Conference News

What Is a Pastor? 

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What Is a Pastor? 

What’s in a name?” Shakespeare once asked. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. The same is true for many of us. Over the years, I’ve held many titles: son, husband, friend, teacher, chaplain, pastor, and now associate conference minister. Each one carries its own weight, but some titles go deeper than description. They take responsibility, even identity. Thomas C. Oden never took the title of pastor lightly. In his book Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry, he reminds us that “pastor” comes from the Latin for shepherd. That’s not just a quaint metaphor. It’s one of the deepest biblical images for Christian ministry (Psalm 23, John 10, 1 Peter 5).

Shepherds don’t get corner offices, they don’t spend their days shuffling memos, and they certainly don’t wear Italian suits to go herd sheep. They walk with the flock, make sure no one wanders off a cliff, fend off predators, and sometimes even smell like the sheep they’re caring for. Oden believed that the image best describes what the clergy are called to be.

A pastor, he says, isn’t primarily a manager, a therapist, or an entertainer. The role is far older and far weightier. To be called pastor is to be entrusted with the care of souls: preaching, baptizing, feeding the people with Word and Sacrament, praying, and modeling what faith looks like in real life.

Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s article.

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Generations United FCU: Fair, Equitable Banking Grounded in UCC Values

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Generations United FCU: Fair, Equitable Banking Grounded in UCC Values

A message from GUFCU:

Generations United Federal Credit Union (GUFCU), which was first introduced to the United Church of Christ in June of this year, continues to grow and establish its identity as new members from many UCC conferences across the nation join.

Over the past few months, we’ve welcomed clergy, congregants, and their family members from New York to Hawaii, Massachusetts to Puerto Rico, and many states in between. We’re especially excited to see parents and grandparents open Youth Accounts for their children and grandchildren, and associations establishing checking and savings accounts to take advantage of our competitive interest rates. Most importantly, our deposits are being lent to members young and old, so they can pay down debt. These activities reflect our mission: building a stronger, financially responsible UCC community.

Through conversations with both prospective and new members, we’ve also discovered there are some misconceptions about our mission. We have updated our messaging on our website – https://gufcu.org to try to address them. Click through to read more.

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S is for Spiritual Formation and Service

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S is for Spiritual Formation and Service

Since writing about C.A.R.E.S., I sometimes feel like I’m on Sesame Street. You remember how each episode featured a “letter of the day”? So here, humor me if you please, “Today’s reflection comes to you by the letter S.”  I have finished spelling out C.A.R.E.S., and now we arrive at the final letter: S is for Spiritual Formation and Service. I went out of order, but God always brings us back into alignment with what matters most. And speaking of alignment, let me start with a little story.

Have you ever seen one of those “reply to all” mishaps? One message goes out, and suddenly everyone piles on with a quick “Sounds good” or “Thanks.” Before long, inboxes overflow with twenty variations of the same thing. It’s funny at first, but soon it feels like noise. Our spiritual lives can look the same; full of activity that doesn’t always add real value. Yet God redirects us. Even when we lose focus or get out of order, God draws us back to what truly matters.

Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.

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Davin “Dax” Michael Franklin-Hicks Enters MID Process

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Davin “Dax” Michael Franklin-Hicks Enters MID Process

On September 9, 2025, the Southwest Conference Committee on Ministry-A met and formally welcomed Davin “Dax” Michael Franklin-Hicks into the Member in Discernment (MID) process of the United Church of Christ.

The MID process is an important step in exploring and affirming a call to ordained ministry. According to the Manual on Ministry, becoming a Member in Discernment is an ecclesial status within the UCC that recognizes a person’s sense of call and places them in a covenantal relationship of support, preparation, and accountability with their local church (Rincon UCC), the  Conference acting as an Association, and the wider church.

As part of the Southwest Conference, Dax will walk this path of discernment with the support of conference leaders, local church partners, and mentors. The process includes spiritual formation, theological education, ministry training, and regular reviews, all oriented toward the Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers and Manual on Ministry.

The Committee on Ministry-A expressed gratitude for Dax’s commitment to discern God’s call in community with the SWC and the wider UCC.  Now as a covenantal community, we invite you to hold Dax in prayer, asking God to guide, strengthen, and encourage him in this season of discernment.

Blessings,

Committee on Ministry-A

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C.A.R.E.S. – A for Accountability and Alignment

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C.A.R.E.S. – A for Accountability and Alignment

Some of you might think I can’t spell C.A.R.E.S. correctly. I didn’t follow the order. I began with C – Covenant Relationships, jumped ahead to E – Empowerment through Education, and circled back to R – Resilience and Renewal. Now I arrive at A – Accountability and Alignment: We keep our work true to our mission. I promise I can spell—but sometimes the Spirit of Spellcheck has other plans!

When we hear accountability, we often think of rules, reports, or someone checking up on us. In faith, accountability works differently. It keeps us honest about who we are and what we do. It reminds us that our choices and actions ripple outward, shaping the lives of those we serve.

Click through to read Dr. Derrick’s full article.

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Justice in Worship and Music, Part 1

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Justice in Worship and Music, Part 1

SATURDAY SHARING with the UCC Musicians Association
Justice in Worship and Music, Part 1

September 27 - 9:00 am AZ / 10:00 am NM & TX on ZOOM

Join UCCMA Board member Dr. Amanda Udis-Kessler for an introduction to her free-use sacred music and the DEI side of her Board role.

In this session, Amanda will introduce her music website queersacredmusic.com with a special focus on new texts written to traditional tunes. She'll also introduce the UCCMA DEI statement and its importance in our current social and political context. Finally, Amanda will draw some connections between DEI, prophetic justice, and the importance and power of inclusive liturgy, drawing from her workshop at UCCMA Conference 2024 and pointing forward to a future Saturday Sharing session about how church musicians might think about inclusive liturgy.

There will be time for a Q&A.

Saturday Sharing is an occasional free, one hour conversation on Zoom with various guests tackling topics of interest to you. Open to all.

INFO & REGISTRATION

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Resilience and Renewal in Challenging Times 

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Resilience and Renewal in Challenging Times 

I grew up hearing the phrase, and I still hear it today: "We are living in our last days." We can acknowledge that people's eschatological discussions (look, I'm using my seminary degree, lol, meaning "end times") are often sparked by troubling headlines, cultural shifts, or periods of uncertainty. I will admit, sometimes when I hear it, I want to smile and say, "Not me, I'm just trying to live until Sunday's sermon!" But beneath the humor, those words carry weight. They reveal the unease many feel when the world seems unsettled and the future unclear.

Yet when we turn to Scripture, we remember God's people have always lived with an awareness of the last days." The early church embraced this truth not as a reason to fear, but as a call to faithfulness. Hebrews 10:24-25 stirs us to encourage one another, to continue meeting together, and to remain steadfast in love and good works, especially when life feels heavy with challenges.

Here is where Resilience and Renewal become vital for us in the Southwest Conference.

Click through to read more.

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Invitation to join the Southwest Conference Anti-Racism Community of Practice - part 5

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Invitation to join the Southwest Conference Anti-Racism Community of Practice - part 5

Are you someone who has done significant anti-racism work? Do you ever wonder – “How could I get better at recognizing racism when I see it?” “How could I get better at knowing what to do about it?” Then this Community of Practice may be for you. As a group of both lay and clergy UCC members we meet monthly on Zoom from September through May on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 5:30 PM Arizona time.

Each September we welcome new members who would like to be part of the work. You can apply to join this community of practice here.

Click through to see what some members of the group say about the experience.

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