What does the Association do?
In the United Church of Christ, our Associations are the front lines of care for our churches and ministers. Because local relationships are so important to our polity, Associations provide the primary connection between churches and ministers.
Churches exist in covenant with one another first and foremost in the Association. The Central Southeast Ohio Association (CSEOA) is concerned with the welfare of all Local Churches within its boundaries. When you need support, the Association is your first call. When churches require help beyond their own resources, the Association comes alongside to support and partner with them. Support is provided by our paid staff (the Association Minister and Administrative Minister), and the volunteers who serve on Council and with the Committee on Ministry.
Associations also provide the main avenue of accountability and support for authorized ministers, as well as for those who are prayerfully considering a call to authorized ministry. All authorized ministers maintain membership in a local church and standing in the Association, and the Association provides the ecclesiastical oversight.
People who are discerning a call to ordained ministry in the UCC meet regularly with a team of CSEOA clergy and lay volunteers (Department of Preparation for Authorized Ministry, aka DPAM) as they seek authorization for ministry in and on behalf of the UCC.
Once authorized, clergy are accountable to and receive support from another team (Department of Church and Authorized Ministers, aka DCAM) who check in regularly for vocational discernment, ensure that ministers are following best practices regarding pastoral boundaries and anti-racism work, and hold clergy accountable to their ordination vows and promise to maintain covenant. If churches and pastors have a disagreement, the Association Minister and/or DCAM can assist with mediation and help all parties understand each other. The Association Minister and DCAM also have the joy of facilitating pastoral installations and welcoming clergy who are transferring into the Association from other Associations or from other Christian denominations.
Who does the work of the Association?
Since our churches exist in covenant with one another, in many ways we all do the work of the Association. We support one another in our prayers, gather for fellowship and business in our annual meetings, and celebrate with one another at ordinations and installations.
As she shows up in specific situations, the Association Minister is the embodied representation of all of us, the care we have for each other, and the responsibility we have to each other. She carries our stories with her as she goes from church to church. In addition to providing support to churches and laypersons and guidance for CSEOA leadership teams, she serves as “pastor to the pastors” providing individual support and encouragement. When churches experience unusual difficulties or transitions (planned and unplanned), the Association Minister is on hand to provide counsel and support to pastors, lay leaders, and members. She also represents CSEOA in wider church settings, especially as part of the Heartland Conference Leadership Roundtable (comprised of the Conference Minister and the other Association Ministers).
The Administrative Minister oversees the efficient and effective functioning of the many processes governed by the CSEOA. She ensures that accurate records are kept of churches and authorized ministers and their required continuing education. She assists churches with pulpit supply and search and call. She supports the work of all the ministry departments. She facilitates the timely and accurate processing of donations, and encourages churches to submit their annual information to the national offices.
The Association Council, a team of volunteers, works alongside Association staff to help set priorities and carry out the ongoing work of our covenant life. That team meets regularly to provide updates on the different departments and ministries, to see where the work overlaps, and to help each other accomplish what God has called us to do. The Council is comprised of a Moderator, Vice Moderator (next year’s moderator), Past Moderator (last year’s moderator), Secretary, Treasurer, chairs of Departments, representatives to the Conference Board of Directors, and Association staff.
How is the Association funded?
The CSEOA does not have a pay-for-service model; we don’t charge when churches need help. And we would like to keep it that way. Many of our churches have limited resources and we don’t want them to receive limited help.
Your gifts ensure that the support of the whole Association is there when it’s needed. The care extended to ministers and churches who are experiencing unusual difficulties requiring support beyond their own resources comes from all of us as we financially support the CSEOA through giving to Our Church’s
Wider Mission and the CSEOA General Fund.
How can you get involved?
The CSEOA is led by part-time staff and volunteers. This means that as the joys and challenges of churches and ministers ebb and flow, so does the workload of the leadership. You can participate in the life of the Association by deliberately maintaining relationships with the other ministers and churches who are
geographically closest to you, sharing one another’s joys and challenges and looking for ways to partner in ministry. You can faithfully attend Association meetings in the fall and spring — and even volunteer to help plan them! You can volunteer to serve on one of the ministry Departments or be elected to Association Council. You as an individual can give to Our Church’s Wider Mission and can encourage your local church to do the same.
Finally, you can share your faith with those who need the encouragement and hope of Christ. Many UCC churches have values that are different from how Christianity is usually represented in the United States. People are hungry for another option, we have it, and we can share it.
