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BISHOP'S OFFICE

Core Values of Appointment Making by the East Ohio Conference Cabinet

We, the Cabinet of the East Ohio Annual Conference, remain convinced that we have abundant resources, a compelling mission, a meaningful legacy, and a bright future that continues to be discovered. There is no more strategic resource at our disposal than creating a missional match of pastoral gifts and congregational needs and aspirations for vital and effective ministry. With this reality ever present, we strive to make transformative appointments for the empowerment of local congregations and for the overall mission that we share “to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

In recognizing the weight of our decisions and their impact upon everyone involved, we strive to be guided by the Holy Spirit, common sense, larger missional strategy, and the forms and materials produced annually by each church, pastor, and district superintendent.

It states in ¶ 202 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016 that, “The local church is a strategic base from which Christians move out to the structures of society.” Therefore, enhancing and strengthening the ministry of the local church is of paramount importance for the overall mission of the Church. In our ministry of supervision it is our responsibility to appoint gifted pastors to serve local churches within our East Ohio Conference.

Each year there are pastoral moves. These are due to retirements, seminary graduation, growth in the church, or strategic needs in another congregation. Many circumstances can lead to the reappointment of a pastor and our ongoing consultation with the Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) assists our understanding of the needs, potential, and effectiveness of a pastoral appointment.

Whenever the Cabinet gathers to engage in appointment-making we begin with worship, prayer, and communion. Throughout the day, we pray often to lift up the specific congregation we are discussing and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we identify and evaluate potential pastoral leaders to serve there. Honest and seeking prayer undergirds every pastoral appointment.

Our discussions begin with the stated missional needs of the local congregation, which are identified through: our consultation process, the annual charge conference reports, and our individual impressions of the congregation. The input of every member of the Cabinet is valued as we identify, lift up, and evaluate the names of potential pastors to bring about the best possible match with the church. In doing so, we consider the entire pool of available clergy, including those appointed beyond the local church, those who may be seeking to relocate to this area from another annual conference, graduating seminary students, and local pastors who have the needed gifts and abilities.

Pastors are appointed to serve for one year at a time. Annually, each pastor and the congregation they currently serve are assessed to evaluate the missional needs, fruitfulness of ministry, and the potential for the continued match in the coming year. Understanding that there is neither a minimum nor maximum number of years that a pastor may serve in any appointment, it is our shared responsibility to ensure that the appointment: is fruitful in reaching new people, making disciples, and maturing the faith of those within the congregation and those in the wider community; and is engaging in effective mission and outreach.

As a Cabinet, we affirm our commitment to be bold and courageous in our ministry of appointment-making. Any pastor can be appointed to any church regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, physical ability, or any other dimension of their personhood. In addition, it needs to be noted that a new appointment does not always mean an increase in salary. At times a reduction in salary may be necessary to appoint the pastor who will be the best relational match with the local congregation. We recognize that this is a difficult reality for our pastoral families but our commitment to create good pastoral and congregational matches is our highest priority.

To God be the glory.
The East Ohio Conference Cabinet

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2025 Appointments/Changes of Status

Bishop Hee-Soo Jung announces the following clergy appointments and/or
changes of status which, unless otherwise noted, are effective July 1, 2025.

