Leadership Team
The purpose of the Leadership Team is included at the bottom of this page.
News for July 2010
1. The Conference Leadership Team is pleased to announce the Rev. Kelvin Sauls as Executive Director of New Ministries for the California-Pacific Annual Conference. Rev. Jim Conn is retired as of July 1st after giving exemplary leadership to New Ministries for the past seven years. Rev. Sauls is currently appointed Assistant General Secretary for Congregational Development & Racial Ethnic Ministries at the General Board of Global Ministries in New York. He will officially begin in the Conference in mid-August.
Following the announcement of Jim Conn’s retirement, the Conference Human Resources Office received 26 inquiries about the job; four withdrew their requests, and four women and 13 men finally applied; approximately eight applicants were racial-ethnic minorities; four of the total were from within the Cal-Pac conference. Four persons were ultimately interviewed, including two African-Americans and one woman; one interviewee was from within the conference, and one was a lay person. The interview team included representation from the Leadership team, the Board of Congregational Development, the cabinet and Episcopal and Human Resources offices. This thorough process took over eight months.
Rev. Sauls brings a career of depth and diversity to the critical area of New Ministries. Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, he came to the United States as a young man, completing undergraduate studies in religion, political science and sociology at United Methodist colleges; he then completed the Masters of Divinity program at United Theological Seminary, and is in a doctoral program at San Francisco Theological Seminary.
Ordained in 1988, he served as a pastor in the California-Nevada Annual Conference for ten years before going to the General Board of Discipleship as Director of Congregational Transformation. His ministry built on innovation and effectiveness in resourcing leaders and congregations to reach local and global audiences: he recently returned from coordinating the Academies for Evangelization and Church Growth in Africa and Asia.
Conference Leadership Team Leader Debbie Haustedt participated in the interviewing process and noted that Kelvin said, "When we are followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be intentional about things - and not hope that things will come together— but to do things purposefully and intentionally." She now writes, “It is with that conviction that Conference Leadership Team sought to staff the position of Director of New Ministries, intentionally seeking a director with the caliber of excellence. We have found such a person in Kelvin Sauls. As he gives leadership to New Ministries in New Places for New People, we too will be a changed people living and working side-by-side with this transformational spiritual leader.”
Rev. Sauls wrote in his application, “Serving as the Director of New Ministry will afford me the opportunity to continue living out God’s call on my life—walking with, equipping and increasing the capacity of people of faith for incarnational discipleship and transformational leadership.”
“I’ve known about Kelvin’s work for almost ten years through the General Board of Discipleship, and have often recommended him as an outstanding speaker and resource person,” said Bishop Mary Ann Swenson. “In his global experience he understands all the ethnic constituencies of our conference and can assist new ministries to begin in a variety of places—plus he is wonderful with young people."
Rev. Sauls is married to the Rev. Judi Wortham-Sauls, an Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He enjoys reading, writing, poetry, travel, sports, tennis, soccer, walking, ping-pong, listening to live jazz and playing percussion instruments. Please join the Leadership Team and conference staff in welcoming Rev. Sauls to the Cal-Pac family.
2. The 2010 Annual Conference Session approved the Team's proposal to enter into a one year development process that will align the ministries of the Conference in "Five Essential Ministry Teams" (see "Basic Motion" below.) The following documents were part of interpreting the background to the proposal. As the development work progresses over the next several months, updated reports will be posted here.
5EMT Windmill-Turbine.pdf
Steady and Flexible.doc
5EMT Roster.doc
5EMT Basic Motion.doc
BOD and Conference Rule Check
Five Essential Ministry Teams Proposal (Spanish Version) - in .pdf
Five Essential Ministry Teams Proposal (Korean Version) - in .pdf
The purpose of the California-Pacific Annual Conference Leadership Team (see Conference Rules, section I-24, AF)
The Leadership Team is elected by the Annual Conference to partner with the Extended Cabinet in supporting the Resident Bishop in giving “spiritual and temporal oversight” to the Annual Conference, with specific responsibility for ¶608 of the Book of Discipline, which states:
“Each annual conference is responsible to focus and guide the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church within its boundaries by:
1. envisioning the ministries necessary to live out the mission of the church in and through the annual conference;
2. creating and nurturing relationships and connections among the local, district, annual conference, and general church ministries;
3. providing encouragement, coordination, and support for the ministries of nurture, outreach, and witness in districts and congregations for the transformation of the world;
4. ensuring the alignment of the total resources of the annual conference to its mission;
5. developing and strengthening ethnic ministries, including ethnic local churches and concerns;
6. providing for advocacy and monitoring functions to ensure that the church is consistent with its stated values.
In addition, with the Bishop the Leadership Team has oversight of, and shares in the ministry of the Executive Director of Connectional Ministries, working to:
(1) serve as steward of the vision of the annual conference, including the development, clarification, interpretation, and embodiment of the vision;
(2) serve as leader of the continuous process of transformation and renewal necessary for the annual conference to be faithful to our Christian identity in a changing world;
(3) ensure alignment of the total resources of the conference to its vision;
(4) ensure the connections among the local, district, annual conference, and general church ministries for the purpose of networking, resourcing, and communicating their shared ministry.
