Having been elected to the district superintendent (DS) role in the Shenandoah District this past summer, Reverend Janet Guthrie could only marvel at the trajectory that God had placed on her life.
Janet came to know Jesus as her personal savior in 2000. In her eyes, she was a workaholic, materialistic and focused solely on climbing the corporate ladder, but her boss’s invitation to a Bible study changed her life. For the next several years, she didn’t live fully committed to her newfound faith in Jesus. But in 2008, while on a mission’s trip to Guatemala, she met a little girl from a remote mountain village and a Wesleyan pastor from Virginia, that God used to change her heart and life. From then on, she was fully committed to Jesus.
Not long after, Janet began to feel the tug and pull of a call to ministry, that the Lord was saying, “[I have] something more that I want you to do.” While Janet loved the church and could be found serving there when she was not working at her job, she spent a few years resisting the call. In 2015, she sought out the FLAME program, pursued ordination and was ordained in 2020.
Reflecting on her journey, DS Guthrie said, “I wanted to say yes to everything that God was asking me to do.” That same attitude has continued into the present day: “I am still just following him, and where he says to go, I go. I like to keep my hands open so as not to hold onto anything too tightly, because it is all his.”
After her ordination, DS Guthrie served as assistant pastor, overseeing children’s ministry, life groups, women’s ministry and Christian education classes at Emmanuel Wesleyan Church in Roanoke, Virginia. As God continued to raise up new leaders under her leadership, DS Guthrie found herself nearly pushed out of her role, leading her to wonder what God might have for her next. Taking a spiritual gifts inventory reminded her that her primary spiritual gifting resided in leadership and administration, so she began to be open to other types of pastoral roles.
In November 2022, previous Shenandoah DS Reverend Tim Kirkpatrick invited her to consider becoming the assistant district superintendent (ADS). Accepting his invitation with the District Board of Administration’s (DBA’s) affirmation, she was in the center of God’s positioning when Rev. Tim Kirkpatrick stepped down as DS. In July 2024, Rev. Guthrie was elected by the DBA as interim DS.
When the DBA started to search for a new DS in January 2025, everything they described as wanting for their DS kept circling back to her. Recognizing the Lord’s leading, the DBA recommended DS Guthrie to the Shenandoah District Conference and she was elected to a four-year term in July of this year and the interim title was removed.
DS Guthrie’s interim service provided directional insight for leading the Shenandoah District into the future. At their district conference, she challenged attendees to “Make Him Known” and to create a discipleship culture. She has begun tapping into The Wesleyan Church headquarters’ resources in order to connect and equip the Shenandoah District’s clergy to grow their church’s discipleship ministries. “There are so many resources when you look around that we can really lean into. I’m making sure everyone is connected to the right resource.”
She also desires to create healthy leaders, because “Healthy leaders build healthy churches that fuel healthy growth by keeping the main thing the main thing — knowing God and making him known and living as kingdom impact leaders.” Explaining this goal further, DS Guthrie promised, “We need our pastors healthy. Whatever we can get to them, whether it is coaching, cohorts or having a mentor, we are going to do our best to get them what they need. It has been fun to see some of the pastors get reignited again.”
Additionally, DS Guthrie is working to bring an emphasis on the next generation. Area district leaders and pastors are seeing future generations come to know Jesus and are excited to share why he is so important to them. Fueled with excitement, our pastors are creating space for more kid focused events to include an additional kid’s camp and teen camp this past summer thanks to Pastor Melody Smith and Pastor Paul MacGregor along with many others! More than 50 students and children attended the 2025 West Virginia family camp.
To accomplish these goals, DS Guthrie is excited to work with what she describes as a servant team. “We (the district team) will keep on refocusing and retooling towards our goals.” She looks forward to all the Shenandoah District churches going in the same healthy direction towards discipleship.
Rev. Jacob Gibson is the senior pastor at LifeSpring Wesleyan Church, Richmond, Indiana, and graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and Wesley Seminary, Marion, Indiana.
