The Northwest Texas Conference met at First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, with Bishop James G. “Jimmy” Nunn presiding.

The theme was the Kingdom of God and how it can begin small, like a mustard seed, and grow rapidly.

Bishop Rudy Saenz, of the North Texas and Central Texas conferences, preached the ordination service. The Rev. Blair Thompson-White taught a session titled Discerning Purpose in Today’s Spiritual landscape.

There were three workshops with the following titles: Grieving Well and Managing Change in Your Context; Church Marketing – Why Should I, They Know We Are Here; and Wesley Community Groups.

The conference passed resolutions to finalize the second round of disaffiliations, close a couple of churches, allow archives to begin the process of being relocated and allow selling the conference office when the time is right. The conference also filled General Conference delegate seats made vacant by disaffiliation.

Thirteen churches disaffiliated at this session: Quanah FUMC, Vernon Faith UMC, Clarendon FUMC, Pampa FUMC, Amarillo Polk Street UMC, Stratford FUMC, Trinity UMC Amarillo, Whitedeer FUMC, Levelland FUMC, Morton FUMC, Denver City FUMC, Mt. Vernon UMC Lubbock, and Shallowater FUMC.

Two churches closed: Hawley UMC and Asbury UMC, Lubbock

A special called annual conference, online only, was set for October 23, 2023, at 6:30 pm.

The conference passed a 2024 spending plan similar to that of 2023.

Other resolutions adopted by the conference: A resolution for beginning the work of finding a permanent location for the NWTX archives, a resolution authorizing trustees to oversee the process of selling the Conference Service Center and Archives Building, three resolutions from the Conference Board of Pension and Health benefits.

The following are delegates for both General Conference and Jurisdictional conferences:

Clergy: Josh Stuvee, Todd Salzwedel 

Laity: Randy Stutes, Lisa Peterson.

One person was commissioned as a provisional elder.

Number of clergy retired: 7

All the normal metrics will not accurately represent the NWTX’s current state. Seventy-five percent of our conference has disaffiliated to date, but that doesn’t account for the Wesley Community Groups that are starting around the conference with displaced UM members and the church starts that are also launching this year due to the displacement through disaffiliation. In 2024 we will be merged with a new conference so metric numbers will not accurately represent the NWTX Conference.

Jaime Montgomery, chief communications officer

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