The theme for the 2025 Virginia Annual Conference was “A Movement of the Heart,” with Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson as the officiating bishop. This theme focused on how God transforms us and how God molds and shapes us and allows us to be agents of change in and around our community. This conference theme builds upon last year's theme of “A Conference in Three Movements” and was the first movement. The upcoming themes are as follows:
- 2025: The theological movement from prevenient grace to sanctification. This is the movement of the Holy Spirit in the human heart.
- 2026: The historical movement of Methodism captured in our past, lived in our present and pointed toward our future. This is the movement of the Holy Spirit in the church.
- 2027: The missional movement from gathered spaces into all the world. This is the movement of the Holy Spirit in community.
These movements build upon each other, intertwining together to demonstrate what has been, what is and what will be as God continues to move amongst God’s people.
Constitutional Amendments
The Virginia Annual Conference voted on the four constitutional amendments on Friday, June 13. The 2024 General Conference passed several proposed amendments to the United Methodist Constitution. These unique pieces of legislation will become official once they are ratified by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the aggregate of members to all the annual conferences.
Teaching Sessions
The Rev. Dr. Edgardo Colón-Emeric, dean of Duke Divinity School, and Scott Erickson, “Scott the Painter,” a vocational artist and spiritual director, were the two teachers for the Annual Conference session.
Colón-Emeric spoke about Methodism as a religion of the heart, deeply rooted in personal and spiritual transformation. The Spanish word “auscultar” (to listen to the heart) symbolizes attentiveness to the Spirit. Methodist faith is grounded in Trinitarian doctrine (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Wesleyan doctrine is meant to shape a heart inhabited by the Triune God.
Early Methodism was a Eucharistic revival and promoted frequent communion. Eucharist focuses not on nostalgia, but on future hope: Christ’s return. He mentioned that Wesley’s failure in Savannah (denying communion) became a formative moment. Eucharistic memory should be: Theological – centered on God, Christological – centered on Christ, without triumphalism and Pneumatological – Spirit-led, hopeful and honest.
The Holy Spirit is often overlooked but is active and prophetic. John Wesley saw the Holy Spirit at work beyond institutional boundaries.
Colón-Emeric stated that our calling is to plant seeds, lay foundations and trust in God’s larger work.
Erickson was invited to speak on how the Holy Spirit creates transformation and sanctification. He shared that the role and change of ministry is that ministers are often expected to remain unchanged, which is unrealistic. Suppressing personal change leads to interior disintegration and community often resists a minister’s evolution. Ministers carry others’ doubts, nostalgia and expectations.
He shared that you need to embrace change, which often comes through unwanted or painful events (illness, loss, crisis). Both art and religion are tools to deal with change.
Erickson shared that imagination is the space in which unseen images form and guide us. Many of our religious images (e.g., of heaven or God) come from culture, not scripture. It is important to be conscious of the images we carry and project. You should guard your spiritual attention and “pick your clicks.”
We are all walking juxtapositions — changed, mixed, contradictory. It is in showing hospitality to paradox (within ourselves and others) where there can be transformation.
Jesus embodies the paradox of divinity and humanity. Our faith must include space for mystery, doubt and paradox.
Conference Business
Journey in Understanding report: In June 2024 a motion was made to create a Commission of Truth Telling and Reconciliation to further study an apology resolution brought to the 2024 Virginia Annual Conference. A year later, the Rev. Mark Ogren, convener of the Journey in Understanding task force, the committee formed to study reconciliation in response to the 2024 motion, gave their report. See www.vaumc.org/journey for more details and resources.
‘Extended Extended Cabinet’: Bishop Haupert-Johnson and Conference Lay Leader Martha Stokes gave an update of the work introduced in 2023 on the work of the ‘Extended Extended Cabinet.’ This group was a gathering of conference leadership, beginning in January 2024 to build relationships, discern directional aims and develop a common focus for the work of the Virginia Annual Conference in the next quadrennium. This team included the Appointive and Extended Cabinet alongside members of the Common Table and Board of Ordained Ministry. The principle of this group’s work said, “At God’s initiative, the Virginia Annual Conference exists to support the transformation of lives by facilitating Christ-centered connections between individuals, local churches, communities and across the wide array of God’s creation.” Bishop Haupert-Johnson announced that a new study will focus on Wesleyan heritage. She also shared that the product of this team’s work was visible through this year’s new narrative budget, plans for a new conference website, a refocus on storytelling, the new “Q Source” newsletter to share quarterly updates from ministries across the conference, and the Soul Feast webinar series that focused on spiritual disciplines from September 2024 to June 2025.
Church Development Team Report/New Faith Communities: The Rev. Amanda Miller Garber, director of Missional and Community Engagement, and the Rev. Stephanie Kimec-Parker, chair of the Church Development Team, recognized new faith communities and charters. These included, Nooma, Northern Virginia District; Common Table, Three Notch’d District; and Restoration, Northern Virginia District.
Just Compensation Task Force: The Rev. Jessie Colwell introduced the Just Compensation Task Force that has worked for two years now. They presented six recommendations:
1. We recommend retaining Dr. Kwang Yoon’s statistical services for the next four years so that the Annual Conference can do a comparative statistical analysis annually. We estimate this service would cost up to $5,000.
2. We recommend dissolving the Just Compensation Task Force and entrusting this work to the director of Belonging and Advocacy of the Virginia Conference, who will work alongside the Virginia Conference’s boards and agencies as related to this work. These groups would continue to study the statistics of the Virginia Conference clergy annually, focusing on clergy status, district, gender, race, ethnicity, disability and years of service. We ask that they present any recommendations to the 2026 Annual Conference.
3. We recommend that the director of Belonging and Advocacy (as a member of the Cabinet), in consultation with the Order of Deacons, study and establish a just salary policy for deacons serving full time within the local church. This statistical study would include years of service, housing allowance and salaries based on deacons’ education and clergy status.
4. We recommend that the Committee on Finance and Administration, in consultation with the Office of Pensions and Benefits, study the possibility of creating a system in which the Virginia Conference would administer payroll processing and tax-related reporting for all clergy appointed to local churches within the conference. We ask that they present any recommendations to the 2026 Annual Conference.
5. We recommend that the Equitable Compensation Commission research models of minimum base compensation based on status, education, years of service and economic variables, including cost of living (i.e., the Western North Carolina Conference; you can find a copy here: https://vaumc.org/jctfreport2024/). We ask that they present any recommendations to the 2026 Annual Conference.
6. We recommend that the Cabinet use findings from this report to inform their conversations about setting clergy salaries with Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committees.
New District Superintendents and Episcopal Office: On Saturday, Bishop Haupert-Johnson introduced the Rev. Lindsey Baynham Freeman as the new superintendent to the Mission Rivers District, and thanked the Rev. Dr. Charles Ledlum-Bates for his service as he retires. She recognized the Rev. Dr. Victor Gomez as he moves back to the local church and oversees campus ministry at Shenandoah University. The Rev. Dr. Kyungsuk Cho will now be the new superintendent of the Shenandoah River District.
The Rev. Dr. Steve Summers will shift to the president of the Foundation and the Rev. Doug Forrester will be the new assistant to the bishop and Chief Operating Officer. The Rev. Dr. Sarah Calvert, Mountain View District superintendent, and the Rev. Jay Carey, Living Waters District superintendent, will split duties in overseeing the Valley Ridge District.
Opening Worship
The session began with a choir and processional of Virginia Conference clergy. The oldest member (the Rev. Bob McAden) and the youngest member (Ms. Grace Kang) led us in a litany. The Rev. Dr. Donald E. Williams read Ezra 3:8-13 (CEB).
Bishop Haupert-Johnson brought the morning message on Ezra. She shared the historical perspective on the number of Israelites who came back, only around 10% returned. She shared the hard time that we have been through recently, especially since January, reiterating that this is not a political message, but hopes that we are all in prayer about all that is going on now. She shared about the nostalgia that many of us share of the days when the church was bigger and more active, but also not very diverse. New eras always start, but God is steadfast and always faithful. As we look at the future of the church, we stand with people that others want to give up on. Bishop Haupert-Johnson said she will stand with anyone who is marginalized and being used as a political pawn.
Service of Remembrance
The Rev. Dr. Charles Ledlum-Bates was the preacher for the Memorial Service. Fifty-nine conference clergy and laity who died since the last Annual Conference were remembered.
Retirement Recognition
Thirty-nine persons were part of the 2025 Retirement Class. These individuals have a combined total of 1,044 years of service.
Service of Call and Ordination
Bishop Ken Carter, Western North Carolina Conference, preached for the service.
Bishop Haupert-Johnson offered a prayer of blessing for the call of the 18 individuals of Lay Supply Class of 2025 and the 17 individuals of Certified Lay Ministers Class of 2025.
