What are your experiences and areas of service that you believe will be valuable in your role as a General Conference delegate?

The past and future of Methodism will continue to be a gift of God to the entire church.

I have been deeply blessed and nurtured by Methodism.

In Cordele, I came to Christ at my local Methodist Church. In college, I was discipled by the Georgia Southern Wesley Foundation. I held internships where I was exposed to the beauty of working in the local church. Upon graduation, I have been in pastoral ministry for over a decade.

I have enjoyed sharing about the future of Methodism.

As one of the first pastors in South Georgia to join the Global Methodist Church (GMC) I have been blessed with many opportunities to share about the future of Methodism. It has been a privilege to speak in many local churches to hundreds of faithful Methodist about the bright future we have. I have been quoted in Christianity Today, Religion News Service, and several newspapers about the GMC. I recently had an article published in the Wesleyan Magazine Firebrand on the Role of Bishop in the GMC.

Most importantly, I have enjoyed talking to and encouraging colleagues through this transition. The future is bright but the journey has not always been easy.

For more info:

https://daviddonnan.com/the-future-of-methodism/

https://firebrandmag.com/articles/the-role-of-bishop-in-the-global-methodist-church

Describe why you believe that God has potentially called you to serve as a General Conference delegate.

If you look at the history of our previous denomination, one could point to the convening conference in 1968 and the next conference in 1972 to see mistakes that would lead to the collapse. The Global Methodist movement must commit to not making any of these types of errors.

I feel called to serve as a delegate because, with your support, I think I can help us avoid some of these mistakes.

I’m optimistic GC 2024 will get much right. We will have strong theological guardrails. We will have a marvelous focus on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We will be a beautiful global movement of God in the steps of John Wesley.

There are two main issues we need to get right.

#1 The Role of the Bishop

The most important issue we need to achieve is solidifying the role of the Bishop. The local residential bishop model has served the church well. A model of a general superintendent bishops who show up sporadically for ordination and conference sessions will not work. Local churches are not going to fund a disembodied level of leadership in the future. A local bishop who knows his or her pastors by name is the model we need.

#2 Flatten Bureaucracy

There will be a strong temptation to create high level positions and agencies again. We must resist the siren song of larger denominational staffs. Wesleyan frugality must be a core value for the future of Methodism.