By Karen Conger
The General Council of the Swedenborgian Church of North America met in a hybrid format Friday and Saturday, November 15 and 16, 2024, at the Sonesta Select hotel in Torrance, California. The business undertaken included hearing reports from the officers and others, such as the Chair of the Council of Ministers.
Rev. Thom Muller, Rev. Renee Machiniak, Karen Conger,
Rev. Sage Cole. Front Row: Herb Ziegler,
Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence, Pastor Paul Deming,
and Jennifer Lindsay.
Rev. Shada Sullivan joined the meeting virtually to present a proposal for new support structures, suggested by the Council of Ministers, outlining all the many ways in which our wonderful clergy are being called upon to step outside of traditional roles with less time to actually minister as they deal with tech issues regarding virtual worship; the constant need for fundraising around maintenance and upkeep of buildings; necessity to be community organizers and innovators; adjustment of ministries to new needs that are outside of traditional funding structures; in effect, pastors having to become CEOs. The General Council agreed to the creation of a strategic task force to assess the needs of our ministers/ministries and determine the best path forward to offer them additional support, with the results to be presented at the spring meeting of the General Council.
The General Council voted to proceed with a conservancy agreement involving the Church of the Open Word in St. Louis. The funds have already been raised to cover the estimated devaluation of the property (which along with several other Swedenborgian churches is owned by the denomination) in the event of a future sale.
As in past years, General Council members continue to check in once or twice a year with their own set of ministries in the Swedenborgian Church of North America, and this meeting saw the presentation of those reports and the discussion that followed.
At the time of the meeting the sale of the National Church in Washington, D.C. was still pending, as escrow had not yet closed. Escrow subsequently closed (November 21, 2024) and the property is now in the hands of a church in the Christian tradition.
Treasurer Jennifer Lindsay presented the proposed budget for 2025. The budget reflects a deficit of $38,025 in unrestricted funds and $79,734 in restricted funds. These amounts constitute a tiny percentage of the corpus currently invested in the Common Fund.
The General Council will meet in a virtual format for its Spring 2025 meeting on Saturday, March 1 at 10:00 AM PT. The 2025 Annual Convention of the Swedenborgian Church of North America will be held at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. The Council of Ministers (COM) travel date is June 26, 2025. COM meets and convention opens on June 27, 2025, and convention closes July 1, 2025.
Read the full issue of the Winter 2025 Messenger
Meet Karen Conger
Karen Conger has served as the recording secretary of the Swedenborgian Church of North America for over ten years. She resides in California.
