As a Michigan Free Methodist church we belong to the new Shoreline Conference. The conference was created by uniting Michigan's previous Free Methodist conferences with the vision of helping churches "saturate Michigan with the transforming love of Jesus" through stronger collaboration and shared resources.

Here are some of the benefits of belonging to Shoreline:

• Pastoral development and coaching. Shoreline has dedicated staff focused on mentoring, coaching, spiritual formation, and leadership development for pastors and ministry leaders. This can help pastors avoid isolation and continue growing throughout their ministry.
• Shared ministry resources. Churches have access to conference-wide expertise in administration, operations, legal and credentialing processes, training, and ministry support rather than having to develop everything independently.
• Church planting and multiplication. One of Shoreline's primary priorities is helping existing churches start new congregations, develop leaders, and reach underserved communities across Michigan through assessment, coaching, and strategic partnerships.
• Networking and collaboration. With more than 100 churches across Michigan (and a few in neighboring states and Ontario), pastors and lay leaders can share ideas, learn from one another, and partner on ministry initiatives that would be difficult for a single congregation to accomplish alone.
• Regional gatherings and annual conference. Churches benefit from regular regional meetings, training events, and the annual conference, which provide worship, business sessions, leadership training, and opportunities to build relationships across the conference.
• Unified statewide vision. By combining the former Michigan conferences into one, Shoreline aims to reduce duplication, strengthen stewardship of resources, and create a more coordinated approach to ministry across the state.

To learn more, visit the Shoreline Conference website here.