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Synod Approves Formation of New Keystone Conference

by Tiffany Vail | published on Jul 14, 2025

With no debate, the 35th General Synod overwhelmingly approved the request by the Penn West, Penn Central, Pennsylvania Southeast, and Penn Northeast Conferences to come together to form the new Keystone Conference.

Delegates from the four Conferences arrived for the Monday morning vote in matching T-shirts that read “Together We are Stronger.”  Seated at adjacent tables, they cheered when the motion passed, then reached out to one another across the aisles to embrace, shake hands and pass the peace.

“This moment marks the culmination of several years of faithful discernment, courageous conversation, and a shared vision for the future of our ministry in Pennsylvania. Together, we have dared to believe that God is still speaking — and calling us into something new,” the four Conference Ministers – Rev. Carrie Call, Rev. Bonnie Bates, Rev. David Ackerman, and Rev. William Worley – said in a joint statement sent out shortly after the vote.

“The creation of the Keystone Conference is more than a structural shift; it is a bold witness to our commitment to covenant, collaboration, and the continuing call of the Holy Spirit. We honor the legacy of those who have gone before us in each of our four Conferences and rejoice in the new pathways and possibilities now open to us,” they wrote.

Keystone delegates said the lack of debate, and the 98% favorable vote (640 to 8, with 6 abstentions), felt like an incredible recognition of the process they have undertaken over the past three years.

“It was quite an affirmation, said Rev. Steve Davis of the Penn Northeast Conference, who served on the Keystone Working Group. “Folks are excited about the journey we’ve taken.”

They said they have felt support throughout the process. Leading up to the vote, the Keystone delegations received cards of support and prayer from the delegates of the Southern New England Conference, which was formed after a similar Synod vote.

“In 2019, we were where the four Pennsylvania Conferences are now, and so we wondered how we could show up for and with them,” said Rev. Liz Garrigan-Byerly of Southern New England. “We created prayer cards for each of their delegates. Prayer is both a simple and profound way for us to be of one faith and one baptism with our siblings in Pennsylvania.”

Rev. Diann Baxley, from the Penn Central Conference, said the Keystone delegates were touched by the cards, pictures of which will be shared back home. And, she said, the Keystone Working Group on which she served has been grateful for the advice they received throughout the process. She hopes they can pay it forward.

“I hope what we’ve done can be useful to other conferences contemplating this, and we hope they will reach out to any of us to talk about what we did, what worked and what didn’t,” she said.

Baxley was moved to tears following the vote, much to her own surprise.

“I just give such praise for the Holy Spirit that led us through this,” she said. “We’re going to be able to serve all of our associations and churches so much better.”

Rev. Carrie Call, Penn Central Conference Minister, said her message to other Conferences is simple:  “We all need to be doing this. We all need to come together.”

The new Keystone Conference board will begin meeting Aug. 1, with the goal of having a transitional staff in place by the time the new Conference officially comes into being on Jan. 1, 2026.

The name “Keystone” Conference is a reference to Pennsylvania’s state nickname. Davis said there was a desire to avoid using “Pennsylvania” in the name, as there are member churches in Maryland and New Jersey. But more importantly, he said, it is a reference to the function of a keystone, which holds things together.

Davis said the choice to pass the peace following the vote was intentional, an acknowledgement that there is some grief that goes along with this change.

“We wanted to show solidarity together,” he said. “Those who voted against this are deeply loved still.”

General Synod voted to approve the formation of the Keystone Conference on Monday, July 14.

That attitude is par for the course, according to Mandy Muschett of the Penn North Conference. She said the new Conference reflects a lot of diversity – it’s 530 churches are rural, city, suburban, progressive and conservative – but said they “consistently fight for each other’s right to have a voice at the table.”

Rev. Becky Sausser, also of Penn North, said the process of coming together has shown both what the four Conferences have in common and what unique gifts each brings.

The words on their T-shirts, she said, is more than just a slogan.

“We genuinely are stronger together,” she said.


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