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New Methodist leader begins his ministrations

The phone was ringing off the hook Friday morning at the Greenville District Office of the United Methodist Church, and Dr. Charles Johnson was doing the answering.

It's a busy time for Johnson, who has just taken over as district superintendent for the Greenville area's 76 United Methodist churches.

Next week he goes to a training seminar, then the week after that to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, where a new bishop for the state's second-largest religious denomination could be elected.

In all this, Johnson, who comes to Greenville after nine years as director of the statewide Conference Council on Ministries, is keeping his focus on the basics.

"I'm just trying to learn the churches and see what it is we need to be doing," he said between phone calls. "But I think the need that I'd like for all the churches to focus on is trying to make disciples for Jesus Christ and trying to strengthen the people that they have within the churches in terms of their faith commitment."

Johnson, 60, takes over from Dr. Gareth Scott, who retired to become pastor of St. Paul's in Greenville.

The denomination's statewide membership has grown from 243,000 in 1999 to 252,000 now, with numbers in the Greenville District now topping the 23,000 mark. But some of the local churches are struggling financially, in part because of the economy, Johnson said, and he hopes to use the skills he developed at the state office to help those churches as well as those on solid financial ground.

"The fact that I have had the opportunity to work with churches of various sizes and across racial lines, I would hope that those experiences would enable me to assist churches in this district," he said.

About 22 percent of United Methodists in the state are black, and Johnson isn't the first black superintendent of the Greenville District.

Among his plans are to establish a Hispanic church. Although the Hispanic population in Greenville County has grown dramatically over the past decade, including a 25 percent increase between 2000 and 2002, according to the U.S. Census, the United Methodists have no Hispanic churches in the county, Johnson said.

"I would hope that we would be able to try in some way to reach out to the Hispanic Community," he said.

Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey is completing his second four-year term in the office, and denominational rules call for bishops to serve only two consecutive terms. But because McCleskey is only four years away from retirement, he could be eligible for another term.

However, the state's delegation to the Southeast Jurisdictional Conference, which elects bishops, has endorsed the Rev. Will Willimon, who grew up attending Buncombe Street United Methodist Church in Greenville and was pastor at Greenville's Northside United Methodist. Willimon is author of more than 33 books and was once named one of the world's top 12 preachers in a Baylor University study.

The denomination held its annual conference in Orangeburg last month, passing resolutions calling for the General Assembly to fully fund the Education Finance Act and to raise the tax on cigarettes to discourage young people from smoking.

A resolution concerning practicing homosexuals serving as clergy was withdrawn. Johnson said the denomination's Book of Discipline, which guides churches on such issues, is already clear in stating that "since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers or appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church."

"I support the position of the United Methodist Church," Johnson said.

The conference also announced the reappointment of dozens of pastors, including the naming of the Rev. Terry Barrett as pastor of Disciples United Methodist in Greenville.

Southeastern Jurisdiction

·      Arnetta Beverly, superintendent, Northeast District, the Western North Carolina Annual Conference. Endorsed by the Southeastern Jurisdictional Black Clergywomen and the Black Clergywomen of the United Methodist Church.

·        The Rev. Clarence R. Brown, Charlottesville District superintendent of the Virginia Annual Conference. Endorsed by the Virginia Conference delegation to jurisdictional conference.

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·        Harry Durbin, senior pastor of Collierville (Tenn.) United Methodist Church, Memphis Conference. Endorsed by the annual conference delegation to jurisdictional conference.

·        Alfred Gwinn, pastor of First United Methodist Church, Lexington, Ky. Endorsed by the conference delegation to jurisdictional conference.

·        L. Jonathan Holston, Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford District superintendent. Endorsed by the North Georgia delegation to jurisdictional conference.

·        Charles Johnson, director of South Carolina Annual Conference Council on Ministries. Endorsed by the Gammon National Alumni Association.

·        Thomas A. “Andy” Langford III, senior pastor of Central United Methodist Church in Concord, N.C. Endorsed by the Western North Carolina delegation.

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Swanson said the culture wars stem from this: "Anytime anyone is passionate about something, they can lose focus. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Social issues are important but our first call is to introduce people to Jesus. Sometimes we forget that.

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·        Joe May, pastor of Anderson United Methodist Church, Jackson, Miss. Endorsed by the Mississippi Conference delegation to jurisdictional conference

·       Jerry H. Mayo, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Endorsed by the Tennessee Conference delegation to jurisdictional conference.

·      Liana Perez-Felix, director of multiethnic ministries in the Memphis Conference. Endorsed by the annual conference and by Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans (MARCHA).

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·        Jerald Russell, pastor of Fairview United Methodist Church, Maryville, Tenn.    Endorsed by the Holston Conference delegation to jurisdictional conference.

·        James Swanson, Savannah District superintendent, South Georgia Conference. Endorsed by the South Georgia delegation to jurisdictional conference.

·        Mary Virginia “Dindy” Taylor, Cleveland District superintendent, Holston Annual Conference. Endorsed by the Holston Conference delegation to jurisdictional conference. 

·        Hope Morgan Ward, Raleigh District superintendent of the North Carolina Conference. Endorsed by the North Carolina Conference delegation to the jurisdictional conference. 

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·    Gary Ward, Sylacauga District superintendent, North Alabama Conference. Endorsed by the North Alabama delegation to jurisdictional conference.

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·        Wil Willimon, dean of the Duke University Chapel and a professor of Christian ministry. Endorsed by the South Carolina delegation to jurisdictional conference.

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The South Carolina Annual Conference has nominated Dr. William H. Willimon of Durham, N.C., as an "episcopal nominee" -- that is, successor to McCleskey as bishop.

A native of Greenville, Willimon attended Wofford, Emory and Yale and has preached all over the world. He was named one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world in a 1996 survey by Baylor University.

Willimon is dean of chapel and professor of Christian ministry at Duke University. His 45 books and numerous articles have made him the most-read living author in mainline Christendom. 

·        Richard Wills, pastor at Christ Church United Methodist in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Endorsed by the Florida Conference delegation to jurisdictional conference.

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·        Sam Wynn, pastor of St. Mark United Methodist Church, Raleigh, N.C. Endorsed by the National United Methodist Native American Center.