Podcasts about connectional ministries

This week at Bothell, we are joined by our friend Reverend David Valera, Executive Director of Connectional Ministries of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Reverend Valera preaches from Luke 9:28-36.

Asbury UMC welcomes the Rev. Jacqueline Davis-Ford, Director of Connectional Ministries for the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference to the pulpit on this First Sunday in Lent while Pastor Julie is away on a mission trip.  Rev. Ford brings a message from Romans as we focus on surrendering all to God during this season of Lent.For more information on Lenten Bible studies, services, special events, and other ministries at AUMC, please find our Facebook page or website at www.asburysmyrnaumc.org. 

LENT Podcast 2024 // S3 EP3: Rev. Dr. Brian Tillman (NGa Director of Advocacy & Inclusion) // "JUSTICE AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE"

This month, the Academy Podcast features Ray Buckley's teaching from the 2021 Spiritual Formation in Today's World. His Lecture on Reconciliation. As an indigenous person in North America, Ray speaks with authority about what it takes to be reconciled across walls meant to keep people and creation apart. Let us consider what it will take for indigenous folks, and all historically marginalized people, to have more access which leads to equity in all areas of life. Ray Buckley is the Director for the Center for First Nations Spirituality and longtime faculty member of The Academy for Spiritual Formation. Ray has served the United Methodist Church as a staff member of the United Methodist Publishing House, Director of the Native People Communication Office, and Director of Connectional Ministries and Native Discipleship for the Alaska Missionary Conference. Ray is the author of multiple books and resources for all ages. His stories, poetry, and art have appeared in numerous journals, periodicals and books around the world. Ray and his brother, Rick, make their home in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of Alaska. The 2024 cohort of Spiritual Formation in Today's World begins February 1-3, 2024. You can learn more and apply at https://academy.upperroom.org/event/sftw-2023/. Show notes: Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission. For more information and resources visit: academy.upperroom.org/resources Support our work If the Academy Podcast or any of the ministries of The Academy for Spiritual Formation have benefited your life and spirituality, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support. You can learn more about how your gifts make a difference at https://academy.upperroom.org/donate/

Skunk on the Table is a video, podcast and article series focused on simple and clear conversations about topics of interest for the Virginia Conference. In this episode, David Dommisse, Conference Treasurer, answers questions related to disaffiliation in the Virginia Conference and the financial impacts. Also joining the conversation is Dwayne Stinson, Director of Connectional Ministries for Discipleship and Congregational Vitality, who will share about the future of the VAUMC and UMC.

Pastor Mark Scandrett, Pastor of Connectional Ministries, preaches part 7 of your In Him series on Ephesians, from Ephesians 4:1-16.  How to Have a Healthy Body.

The Rev. Jacqueline Ford, the Director of Connectional Ministries for the Delaware District, brings a message focusing on the 23rd Psalm.  This Psalm is well known to many of us and in it we see how Jesus is the Good Shepherd who restores our soul and leads us in the right paths.  We know that when we follow Jesus we will not be left alone or led astray.For more information about worship at Asbury United Methodist Church in downtown Smyrna, Delaware please find our Facebook page or website at www.asburysmyrnaumc.org. 

Rev. Gary Keene spent 23 years in ministry as a clergy person working alongside Bishops in the United Methodist Church; as a Council Director, Director of Connectional Ministries, and Assistant to the Bishop, he served in ministry alongside episcopal leaders in the church. From that unique, long perspective, he offers insight about the leadership we need most from our Bishops, and what difference it makes in our local congregations. Now retired, Gary also served as a pastor of local congregations, including, finally, Camarillo UMC.Audio Podcast, Transcription, and Discussion Questions - http://www.WhereDoWeGoUMC.com

VAUMC Conversation invited the leaders of the two camps that are vital ministries of the Conference. Both All God's Children Camp and Camp Rainbow Connection are ministries reaching out to the marginalized with the help of our local churches. Learn more about the fruitful ministries and how you can join in God's mission. All God's Children Camp Website - www.vaumc.org/agccCamp Rainbow Connection Website - www.vaumc.org/crc

