Equalization members to annual conference announced
Editor’s Note: the list published in the November issue of The Current was incorrect. Please see the list below for the most up to date information.
By Paul Black
SPRINGFIELD – Annual Conference Secretary Joy Caschetta has announced that 161 additional lay delegates from Illinois Great Rivers Conference churches will be needed in 2018 to equalize the number of clergy and lay delegates at annual conference.
According to the conference standing rules, each pastoral charge is entitled to one lay member. Each charge served by more than one clergy member shall be entitled to as many lay members needed for equalization by subtraction the number of lay persons from the number of clergy.
The Book of Discipline (2016) indicates that clergy members consist of deacons and elders in full connection, provisional members, associate members and local pastors under appointment (¶32). While certain allocations of seats are made for certain lay positions, if the lay membership numbers less than the clergy members of the annual conference, the Discipline indicates that an annual conference, by its own formula, provide for the election of additional lay members to equalize the clergy membership.
Standing Rule III.C.4d provides that lay members of the annual conference elected for lay/clergy equalization come from the larger churches, in order of decreasing size, who have paid 100 percent of their conference apportionments in the previous year. Equalization members shall serve to the end of the quadrennium as long as the congregation continues to pay 100 percent of its apportionments.
For 2018, the 161 include all congregations paying 100 percent of 2016 apportionments with a membership of 202 or more.
The churches that will have the additional equalization lay member for 2018 are:
| Fairview Heights Christ | Marshall First |
| St Matthew Belleville | Rushville First |
| Normal Calvary | Tuscola |
| Springfield First | Harrisburg First |
| Bloomington Wesley | Clinton |
| Normal First | Sherman |
| Peoria First | West Frankfort Trinity |
| Washington Crossroads | Arthur |
| Troy | Carthage First |
| Champaign Faith | Havana First |
| Charleston Wesley | Leroy |
| Pontiac First | Godfrey |
| Springfield Laurel | Centralia First |
| Effingham Centenary | Delavan |
| Canton Wesley | Olney First |
| Quincy Vermont Street | Trenton |
| Macomb Wesley | Casey |
| Morton | Nashville Grace |
| Taylorville | Wesley Chapel |
| East Moline Christ Multisite | Momence |
| Pekin First | Rantoul |
| Monticello | Savoy |
| Pekin Grace | Sullivan |
| Carbondale First | Streator First |
| Geneseo Grace | Colona |
| Marion Aldersgate | Melrose Chapel |
| Pana | Arcola |
| Edwardsville St Johns | Spring Bay Rivers Edge |
| Danville St James | Bradley Wesley |
| Kewanee | Edwardsville Immanuel |
| Mahomet | Douglas Avenue |
| O’Fallon First | Maryville St Luke |
| Geneseo First | Pinkneyville |
| Champaign First | Tolono |
| Moline Riverside | Manito |
| Lincoln First | El Paso |
| Vandalia First | Moweaqua |
| Aledo | Cerro Gordo |
| Murphysboro | Champaign New Horizon |
| Nameoki | Bradley Epworth |
| Gibson City | Greenville First |
| Mt Vernon First | Nokomis |
| Dwight | Mount Carmel Evangelical |
| Decatur First | Rossville |
| East Peoria Willow Hill | Washington Evangelical |
| Dunlap Prospect | Living Faith |
| Fairfield First | Jacksonville Centenary |
| Galesburg First | Virginia |
| Shelbyville First | Heyworth |
| Peoria University | Abingdon |
| Coal City | Newton Grace |
| Sugar Creek | Lewistown |
| Jerseyville | Robinson First |
| Salem Grace | Lawrenceville First |
| Fairbury | Elmwood |
| Chillicothe | Winchester |
| Orion | Fairview Center |
| Decatur Grace | Neoga |
| Metropolis | Mansfield |
| Kankakee St Mark | Hoopeston |
| Mackinaw | Mt Sterling |
| Paxton | Moline Bethel Wesley |
| Monmouth First | Reynolds |
| Tremont | Elwin |
| Lexington First | Tonica |
| Manteno | Columbia Bethany |
| Cambridge | Peoria Bethel |
| Beardstown | Urbana First |
| Carlinville | Barry |
| Sparta | Roseville |
| East Peoria First | Princeville |
| Highland Hope | Altamont First |
| Urbana Wesley | Warsaw Trinity |
| Chatham | Flora First |
| Paris First | Catlin |
| Petersburg | Glen Carbon New Bethel |
| Rochester | Knoxville |
| Camp Point | Watson |
| St Joseph | Villa Grove |
| Gillespie First | Homer |
| Sumner |