Bishop Haupert-Johnson examined the persons being recognized/ordained: 15 Local Licensed Pastors, eight Provisional Members, two Associate Members and 12 Ordained Elders.
Awards
The One Matters Award recognizes one church turning zeros into positive numbers with a renewed focus on discipleship. This was awarded to St. Mark United Methodist Church in Manassas, which grew weekly worship attendance from 22 to 40 and turned their zeros from previous years to two baptisms, five professions of faith and they've already increased those this year as well as holding their first confirmation class in 15 years.
The Harry Denman Awards are named for Dr. Harry Denman, founder of The Foundation for Evangelism. The Board of Discipleship presents this award to individuals whose exceptional ministry of evangelism — expressed in Word, Sign and Deed and bring people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. The Harry Denman Evangelism Award was presented to youth member Nate Birchfield, Valley Ridge District; lay member Lauren Easter, Three Notch’d District; and clergy member the Rev. Joshua Orndorff, Shenandoah River District.
The Green Church Award recipients are: Aldersgate United Methodist, Northern Virginia District; Sydenstricker United Methodist, Northern Virginia District; and Wesley United Methodist, Mission Rivers District. The 2025 Sustaining Green Church Award Winners are Bethlehem United Methodist, Mountain View District; St. Stephen’s United Methodist, Northern Virginia District; and Wesley Memorial, Three Notch’d District.
The Francis Asbury Award, named for early American Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury and honoring his call to establish a school in the vicinity of every church, was presented to Joan P. Brock and her late husband Macon Brock.
Wrap-up Statistics
The conference statistician and treasurer David Dommisse reported the statistics for 2024: 861 churches; 250,600 members; 75,462 in average worship attendance; 1,746 professions of faith; 1,280 baptisms; and 41,865 small group participants. He also reported 39,000 served in missions (reaching over 1,500,000) and 7.8 % of church revenue was used in missions.
Apportionments receipts totaled $22,432,573 with a collection percentage of 82%. This was an increase of 1.7% from 2023. Second-mile benevolences totaled $1,172,629, an increase of $281,297 from 2023.
Twenty-six churches were closed during the Cabinet report. These included: Epworth United Methodist, Coastal Virginia District; Trinity United Methodist, Living Waters District; Thrift’s Chapel United Methodist, Living Waters District; Providence United Methodist, Mountain View District; St. Andrew’s United Methodist, Mountain View District; Cascades United Methodist, Mountain View District; Fairview United Methodist, Mountain View District; Court Street United Methodist, Mountain View Virginia District; Asbury (Warren) United Methodist, Shenandoah River Virginia District; Old Bethel United Methodist, Shenandoah River District; Hites Chapel United Methodist, Shenandoah River District; Mt. Horeb (Amherst) United Methodist, Three Notch’d District; McDowell United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; McKendree United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Totten Chapel United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Doe Hill United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Mountain Valley United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Epworth United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Humphries Chapel United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Pinnell Chapel United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Persinger Memorial United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Mays Memorial United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Goodwin Memorial United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Ashwood United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; Longdale United Methodist, Valley Ridge District; and Mt. Olivet (Boones Mill) United Methodist, Valley Ridge District.
As of June 13, over $42,000 was collected for the conference offering. The offering benefits Disaster Response Within and Beyond the VAUMC and Partnerships of Hope.
Half of the Annual Conference offering will go to support the work of disaster response in different geographical locations recently affected by disasters: the Western North Carolina Conference in the wake of Hurricane Helene, the California-Pacific Conference after the L.A. wildfires, along with supporting the mobilization and response efforts from within the Virginia Conference. This portion of the Annual Conference offering will remain available to help support and faithfully respond within the United Methodist connection when the next disaster strikes.
Partnerships of Hope is one of the ways we live into our worldwide connection as United Methodists. Partnering with people and organizations based in Brazil, Mozambique, Cambodia, Haiti, Vietnam and Native American Ministries, we seek to respond to the needs of these communities along with engaging a space of mutual learning and resource sharing, recognizing that we are better and stronger when we work together rather than apart. The other half of our Annual Conference offering will go to support these efforts abroad.
UMCOR kits were organized at the district level for the third year in a row. So far, the total is 14,311 total kits; a total value of $245,985.
- You can view all the proceedings of VAUMC 2025 by visiting the archived livestream of the 243rd session: https://vaumc.org/ac2025/.
- You can view photos from the event at the conference Flickr page.
- The 2025-2026 Appointments can be found here.
— Madeline Pillow White, director of communications, Virginia Conference.