United Methodist Women Sunday, Speaker: Sheila Freeman, Connectional Ministries

United Methodist Women Sunday, Speaker: Sheila Freeman, Connectional Ministries

United Methodist Women Sunday, Speaker: Sheila Freeman, Connectional Ministries

United Methodist Women Sunday, Speaker: Sheila Freeman, Connectional Ministries

As churches return from the pandemic, we're struggling to help reconnect people with meaningful ministry work. Sometimes it's an issue of not enough volunteers. Sometimes it's a matter of poor communication. How can you get connected to meaningful ministry, and how can churches begin to reconnect people? Julie Bell, Director of Connectional Ministries, joins us today for a helpful conversation. Join us for the conversation at peoria1.com.

Episode Notes In this special episode on the significance of Lent, Alice and Derrick speak with Rev. Dr. Sharon Austin, Director of Connectional Ministries for the Florida Conference on the UMC. The Laity Space Podcast where we host conversations that champion and support the role of every day United Methodists in Florida. Produced by Wesley's Revival. Homepage: laityspace.org

In this month's episode, we hear from Ray Buckley on the topic of "Bearing Witness." Ray offered the following teaching at Five Day Academy in 2019. Ray is the interim Director for the Center for First Nations Spirituality and longtime faculty member of The Academy for Spiritual Formation. Ray has served the United Methodist Church as a staff member of the United Methodist Publishing House, Director of the Native People Communication Office, and Director of Connectional Ministries and Native Discipleship for the Alaska Missionary Conference. Ray is the author and illustrator of a number of story-books and studies on Native peoples for children and youth. His stories, poetry, and art have appeared in numerous journals, periodicals and books around the world. Ray and his brother, Rick, make their home in Palmer, Alaska. Ray's teaching invites listeners to consider what it means to embody witness. How does our speech change when we've encountered another culture? How is our imagination shaped by another's language? How do our lives transform when we've been impacted by another story? As you listen, become aware of the ways wisdom has been shared with you.

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 5! Today we speak with Rev. Dr. Chris L. Pierson, Senior Pastor of Gary United Methodist Church in Wheaton, IL. This summer was the 5th Anniversary of Pastor Chris beginning his pastorate in Wheaton. Today we focus on one particular day: his second Sunday and sermon at Gary Church on Sunday, July 10th, 2016. Even though Pastor Chris had served in various pastorates on the southside of Chicago, cross-racial appointments in Aurora, IL and Roselle, IL, and as Director of Connectional Ministries for the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church for 15 years (right before his appointment to Wheaton) . . . this Sunday was unique.  He was a black man coming to pastor in the predominantly white, wealthy, and western Chicago suburbs. The circumstances of his starting ministry in Wheaton different, but so were the 7 days leading up to that Sunday.  It was a horrible week of bloodshed, death, and hard questions about systemic racism, policing, and revenge. And into all of that hurt and pain, Pastor Chris stepped into the pulpit to preach the gospel to a new congregation. Pastor Chris' Sermon from Sunday, July 10th, 2016Luke 10:25–37 Revised Common Lectionary for that WeekFor a greater context of events from this day in 2016:The Killing of Michael Brown and the Ferguson Protests in Ferguson, MO The  Police Shooting of 17 year old black student Laquan McDonald in Chicago The Killing of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, LA in 2016The Police shooting of Philando Castile, near St. Paul, MN in 2016Man shoots and kills 5 Dallas, TX police officers in 2016 We begin with a prayer (00:40), our lunch menu (01:43), Rev. Dr. Chris L. Pierson's own story of personal faith and salvation in Christ (02:11), his feelings on a new pastorate in 2016 (06:05), cross-racial appointments (pastorates) and friendship with former Gary Church pastor (and now Bishop) Rev. Dr. Tracy Malone (09:45), the racial context of that time and the events of violence leading up to Sunday, July 10th, 2016 (14:09),  his picking of scripture and  gospel theme for his sermon (22:05), his personal experience of racism, violence, and the police (27:59), advice for young preachers in times of conflict, mourning, and injustice (36:26), Pastor Chris prays for the Church (39:45), final thanks and blessing (41:49).And finally, the menu for our lunch:Braised Chicken with Mustard and HerbsSteamed Jasmine RiceSkillet-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pecorino Romano 

