The TEC Conference’s Leadership Council meets twice in person (in summer and winter) and twice by video conference (in spring and fall) each year. This year’s summer meeting was held in DeWitt, MI, from July 13-14, 2023, just before the start of Encounter 2023.
As part of an ongoing strategic visioning process, the Council invited Mark Mann from the Catholic Information Center (Diocese of Grand Rapids, MI) to lead the meeting and guide the Council in developing long-term goals for the TEC Conference. The two days of discernment, collaboration, and discussion were interspersed with several prayer services and invitations for the Holy Spirit to enter the conversation.
By the end of the meeting, the Council was proud to have affirmed the following three goals for the TEC Conference to focus on in the next three to five years:
- The TEC Conference will seek out dioceses near active and healthy TEC communities and make an invitation for these dioceses to discern TEC
- The TEC Conference will develop a method for starting new TEC communities that takes less than a year and requires fewer than 10 people to travel to experience a TEC retreat
- The TEC Conference will develop and provide resources on mental health to TEC communities to better equip volunteers on TEC weekends as they support young adults who may share concerns
Along with these goals, the Council also affirmed a “maintenance goal” to strengthen or build relationships between the Conference and TEC communities, as well as strengthen and build relationships between the TEC communities themselves.
Part of the strategic visioning process included a revision to TEC’s Mission Statement, as well as the creation of a new Identity & Purpose statement. The TEC Conference is excited to share these statements that fully encapsulate the TEC movement:
Mission Statement of TEC
TEC reaches out in a spirit of love to young people, sharing with them an authentic encounter of Christ and his Paschal Mystery while accompanying them throughout their faith journey.
Identity and Purpose of TEC
TEC is a Catholic ecclesial movement that evangelizes and accompanies older teens and young adults within an intergenerational community. Participants are invited into this community through a 3-day retreat, drawing them into the heart of the Paschal Mystery. TEC awakens spiritual lives and creates disciples who strengthen the local Church.
Thank you to our Leadership Council for the hard work and respect they showed while envisioning the goals; to the ad hoc ministry team who worked on the mission statement; and to Mark Mann for his caring leadership throughout the meeting.
