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.
One of our Associations has further delegated all of its functions to the Conference, so in the geographic area of the Mountain Valley Association and its 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 | Sophia Jackson | Rev. Davena Jones |
| Golden Gate | Bylaws | Dcn. Theron Jones | Rev. Daniel Ross-Jones |
| Mountain Valley | Conference Acts as Association | Rev. Davena Jones | |
| Sacramento Valley | Conference Acts as Association | Rev. Davena Jones | |
| Santa Clara | Rev. Matt Broadbent (acting) | Rev. Daniel Ross-Jones | |
| Sequoia | Rev. Akiko Miyake-Stoner | Rev. Daniel Ross-Jones |