Cindy Gregorson is the Director of Connectional Ministries and Clergy Assistant to the Bishop for the Minnesota Annual Conference of the UMC. And in this episode, she shares a hinge moment (a change moment), when cancer upended her world. Not only did her body go through a traumatic event, but her emotional and spiritual health were impacted as well. This moment has also propelled her into her horizon and living each day with meaning and purpose. I know you will be encouraged and challenged by her story!

What is needed to enlarge the capacity of pastors, congregations, annual conferences and the denomination to become more resilient, i.e. to absorb change and retain its integrity and purpose? We pose that very deep and difficult question to Erin Hawkins, Executive Director of Connectional Ministries for the California Pacific Annual Conference and Bishop Cynthia Harvey, bishop of the United Methodist Church in Louisiana and President of the Council of Bishops. You'll notice this is one of our longer episodes. The content was so rich with these two dynamic leaders, we didn't want you to miss a minute of the conversation, so we didn't cut much. They discuss the current state of the church, what resilience looks like for the church, and what changes they are hoping to see in the denomination. We suspect that like us, by the end of the episode your own reservoir of resilience will be a bit more full of grace.   QUOTES “We think systemically because we're a large institution and our system's thinking has us reduced and separate so that we can better analyze and organize and change the parts. And I'm increasingly convinced that what will help to transform us is becoming masters not of the parts, but of the relationship between the parts.” -Erin Hawkins [28:12] “Right now, I would love to see us do a total realignment of where we invest ourselves. How are we using our time and our money and our resources to do a good and joyful thing?” -Bishop Cynthia Harvey [49:53]   TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Intro [00:23] Bishop Huie reads from Reservoirs of Resilience [04:17] An excerpt of Bishop Huie's writing [07:18] Meet Erin and Bishop Harvey [09:01] The current reality: challenges the church is facing [16:50] Actions for leaders to help lead a resilient church [23:55] What does a resilient church look like [33:53] The changes Erin hopes to see in her anti-racism work [38:44] How Erin stay resilient [45:20] The changes Bishop Harvey hopes to see as President of the Council of Bishops [51:17] Rapid fire round with three sentences [52:15] Bishop Huie's reflections and takeaways [56:34] Outro   RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes? Follow Bishop Harvey on Facebook -- Cynthia Fierro Harvey  Read the press release about Erin Hawkins new role as the Executive Director of Connectional Ministries with the California-Pacific Conference of the UMC here. Follow the General Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church @GCORR_UMC Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here. "That's Something" music and lyrics by Billy Crockett, © 2016 Spare Room Music, BMI, from the album In Session (with Roscoe Beck), Blue Rock Artists, 2020 "Resilience" music by Billy Crockett, © 2021 Spare Room Music, BMI This podcast is brought to you by TMF's Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF's Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.

Asbury UMC welcomes the Rev. Dr. Rob Townsend as Guest Preacher in the absence of Rev. Julie Lewis as she continues on bereavement leave following the death of her father. Rev. Dr. Townsend is the Director of Connectional Ministries for the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church. He continues the sermon series Transformed: Becoming a True Disciple of Jesus Christ with a message entitled Transformed Desires. Scripture is from Galatians 5:22-26.If you are interested in learning more about worship at Asbury you can find information about the church, ministries, and other events on Facebook at www.facebook.com/asburyumcsmyrna.