2024-2025 Appointments
Pastor	Appointment	District	Effective
Kimberly Arbaugh	Extension Ministry: Steubenville Urban Mission	South Forest	2/1/2025
John Armstrong	New Philadelphia Otterbein & Dellroy UMCs	South Forest	11/1/2024
Steve Bailey	Johnson UMC	Northern Waters
Jarrod Blood	Ashtabula First & Amboy UMCs	Northern Waters
Edgar Brady	Painesville UMC	Northern Waters
Wendy Brown	Granger & Sharon Center UMCs	West Plains	1/1/2025
Marelize Bruner	Ashland Christ UMC	West Plains
Joseph Burkhardt	Garfield Memorial UMC – Executive Pastor	Northern Waters
Robert Carson	Middlefield UMC	Northern Waters
Jesse Chapman-Secrest	Howland UMC – Associate Pastor	Central Valley	9/15/2024
Jeff Croft	Thoburn UMC	South Forest	8/1/2024
Jennifer Darling-Mellott	Columbia UMC	West Plains
Richard Darr	Crosspoint UMC	Central Valley	10/13/2024
Kevin Daugherty	Cadiz Scott Memorial & Scio UMCs	South Forest
Lindsey Funtik	Strongsville UMC – Associate Pastor	Northern Waters
Kyle Gould	Transitional Leave	West Plains
Aimee Hare	Smithville, Wooster Church of the Cross, Moreland, & Apple Creek UMCs	Central Valley
Clarence Hensel	Mt. Vernon Hopewell & Mt. Vernon Green Valley UMCs - Interim	West Plains	2/1/2025
Clarence Hensel	Mt. Vernon Hopewell & Danville UMCs	West Plains
Bruce Hitchcock	Willoughby Hills UMC	Northern Waters
Bill Jones	Orange & Plainfield UMCs	South Forest	11/1/2024
Brandon Keck	Carrollton First UMC	South Forest
Ken Kelley	Girard & MacDonald Woodland Park UMCs & Thrive 10:10	Central Valley	8/4/2024
Vicki Kelley	Medical Leave	Central Valley
James Lance	Smithville, Wooster Church of the Cross, Moreland, & Apple Creek UMCs	Central Valley
Leslie Mahaney	Fostoria Circuit	Maumee River (West Ohio)
David McGrath	Seville UMC	West Plains
Michael Parisher	Deacon Appointed Beyond the Local Church: South Street Ministries	Northern Waters	8/1/2024
Shannon Pitorak	Personal Leave	Northern Waters
Tennille Power	North Olmsted & Rockport UMCs	Northern Waters
Lindsay Robinson	Melmore, Republic Trinity, Sycamore, Tiffin St. Pauls, & Tiffin Faith UMCs	West Plains
Tyler Rollinson	Tiltonsville, Rayland, Martins Ferry, & Brilliant UMCs	South Forest
JP Snyder	Ontario & St. Paul UMCs	West Plains
Ashley Steele	Extension Ministry: Pittsburgh Theological Seminary	South Forest	10/1/2024
Rebecca Stephens	Mayfield UMC – Associate Pastor	Northern Waters
Christy Suffecool	New Leaf UMC	Northern Waters
Karen Tate	Lincoln Avenue UMC	South Forest
Amy Vittorio	New Concord UMC	South Forest
Scott Walsh	Westbrook Park UMC	Central Valley
Michael Ward	Malvern & Waynesburg Centenary UMCs	Central Valley	10/1/2024
Michael Ward	York UMC	West Plains
Ben Weisbrod	Chapel Hills & Three Crosses UMCs	West Plains
Peg Welch	Crosspoint UMC	Central Valley
Bill Wendell	Extension Ministry: House of the Carpenter	South Forest
Paul Wilson	Wedgewood UMC	Northern Waters

2024-2025 Retirements
Pastor	Retiring From	District	Effective
Joel Adkins	Westbrook Park UMC	Central Valley
J. Jamison Brunk	West Liberty UMC (Kentucky Conference)
Donald Ebert	Galion St. Paul UMC	West Plains
Dan Eggan	Fresno & Isleta UMCs	South Forest
Van Fisher	Batesville & Barnesville First UMCs	South Forest
DeBorah Graham	Family Leave
Russell Ham	New Leaf, Monroe & Bulah Calvary UMCs	Northern Waters
Gary Henderson	Extension Ministry: United Methodist Communications	Northern Waters	1/1/2025
Donald Kuntz	Seville UMC	West Plains
Paula Marbury	Keene UMC	South Forest	1/1/2025
Teresa McHugh	Garfield Memorial	Northern Waters
Nestor Nazario	Extension Ministry: District Superintendent	West Plains
Bradford Price	Extension Ministry: Stepping Stone Community Services	Northern Waters
Cynthia Theobald	Solon UMC	Northern Waters
Philip Wilden	New Concord UMC	South Forest
Tamara Wilden	Family Leave	South Forest
Hoyte Wilhelm	North Olmsted UMC	Northern Waters
James Winkler	Painesville UMC	Northern Waters
Bev Wrobel	Ohio Living Breckenridge Village	Northern Waters