Called. Committed. Determined.

A message from the Head of the MidSouth Delegation.

Greetings MidSouth Annual Conference!

I used these three words during the pre-conference preparation of the MidSouth Delegation as we prepared to go to General Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. However, while serving at General Conference, I began to see these words on a global scale.

Called

Being called to serve at General Conference is a sacred responsibility. We recognize that we are not simply representing ourselves. We are representing the MidSouth Conference, the Global Methodist Church, and, most importantly, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Being in the midst of such a great gathering was somewhat overwhelming—not because of the number of people gathered, but because of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We came from different nations around the globe. We spoke different languages and came from different cultures, yet we were one in the Spirit. You knew that each delegate, alternate, and reserve was there because God had called them to help build and nurture this young denomination. It was a responsibility that none of us took lightly.

The words of the old hymn kept running through my mind as we worshiped together and shared Communion:

“One Bread, One Body, One Lord of all.”

What a beautiful picture of the Global Methodist Church—a church made up of many nations, cultures, languages, and traditions, yet united in Jesus Christ.

Committed

Serving as a delegate to General Conference requires a tremendous commitment of time, energy, prayer, and preparation. All those months of preparation came to fruition when we began our legislative committee work. The long hours of discussing and debating the future of our church happened throughout the conference center. The debate was serious, but it was also respectful. We disagreed, but we did not yell at one another or tell one another that we were wrong. We were free to speak, to listen, and to disagree while seeking to do so in love. We were one Body in Christ with many parts, and each person had a part and a responsibility—not only to their conference back home, but also to our growing Global Methodist Church.

When we came to an impasse, we stopped and prayed together. And many times, the Lord showed us a better way.

We learned together.
We asked difficult questions together.
We listened together.
We encouraged one another.

That commitment extended far beyond the legislative work. It was a commitment to one another and to the future of the church God is building.

Determined

As a delegation, we were determined to be your voice in our legislative committees and on the floor of General Conference—and we truly did just that. The MidSouth was represented in a powerful way. From the youngest to the oldest, members of our delegation stood and spoke what the Lord had placed on their hearts in front of the entire body. We were determined to represent you faithfully. And throughout General Conference, our global church was determined to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as we elected our first full-time bishops.

Of course, politics happened too. After all, we are human. Did every conference receive the person they wanted as their bishop? No. But hear me clearly: we celebrated after each election. We celebrated because we understood that this was bigger than any one person, any one conference, or any one preference. We were participating in something that will shape the future of the Global Methodist Church.

I would encourage you to take the time to read about each of our new bishops. They have remarkable stories of faith and service. You can read their stories on globalmethodist.org. Our new bishop for Area 4 will begin serving on November 1, 2026. His name is Bishop Lyndol Loyd, and his wife Joni they come to us from the West Plains Conference.

As I look back on our journey to Johannesburg, I realize that those three words were more than words we used to prepare our delegation.

And perhaps the greatest lesson I brought home from Johannesburg is this:

We were never alone.

The Holy Spirit was present—not only in the worship services, not only in the legislative committees, and not only on the floor of General Conference, but in the hearts of people from around the world who had answered the same call.

Different nations.
Different languages.
Different cultures.
Different backgrounds.

One Body. One Spirit. One Lord.

Please join in me in congratulating the following who were elected to the Global Church Boards and Committees at General Conference: