Missional Priorities Information

What is the purpose of missional priorities for the New Mexico Conference? It may be helpful to start by saying what our missional priorities are not. They are not suggested course changes for the local church. They are descriptive of what the churches may already be doing but perhaps need more resources to take things to the next level or training and information to make the work easier. Missional priorities help the Conference to make decisions that are better aligned with our resources, our strengths, our reality, and our aspirations.

Examples: Applications for Conference grants will have a greater likelihood of being awarded if the project aligns with our missional priorities. Annual Conference keynote speakers whose topics align with the missional priorities will be invited to share their expertise. The CFA will use the missional priorities to better align our budget with what we hope to accomplish as a Conference.

Who discerned the Conference Missional Priorities? The Conference Ministry Team (CMT) is comprised of elected chairs and leaders of the Conference from the various committees such as finance, trustees, higher education, lay leadership, Church & Society, etc. From the vantage points of their various areas of leadership, they discussed where the Conference has been and discerned where they felt like the Conference needed to go in order to survive and more importantly, thrive in the coming years.

The following are the four missional priorities:
• Cultivating Justice and Diversity: A call to amplify different voices as we work toward justice and equity in our communities.
• Enhancing Border Relationships: A call to build bridges and address shared human needs across the southern border and any borders that divide us.
• Investing in Leadership Development: A call to recruit, equip and support lay and clergy leaders as we pursue God’s direction for our local churches.
• Collaboration for Connection in Community: A call to improve communication, share resources and develop additional partnerships throughout the Conference.

So that we may bring more people into loving relationship with Jesus Christ through the church in order to build the Kingdom of God.