Ray Buckley is an author and illustrator of Lakota, Tlingit, and Scots descent and interim Director of the Center for Native American Spirituality and Christian Study. Ray has served as the Director of the Native People’s Communication Office (UMCom) and Director of Connectional Ministries for the Alaska Missionary Conference. As a lecturer on Native American studies, Ray has taught America and the world, including in Nigeria and Ghana. His stories, poetry, and art have appeared in numerous journals, periodicals, books, and museums.

A sermon by Pastor Anthony BogerSupport the show (https://kailua.churchcenter.com/giving)

Linda Holland, Director of Connectional Ministries for the North Alabama Conference, shares her experience using prayer prompts.

Victoria A. Rebeck, of the Minnesota Area of the United Methodist Church, describes how clergywomen can revitalize the church while serving as elders and deacons. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit awaits. Listen now. 0:34        Breaking Ranks: Women Elders and Women Deacons in Ministry Partnership, by Victoria A. Rebeck, Minnesota Annual Conference 0:43        Scripture tells us that loving God entails loving neighbor. Piety that does not include advocacy for the marginalized and compassion for the suffering is no piety at all. “Is this not the fast I choose,” we read in Isaiah 58:6-7, “to loose the bonds of injustice, / to undo the thongs of the yoke, / to let the oppressed go free, / and to break every yoke / . . . to share your bread with the hungry, / and bring the homeless poor into your house . . . ?” The United Methodist Church’s ordering of clergy into two distinct orders, deacon and elder, represents this inseparable combination. Elders lead the people in piety: ordering the life of the church and making sure that God’s people receive sacraments. Deacons connect piety with compassion and justice for neighbors, leading God’s people into ministry outside the walls of the church. When deacons and elders collaborate, the fullness of the church’s ministry is represented and led, in the equal and united manner that is reinforced throughout Scripture. 1:51        Evolution of the Diaconate The partnership style of leadership originated in the church’s first centuries. The earliest leadership offices in the church were bishop and deacon, says James Monroe Barnett in The Diaconate: A Full and Equal Order. Bishops oversaw churches, much like pastors. Deacons led those congregations in ministry to those in need—partners in leading the people in love of God and neighbor. “To think of subordination to the bishops… is largely to forget the character of the Church of the late New Testament period,” Barnett says. However, by the end of the fourth century, the church began adopting the hierarchical forms of civic society, the Roman Empire. The diaconate was reduced to a step up in the clergy hierarchy. The days of equality among clergy and laity faded. This pattern persisted in The United Methodist Church until 1996. Denominations that did not retain some form of clergy diaconate eventually recreated it in various lay forms. In Protestant churches, it is mostly women who have retained the purpose of diakonia, rebirthing this ancient Christian office as a central expression of Christian ministry. 3:12        Even John Wesley promoted the role of deaconess, though I have found no references to its being an official role. In a Nov. 5, 1788, letter to Adam Clarke, John Wesley recommends that Mrs. Clarke “fulfill the office of a deaconess.” Without a record of a description of the deaconess’s function, we can only speculate. We might guess that it entailed service and leadership, perhaps among the women faithful. Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin called for renewal of the deacon as minister among the poor. Theodor Fliedner and his wife, Friederike Münster, led the formation of a deaconess community through the founding of a motherhouse in Kaiserswerth, Germany, in 1836. Living in community, the deaconesses focused on community ministries, particularly health care. Such vocational opportunities for women grew during the industrial era of the late nineteenth century, along with urbanization and immigration in England and North America. The United Methodist lay deaconesses (and their spiritual brothers, the home missioners) are heirs to this movement. The United Methodist Church developed the office of lay worker in 1968, which comprised, to a significant extent, congregational directors of Christian education. In 1976, the lay worker was succeeded by the diaconal minister. (Despite an effort to unite the different forms into one diaconia, deaconesses remained separate.) Ordained clergy were predominantly male; many women who were called to congregational leadership found access via the role of Christian educator. Thus, the ministries of compassion, justice, and empowerment of laypeople became the women’s work of the church. “Men’s work” — congregational and denominational leadership as the pastor—enjoyed greater respect in a patriarchal, hierarchal church. Women with the call to order the life of the church were often blocked from ordination, or even licensing. The ordained diaconate was mostly reserved for men, a pastoral role and transitional step toward elder. 