The Iowa Conference of the United Church of Christ is a congregation of congregations (190 churches with 37,902 members, gathered together in six geographical associations).  And like a local congregation, the conference, through its associations, maintains a volunteer membership of churches whose common thread is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  The glue that holds us together is our covenant promise to be in ministry together to the glory of God.

As the Board of Directors has worked and prayed through the challenge of our current budgetary situation, it has adopted a statement of mission priorities to guide that decision-making process.  It is important to understand that these missional priorities are priorities for the Board of Directors itself and for the staff of the conference.  They are not necessarily the priorities of the entirety of the Iowa Conference.  The entire conference, of course, consists of churches and authorized ministers.  It is not the place of the Board to set the priorities for every setting and entity of the conference, but it is the place of the board to establish ministry emphases for itself and for the staff.

Given that background, the staff and Board of Directors will focus on these particular ministries until such time as a future board believes God is calling us to move in different directions:

1. The Conference will emphasize in program and staff allocation the development, growth and support of effective and transforming local church pastoral leaders.
2. The Conference will support the search and call process in our local churches.
3. The Conference will offer support and resources to associations in their formation and authorization of ministers for pastoral leadership
4. The Conference will facilitate ministry to youth and adults in settings beyond the local church.
5. The Conference will be faithful in its covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ and the church ecumenical.

The Board has placed the first item at the top of the list as an intentional statement of its current importance, but the remaining four items are listed in no particular order.