We have a new bishop in Kentucky, Bishop Lindsey Davis. Bishop Davis is coming home. He is a former member of the Kentucky Annual Conference, served as the District Superintendent of the Lexington District, as pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church, among other churches. He was elected bishop twelve years ago and has been serving in the North Georgia Annual Conference ever since. Bishop Davis is married to Jennifer, and they have two children and two grandchildren.
This morning, the district clergy met with Bishop Davis and our District Superintendent, Rev. Paige Williams. We spent a brief time introducing ourselves to him and then listened as he shared what his expectations are of the clergy of the conference, which was both refreshing and challenging. Then there was a period of question and answer in which someone asked him to share his vision for the conference. Bishop Davis said he was still in the period of listening and learning, as he has only been here since the beginning of September, however, he did share what the three areas of emphasis have been in his episcopacy thus far.
They are:
1. Planting New Churches
The most effective way of reaching people with the Gospel is planting new churches. During his twelve years in Georgia, they planted ninety-eight churches. That's a lot!
2. Leadership Development
The primary task of an annual conference is to plant churches and develop leaders, both lay and clergy. Kentucky has only six elders under the age of thrity-five. An elder is a pastor who is in full connection with the conference. He wants to experiment with new ways of attracting younger people into the pastorate.
3. Extraordinary Mission Outreach
Both he and his wife have been involved in mission in foreign countries. He stated that taking people on short term mission trips not only is a blessing for the people of the receiving nation, but also for the ones on the mission. Mission is life changing. We need to be a church that is involved in ministry outside the four walls both at home and abroad.
I am excited about the leadership Bishop Davis is bringing to Kentucky. Although it can seem, at times, that bishops are irrelevant to the ministries in local churches, Bishop Davis will be relevant. He will have a major impact on the churches in Kentucky, including Christ Church. He is an exciting, effective, and energizing leader.
You can meet him this Saturday at the Celebration of Episcopal Assignment event at the Frankfort Convention Center. Learn more about it here. Hope to have a good Christ Church contingent!
Flourishing Life 
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