5:29        Full Clergy Status In 1996, The United Methodist Church followed ecumenical partners and evolved in its understanding of diaconia by forming a full and equal clergy order of deacon. No longer elders-in-the-making, deacons in The United Methodist Church are now more like deacons from the second through seventh centuries, who “oversaw the pastoral care of the Church… were administrators of the Church’s charities… were assistants of its bishops, often succeeding them in office… had a major role in the Church’s liturgies… were the great symbol of the servant ministry to which the Church has been called by Christ.” The 1996 General Conference chose to discontinue the commissioning of new diaconal ministers. Current diaconal ministers (some of whom may have been lay workers) had the opportunity to transition to the ordained office of deacon. However, the language of the Discipline makes clear that deacon is not simply a new name for lay worker or diaconal minister. Deacons fulfill servant ministry in the world and lead the Church in relating the gathered life of Christians to their ministries in the world, interrelating worship in the gathered community with service to God in world. Deacons give leadership in the Church’s life in teaching and proclaiming the World; in contributing to worship, and in assisting the elders in administering the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper; in forming and nurturing disciples; in conducting marriages and burying the dead; in embodying the church’s mission to the world, and in leading congregations in interpreting the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world. 7:18        For many deacons, “forming and nurturing disciples” means serving in congregational staff positions as Christian educators, children’s and youth ministers, pastoral-care providers, and family or age-group ministry leaders. As United Methodist congregations shrink and can afford to employ fewer people, particularly clergy, deacons’ ministry in The United Methodist Church is increasingly a ministry outside the walls of the church. Deacons serve as truck-stop chaplains, prison ministers, directors of peace-and-justice ministries and compassion organizations, to name only few. The diaconate was and is most of all ministry of “interrelating worship in the gathering community with service of God in the world.” Ecumenically and around the world, diakonia takes lay and clergy forms. Among the churches that have non-transitioning (not a step toward presbyter or priest) deacons are the Methodist Church in Britain, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church. United Methodist deacons are active in the United States and Europe. The Lutheran communion churches have active lay orders of diaconia. 8:36        Obstacles to Partnership Full-member clergy deacons strengthen The United Methodist Church. However, the evolution from lay worker to diaconal minister to deacon has put United Methodist clergywomen at odds with one another. Many women who found leadership opportunities as committed and trained lay Christian educators eventually discerned the call to the ordained diaconate. Other women who heard the call to the pastorate slowly but persistently pursued ordination as elders and eventually gained full clergy rights for women (1956). Unfortunately — having worked hard for recognition as ordained, full clergy members — some of those early pioneering women elders look on their sisters who pursued Christian education (or other age-group leadership) as having made a lesser choice. This attitude pits women clergy leaders against women clergy leaders. It is a capitulation to patriarchal hierarchy. It takes away the very respect for clergywomen’s leadership that the pioneering women elders worked to obtain. It also devalues Christian education and other deacon ministries. At the time of this publication, The United Methodist Church in the U.S. is wringing its hands over the aging of the church membership and the dearth of young adults in congregations. If we truly value young people, we would consider Christian education and youth ministry among the most important ministries the church undertakes. 10:15     Further, many young people report that the church fails to attract them because they are more interested in healing brokenness and injustice in the world than they are in sitting on committees, often the church’s first choice for engaging laypeople. Given that the deacons are to “relate the gathered life of Christians to their ministries in the world,” deacons are particularly well positioned to engage young adults in Christian discipleship. This is particularly true of deacons serving appointments in congregational outreach, as mission coordinators for conferences or jurisdictions, and for those leading social-service agencies beyond the local church (and in secondary appointment to congregations). For example, the Rev. Donnie Shumate Mitchem’s primary appointment is as a school psychologist in Western North Carolina. She also leads the parishioners in her secondary appointment to pack book bags for children of limited means, clean classrooms, and pray for students and teachers. The Rev. Scott Parrish, mission specialist for Connectional Ministries for the North Georgia Conference and a mission strategist for General Board of Global Ministries, explicitly guides churches to help young adults to find their place in the United Methodist global mission movement. 