The 2023 Polity, Benefits, and Mission Conference (PBMC), formerly the Mid Council Leaders Gathering, was held October 9-12, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.
The theme of this year's event was Imagining Beyond Our Limits. Mid councils are imagining new pathways of enabling congregations and their leaders in ministry, innovating new expressions and new worshiping communities, repurposing property for missional purposes, and finding creative ways to support those embracing the risk of imaginative leaps.
We gathered to share stories of, and resources on, where and how this imagination happens. The conference was fully on-site, providing attendees with the opportunity to connect and collaborate with one another in person for the first time since 2019.
Addresses from keynote speakers the Reverend Mark Elsdon and the Reverend Lydia Neshangwe, who joined via Zoom
A listening session for mid council leaders hosted by the Special Committee on Standing Rules and the Unification Commission
Ministry and new initiative updates from the Office of General Assembly, the Board of Pensions, and the Presbyterian Mission Agency
Networking opportunities
Worship services at the open and close of the conference led by the Reverend Ruth F. Santana-Grace and the Reverend Dr. Jerry L. Cannon