The State of the Church address to the May 3-4 meeting of the General Board revealed historic gains for The Wesleyan Church of North America. Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, chair of the Board of General Superintendents, said on their behalf, “The stories of transformed lives and communities would fill volumes, and they continue to unfold.” The address to the thirty-nine members of the General Church’s governing board followed a time of prayer for the worldwide ministries of the Church and its leaders, for its districts and local churches, and for those who suffered losses in the tornado that struck communities in the southeast.
General Superintendent Lyon highlighted the ministries of the North American Church and noted several historic milestones:
- The largest weekend attendance ever in the history of the Church.
- The largest number of conversions ever in the history of the Church
- The largest number of baptisms ever in the history of the Church.
She said that the winds of the Holy Spirit are blowing as the denomination intentionally seeks to live out the gospel in a global pluralistic society.
In other actions by the General Board:
- Approved a re-write of the Church and Culture position statements of the Church by the Faith and Public Life Think Tank.
- Received a Pastoral Letter on homosexuality.
- Discussed possible governance issues that will impact General Church, district, and local churches for the future.
- Approved USF financial support for the department of Wesleyan Women.
- Elected Greater Ohio district superintendent, Rev. Jeffrey Mansell, to the Houghton College Board of Trustees.
- Increased the number of non-Wesleyan members-at-large that may serve on Wesleyan College/University boards.
- Approved the Fiscal Year 2012 annual budget.
- Awarded three delegates-at-large to three districts for General Conference parity.
- Heard annual reports from General Superintendents, Drs. Thomas E. Armiger, Jerry G. Pence, and Jo Anne Lyon; General Officers, and subsidiary corporations. Reports from the General Treasurer, General Publishers and Wesleyan Investment Foundation CEO will be presented at the November meeting of the General Board.
- Heard a report by Revs. Steven DeNeff, David Drury, and Judy Hoffman on SoulShift, a local church resource that has been implemented at College Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana. Steven DeNeff and David Drury are co-authors of the book, SoulShift, which was published by Wesleyan Publishing House.
- Approved a Domestic Disaster Response proposal as a General Board policy.
- Nominated the following as delegates to the International General Conference of The Wesleyan Church:
Ex Officio
Jerry Pence, GS/Int’l Conference Vice Chair
Thomas Armiger, GS/Int’l Board of General Superintendents
Jo Anne Lyon, GS/Int’l Board of General Superintendents
H. C. Wilson, Int’l Conference Treasurer
Charles Joiner, Int’l Board member-at-large
Karl Eastlack, Int’l Board member-at-large
Delegates-at-large
Mick Veach
Arlie Davis
Gil Jun
Carl Shepherd
Alfredo Barreno
Kathy Renssaler-Chambliss
Judy Huffman
Romy Caringal
Dennis Jackson
Jarvis Ferguson
Bob Bagley
John Conner
Dan Irvine
James Winn
