You may familiarize yourself with the nominee, Rev. Erick Ewaskowitz, by viewing his resume and a short video clip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear friends in Christ, 

 

As you are aware, the transition board of the new Michigan conference has been meeting regularly to organize the new conference. In our previous update, we informed you that one of the specific items the board has been discussing is the apportionment rate for the new conference and when that rate will take effect. Currently, we refer to apportionments as our “conference tithe.” Moving forward, the new conference will use the term “ministry share,” which is in alignment with the preferred language of our Board of Bishops for all FMCUSA conferences. Language creates culture, and therefore, we want to communicate a shared value of partnering together to resource the mission of Jesus across our conference and denomination.

 

At our most recent board meeting, some important decisions were made that will affect each of our churches now and throughout 2026. First, each conference will continue operations for the first half of 2026. This means that the North Michigan Conference will continue to operate with our current structure and systems in place through June. Second, each conference will fund its budget through collecting current apportionment rates through June 30, 2026. For the North Michigan Conference, this means our churches will continue to contribute their conference tithe. Beginning July 1, ministry shares for the new Michigan Conference will be 7.6% (4.4% for the conference plus the current EPP of 3.2%).

 

We wanted to get this information to you ASAP, as this has implications for your local church budgeting process for 2026. Details regarding how the new conference ministry share will be assessed and collected will be communicated in the coming months as new accounting systems and processes are developed. If you have any questions regarding ministry share plans for 2026, please reach out to your current Superintendent.

 

The transition board will meet again on October 14th. Thank you for your ongoing prayers for this team and for the upcoming Superintendent election.