11:40     Embracing the Both/And of Clergy Partnership Women elders and women deacons have an opportunity to lead the church away from hierarchical patterns and back to the organic, horizontal understanding of the whole church’s ministry. This includes leading laypeople back into active discipleship that includes both piety and compassionate action. When asked the most important commandment, Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’… And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). The ministries of the elder and deacon embody these two commandments. To paraphrase Isaiah, this is the piety God chooses: both the spiritual development that takes place in worship and the active, selfless service that takes place outside the church’s walls. Women clergy can revitalize ministry in The United Methodist Church by restoring the mutually empowering, mutually serving discipleship described in the Gospels and epistles. Not everyone has the same gifts; and, through practice of the varying gifts and passions, the realm of God is built. 13:00     United Methodist clergywomen — deacons and elders — across the international connection can strengthen the United Methodist witness in the world by supporting and advocating for each other’s ministries. On an international scale, this entails learning about each other’s cultural contexts. The careerism that has crept into ministry in the United States may not be the practice in other nations. The role of women in society varies from culture to culture as well. As United Methodist clergywomen learn one another’s contexts, hopes, and callings, they can work toward rebirthing in The United Methodist Church an understanding of ministry as mutual and empowering of all the baptized. The Rev. Doris Dalton is a deacon in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference who has served in partnership ministries with elders in both primary (district office) and secondary (church start) appointments. “I have found that successful partnerships between deacons and elders require the following factors: alignment of calling and vision, establishing communication agreements, understanding and respecting roles, and knowing thyself, she says in her blog post “How deacons and elders can partner in ministry.” Dalton encourages elders and deacons to engage in intentional conversation on deepening ministry partnerships between deacons and elders. “Many elders are reluctant to engage in a deacon-elder partnership because the details and responsibilities can seem daunting,” she observes. “Demythologizing assumptions and sharing concrete details can provide for a smoother beginning to ministry partnerships.” 14:49     Elders can start by sharpening their understanding of the historic ministry of the deacon. Margaret Ann Crain’s book The United Methodist Deacon is a good start. Women elders in a conference might demonstrate genuine interest and respect by inviting deacons, including those appointed beyond the local church, to join them in discussing ministry challenges. Elders may discover deacons who are doing exciting, innovative ministry and who can enhance the elders’ congregational ministry through training or secondary appointment. Deacons should step up in leadership and not wait to be noticed. Volunteer for ministry discernment events, lay ministry trainings, annual conference leadership, and more. Devise ways to share your ministry expertise across the district or conference. Raise your profile through leadership. Build relationships among elders, help them perceive the deacon/elder ministry wholeness, and propose partnerships (including short-term ones). Perpetuating the hierarchical ranking of ministry we inherited from a patriarchal church continues to hold back all women as well as the gospel’s countercultural ordering of ministry. Women clergy have the perspective and perhaps the working preferences to renew the church through egalitarian ministry partnerships — if we have the courage to do so. 16:18     Thank you for listening to the WellSprings Journal podcast. Be sure to visit WellSpringsJournal.org to find more resources for the journey.  

Linda Holland, Director of Connectional Ministries and Leadership Development, shares some leadership lessons she has learned, compliments of Moses.

Scripture: Matthew 2 Today's guest preacher is David Burt, the Yellowstone Conference Director of Connectional Ministries and Assistant to the Bishop.