Discipleship makes strategic staff changes to better focus on key initiatives

For the United Methodist denomination’s General Board of Discipleship, the next four years will be anything but business as usual.

The Executive Committee of the GBOD Board of Directors, which met March 11, approved staff and structural changes that will greatly impact the agency charged with leading the effort to equip church leaders.

“We are excited about the direction of our work. These changes will bring focus to our mission and ready us to make exponential impact on the church and the world,” said The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, general secretary of the discipleship agency.

The Board of Directors last year adopted a new strategic direction document that responds to the denominations’ growing call for measurable objectives that describe effectiveness in supporting vital congregations and their leaders.

“The Board of Discipleship is charged with the denominational mandate to ‘create new places for new people, while renewing existing congregations.’ These changes begin to implement that new initiative, which is one focus of our new strategic direction,” Greenwaldt said.

Most notably, the Rev. Vance P. Ross, associate general secretary of Leadership Ministries (Discipleship Ministries Division), was promoted to the newly created position of deputy general secretary for External Connectional Relations and Strategic Initiatives. This is the first time in GBOD’s history that the agency has elected a deputy general secretary.

“The nature of the work of general agencies is changing rapidly,” said Greenwaldt. “To move quickly into effective partnerships with annual conferences, seminaries, racial ethnic caucuses, and key leadership groups across the church is essential, and GBOD needs more capacity within its staffing structure to accomplish this goal,” she said.

“Vance Ross has the vision and experience to lead us in these strategic partnerships and is well suited to fill this critically important position within GBOD. I am delighted that he has accepted the challenge and opportunities this work brings,” Greenwaldt added.

The Rev. MaryJane Pierce Norton, Team Leader of Family & Life-Span Ministries, has been promoted to the associate general secretary post held by Ross. She will head Leadership Ministries (Discipleship Ministries Division) and support the agency’s new initiative called Discipleship University, an effort which focuses on existing local church vitality.

Greenwaldt says that present activities and programs will be redeployed, discontinued, or refocused if they do not support the vision for vital, vibrant local churches undergirded by measurable outcomes for GBOD’s strategic direction.

Foye Webb, who plans to retire in December, has been assigned the dual role of chief financial officer and chief operations officer. In this capacity, Webb will oversee financial services, human resources, communications, strategic systems and building services.

The Rev. Michael Ratliff continues as associate general secretary of Young People’s Ministries (Division on Ministries with Young People), and, along with the Upper Room Ministries’ work in Africa, will provide leadership for the deployment of GBOD staff into the Central Conferences.

The Rev. Stephen Bryant continues as world editor of Upper Room Ministries.

The Rev. Tom Butcher, continues as executive officer of the Office of New Church Starts/Path 1, and will increase capacity in this area to create new places for new people in the U.S.

.Clear about its strategic direction, GBOD is focusing on these initiatives:
.New Church Starts in the United States
.Renewing vitality of existing churches
.Discipleship University (leadership training for clergy and lay teams)
.Spiritual formation of individuals and communities of faith
.Central Conference Sustainable Resources; and
.Young People’s Ministries.

GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 7017.