The Work Is All Divine
Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington, M.Div., MACE, Columnist
The spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33:4
I’ve been blessed to serve as the elected Annual Conference Secretary for the Palmetto South Carolina Annual Conference of the Seventh Episcopal District for the past six years. Statistically, the Palmetto South Carolina Annual Conference is one of the largest annual conferences in the southern United States. The annual conference consists of 103 pastoral appointments, a membership of over 28,000 men, women, and children of God, over 300 traveling elders and deacons, local elders and deacons and licentiates, and three presiding elder districts covering five counties. The direct task of the recording secretary of the annual conference is to help expedite the transaction of the business of the conference.
The question is often asked, “What does the annual conference secretary do? The truth is the role and responsibilities of the annual conference secretary can be specific and vague. However, the work is necessary to help move the conference forward and assist the President of the Annual Conference. My service has taught me that nothing is ever accomplished at the annual conference without meticulous preparation and attention to detail.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught the general Church the ability to pivot and reassess our effectiveness. Before the pandemic, our secretarial staff had already transitioned to multiple virtual platforms and apps to do our work effectively. For instance, all delegates and pastors of the conference had to provide email addresses to receive annual conference updates, minutes, and literary reports and have access to our secure portals to transact the business of the conference. The pandemic increased our reliance on the virtual space, yet it did not introduce anything members needed to be more comfortable utilizing. The ability to capitalize on the virtual space has been an absolute gift from God. Communication within the annual conference has increased, and accessibility has grown, making the work of the annual conference secretary more engaging and appealing to the masses.
One of the biggest hurdles for any annual conference secretary is maintaining the role of the annual conference. In the Palmetto South Carolina Annual Conference, we retain the roll using a secure Google sheet, allowing us to make certain that as members transition, transfer, or relinquish ties with the conference, we have real-time updates. In addition, this process will enable us to review the roll throughout the conference year to ensure the ordinations are correct.
In the Seventh Episcopal District, all traveling elders and deacons, local elders and deacons, and licentiates have a unique ID card they swipe as they enter the annual conference site. The ID card is digitally synced with the annual conference roll, making the roll call process much more efficient. For instance, the annual conference secretary only calls the roll of members who still need to check in digitally. This technology reduces the time spent on the roll and moves the conference forward.
As members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church members, we know that the Annual Conference is a legal and sovereign body. Yet, we should also understand that the annual conference is fluid enough to move, adjust, and operate under the influence of the Spirit of Christ. In sum, the work is really all divine. The daily rigors of being the annual conference secretary are innumerable. The reporting, printing, review of agendas, run of shows, formatting of literary reports, maintaining documents, travel and care of literal office materials, and typing and sending of minutes can be overwhelming. Still, at the end of the day, it is so very fulfilling to put as much information in the hands of our communion.
As someone who has served, and quite frankly is serving, at some of the highest levels of our Zion, I find that being the annual conference secretary gives me the ability to fashion and forge a new direction in our Church while maintaining the high standards we have grown accustomed. I am grateful for the countless mentors of the faith. They served as local church secretaries, annual conference secretaries, and even in the position of General Secretary of the AME Church. And so, as the annual conference season progresses, I am just so grateful that God saw fit enough to continue my service to the wonderful people of the Palmetto South Carolina Annual Conference and the Seventh Episcopal District of the AME Church. As we continue to push forward, I am confident our latter days will be our greater ones!
Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington, M.Div., MACE, is the Pastor of Hopewell African Methodist Episcopal Church in Hemingway, South Carolina, 7th Episcopal District. He is a candidate for Chief Information Officer, General Secretary of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
