The theme that echoed all week — multiplying disciples — ran straight through the last business session of the Great Lakes Annual Conference. After opening in heartfelt, bilingual worship and prayer, the body turned to the work of forming leaders, stewarding resources, and caring for one another, all with an eye toward multiplication. Rev. Shane Frederick, Board of Ministry Chair, was the first to present with their vision for raising up the next generation of clergy. As the Conference has grown — adding new churches and new candidates at a remarkable pace — the question, leaders explained, is no longer simply how to process candidates, but how to form healthy, faithful, Spirit-led leaders for the long haul. Their answer rests on three convictions: regionalized mentoring, where calling is discovered locally and nurtured in relationship; centralized formation, where candidates learn alongside peers under shared, high expectations; and a common mission across the Conference. The board announced its first-ever ordination retreat in early 2027 and named the heart of the work plainly: healthy churches depend on healthy leaders, and healthy leaders are rarely formed alone. Bishop Webb then gathered those preparing for ordination to answer John Wesley's historic questions — "Are you going on to perfection? Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?" — reminding the body that these questions, first written for laity in the class meeting, are meant to be asked of one another again and again. The Conference also paused to honor Aaron Kesson, who recently returned from serving overseas for eight months. Kesson serves in the Army Reserves as a chaplain and GMC pastor. Bishop Webb expressed gratitude for Aaron and his leadership and presented him with a Great Lakes challenge coin in recognition of his service to our country's fellow military chaplains and service members. Generosity and transparency marked the Finance and Administration reports, brought by chair Don Wolfgang, who opened with Malachi 3:10 and a word of gratitude for the conference's faithful giving. With reserves having grown to roughly $973,000 — well beyond what the fiance policy intends — the committee proposed lowering the connectional asking rate from 3 percent to 2.5 percent, introducing a sliding scale that adjusts the rate automatically as reserves rise or fall, and drawing down reserves to fund ministry now rather than letting them sit idle. The 2026–27 budget, built for the first time on three years of real data, projects about $1.9 million in income, including the drawdown of reserves. "We've heard all week about multiplication and church planting," Wolfgang said, "so we want to put our money where our mouth is" — and the budget did just that, nearly doubling church-planting support from $55,000 to $80,000, strengthening conference staff, and expanding clergy development. Members also adopted a new clergy moving policy built on a shared "sandwich" model among the receiving church, the incoming pastor, and the Conference. The nominations report turned the focus back to gifts and people. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 12, leaders invited members to turn to a neighbor and say, "You are a gift," then thanked the many who serve on boards, committees, and teams, and introduced a new leadership discovery tool to help connect people to conference service. Even the leftover books became a lesson in multiplication, as members were invited to carry extra copies home and become "multipliers" in their own ministries. Looking ahead, the Conference will return to Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, next year.
By Rev. Susan Roehs But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 Friday Focus: We have the power of the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine what it would have been like to experience the Holy Spirit as Peter and the other disciples did on that first Pentecost? Take a moment to picture your church’s sanctuary. It’s Sunday morning, and people are gathering for worship. The call to worship is read, and then “All at once there was a sound from heaven like a powerful wind. It filled the house where they were sitting. Then they saw tongues which were divided that looked like fire. These came down on each one of them.” Acts 2-3 How would you react? How would your congregation respond? Would it be your first time feeling the Holy Spirit during worship? I hope not. I hope you, like me, call on the Holy Spirit to fill your sanctuary each Sunday. I call on Him because I want to lead worship in His power. A service led by the Holy Spirit is never dull. As much as I would like to experience the Holy Spirit as the apostles did in Acts 2, I know that is unlikely. But the outpouring of the Spirit was never meant to be just for the people in that first-century meeting place. The Holy Spirit continues his work in Christ’s church. Believers are still filled with the Holy Spirit and have access to his power. That power enables us to fulfill the Great Commission. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we will go in faith to make disciples who will go and make disciples. It is the purpose of the church and the task of believers. With the power of the Holy Spirit, the Global Methodist Church has already become an international movement. The Holy Spirit’s power will continue to multiply the church through us. One of the tasks that has been put before us is to “spread scriptural holiness across the globe.” When we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us, we will multiply disciples, spread scriptural holiness, and witness the gospel spread to the ends of the earth. Father, we thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit. Guide our lives and our actions that, with the help of your Holy Spirit, we will be witnesses to your perfect love, grace, and mercy. Spur us to go and make disciples. Show us how to teach them to obey your commands. And when we baptize them, fill them with the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dave Ferguson is the founding pastor of Community Christian Church, a multi-expression missional community. Ferguson highlighted the importance of whole-person health. Every day, he assesses his relational, physical, spiritual, and mental health and suggests we practice the same. It is impossible for an unhealthy leader to produce healthy followers. However, healthy leaders will create a lasting impact on the lives of others. Ferguson made the point that every Christ follower is to be a disciple and multiplier for the Kingdom. I appreciated his definition of disciple as “someone who hears from God, then does what God told him to do.” I have never heard the term defined so simply and yet thoroughly. Further, a multiplier is “a healthy disciple-making leader who champions reproduction.” We multiply what we are and what we do. He emphasized that disciple-making happens through relationships. As you invest in people one-on-one or in small groups, they learn to invest in others. And eventually you will see your fruit growing on someone else’s trees. Most importantly, church multiplication is possible in any church, through any disciple, and in every context. We don’t need to have all the answers, a master’s degree, or a large budget; we just need to make ourselves available to God. We don’t even need to be good at math; God will do the multiplying for us. Bishop Mark Webb thanked Ferguson for his message, then added that a multiplying culture is so intertwined with the Great Lakes Annual Conference and Global Methodist Church that he has told churches, “If your church isn’t willing to MULTIPLY disciples and MULTIPLY churches, the Global Methodist Church probably isn’t for you.”
