advance to suggest areas of concern to be discussed and to begin the proposal process at the Delegates Conference. Presentations were made for each of these areas followed by group discussions and reports to the entire group. This is our current decision-making process:
- Churches and Delegates submit Proposals.
- Proposals presented, discussed and worked on at the Delegate Meetings.
- Evangelist, Elder, Teacher Committees refine and package Proposal.
- Delegates review and give feedback to proposal.
- Churches Review and give feedback to proposal.
- Proposals are voted on at next Delegate meeting.
These were the six areas of discussion:
- Vision and Inspiration
- Mission and Missionaries
- Discipleship Rebooted
- Global Unity
- Youth and Family Ministry
- Unified Curriculum for Ministry Training
Here are the various Proposals and Guidelines Generated:
- Healthy Youth & Family Ministry Guidelines
- Women’s Delegate Process
- Evangelist Proposal Service Team Selection
- Missions Committee Proposal
- Conference and Delegate Meeting Proposal
- Unified Curriculum Summary
2012 Delegates Conference and Service Team Meetings:
The Delegates Conference is for all Delegates, Committee members, spouses and invited guests.
Sunday – Monday July 1 – 2: Service Teams meet, Delegates arrive
Monday, July 2: 6-9 pm Chairmen Service Team
Tuesday, July 3: 9 am – Wednesday 5 pm, July 3 – 4: Delegates Meeting
Thursday – Sunday, July 5 – 8: World Discipleship Summit including International Leadership Conference.
Bids due by March 1, 2012 for:
- 2013 Delegates Conference in US with a Regional Conference
- 2014 Delegates Conference outside US with a Regional Conference
Please pray for the Delegates, the Service Teams and all of our leaders around the world.
Click this link for more: “Does the Delegate Process Work?” by Mike Taliaferro
