As Reverend Dr. Mark Gorveatte retires from his role as district superintendent (DS), he’s grateful for how the past decade of leadership in the Crossroads District has drawn on all his prior ministry experience and is excited for what will come next. On January 1, 2026, Reverend Dr. Chris Williams began service as the Crossroads District as interim DS until the conference makes a final selection this June.
Looking back, Dr. Gorveatte sees his season as Crossroads’ DS as one in which many threads of his calling came together. Dr. Gorveatte has been a worship pastor, youth pastor, church planter, senior pastor and college president (among other titles he’s held in his decades of ministry). All those roles have held a consistent calling for him: a ministry of supporting and equipping those who serve God and love the church.
“My heart has always been to encourage pastors,” Dr. Gorveatte shared. “I knew the difference it made when a district superintendent came alongside me, spoke life and stood with me.”
That calling carried him through decades of leadership and eventually brought him to Indiana in 2015. One year later, along with Reverend Dr. Aron Willis, he helped guide the merger of Indiana Central and Indiana North districts to form the Crossroads District. Over the next 10 years, Dr. Gorveatte shepherded churches through seasons of growth, uncertainty and change, including a global pandemic that disrupted traditional church gatherings.
Asked about the rhythms that sustained him, Dr. Gorveatte pointed to the hours following Sunday worship. He described conversations with pastors sharing baptisms, first time guests and life change of neighbors they’d ministered to for years. He also spoke of moments when pastors reached out after difficult Sundays, seeking encouragement and prayer.
“One thing I’ve loved is … getting texts. In fact, I got a few just this last weekend from a pastor who said, ‘Hey, we just had a person who came to know Jesus and gave their life to Christ.’ ‘We baptized a new believer.’ Others would say, ‘Hey, we hit a new high attendance today,’ and to be able to celebrate with them, and to encourage them in that 24 hours was such a blessing. There are also those who had a rough day, and things didn’t go well. Something blew up! And to be a person that could be accessible to them, someone they know cares about what goes on, and would know I heard and shared those stories, that mattered, too.”
As Dr. Gorveatte reflects on what he hopes is more true of Crossroads today than when he arrived, he returns to the district’s outward focus. Churches have been encouraged to see their communities clearly, to celebrate baptisms as visible markers of discipleship, and to invest in planting new churches to reach new people. In 2023, the district celebrated more than 1,000 baptisms in a single year alongside continued growth in cultural and ethnic diversity among congregations and increased financial resources set aside for future church planting.
“It takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people,” Dr. Gorveatte said. “That conviction shapes how we approached mission, planting and partnership.”
The Crossroads District’s strategic efforts have helped remind pastors what God invites them to do (and to be). “Jesus didn’t ask you to get a bigger church; he asked you to change the world.” reflected Dr. Chris Williams. Dr. Williams has been involved in those efforts since the foundation of the Crossroads District, as assistant DS and as a coach for church planting and revitalization efforts through programs like StratOp (strategic operations).
Dr. Williams brings a variety of local and district experiences to his role as interim DS. He’s been a church planter, senior pastor, staff pastor, executive pastor and assistant district superintendent in both the Chesapeake and Crossroads districts.
He speaks of leadership as something learned through proximity and investment, crediting dozens of mentors (Reverend Stan Hoover and Dr. Mark Gorveatte among them), with inviting him into broader conversations about the life of the church, while challenging him to equip others so ministry fruit could flourish beyond his own direct involvement. Dr. Williams describes his decade of working alongside Dr. Gorveatte as a formative season marked by encouragement and permission to lead.
When Dr. Williams stepped into the interim district superintendent role on January 1, he was tasked to steward the Crossroads District during an active season of discernment. The district board is conducting a search process that will lead to a nomination brought before the District Conference later this year. His role during this period centers on care, continuity and readiness as the district listens together for God’s direction.
“My responsibility is to do my very best in the interim role to prepare and carry the district leadership well between the great leadership of Dr. Gorveatte, and whoever the next DS will be, so they can hit the ground running,” Dr. Williams said.
Looking ahead, Dr. Williams hopes the next season of the district’s work will continue to help churches lift their eyes beyond survival toward God’s mission. Statistics (like growth in attendance, conversions and baptisms) matter; but he’s more interested in what helps churches experience God’s favor. The deeper calling remains disciple-making that leads to transformed lives, renewed communities and faithful participation in God’s global mission through cross-cultural relationships.
As Dr. Williams leads the district in these months, Dr. Gorveatte will be transitioning away from leadership into a role serving as relationship manager with Wesleyan Investment Foundation (WIF). He’s looking forward to contributing to the mission at a different pace.
“This is a new chapter,” Dr. Williams said. “Mark’s investment in the church continues, and there is something important for all of us to learn from that.”
When asked what he has been praying for Dr. Williams, Dr. Gorveatte’s response reflects the spirit of the moment. “My prayer has been simple,” he said. “Lord, move me over and move Chris up. My calling is to elevate and celebrate the leaders God is raising up and pass the baton to a new generation.”
Through preparation, trust and prayer, the district steps forward with confidence that God is already shaping what comes next. For more news from around The Wesleyan Church, visit wesleyan.org/news.
Rev. Ethan Linder is the pastor of discipleship at College Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana, and contributing editor at The Wesleyan Church’s Education and Clergy Development Division.
