Associations in the United Church of Christ are geographical parts of Conferences that include all of the Local Churches and Authorized Ministers within a particular area. The Standing of Local Churches as members of the United Church of Christ is overseen by Associations.
While normally Associations also hold the Standing of Authorized Ministers, in the Northern California Nevada Conference, all of our Associations have delegated this responsibility to the Conference through its Committee on Ministry, working on behalf of the Associations. Associations, however, retain the authority for ordination and installation following recommendation of the appropriate Section of COM. We call this unique arrangement the “hybrid,” and it is not presently replicated in this same way anywhere else in our denomination.
Two of our Associations have further delegated all of their functions to the Conference, so in the geographic areas of the Mountain Valley and Sacramento Valley Associations and their constituent Local Churches and Authorized Ministers, the Conference Acts as Association for all matters delegated to Associations in the Constitution & Bylaws of the United Church of Christ.
| Association Name | Link to Bylaws | Moderator | Conference Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay | Bylaws | Jeanne Strauss | Rev. Dr. Celestine Fields |
| Golden Gate | Bylaws | Yolanda Austin | Rev. Davena Jones |
| Mountain Valley | Conference Acts as Association | Rev. Dr. Celestine Fields | |
| Sacramento Valley | Conference Acts as Association | Rev. Davena Jones | |
| Santa Clara | Rev. Melanie Weiner | Rev. Davena Jones | |
| Sequoia | Bylaws | Rev. Akiko Miyake-Stoner | Rev. Dr. Celestine Fields |