November Renewal | Looking into The Future: The Future of The United Methodist Church

What does the future look like for organized religion? This question has weighed on the minds of people around the world for years, and for many of us at Iliff, it has narrowed specifically to the future of The United Methodist Church. Even while we celebrate the incredible steps forward made at this year’s General Conference and the installation of a new Bishop in the Mountain Sky Conference (MSC), we wonder what tomorrow will hold for our congregations.

For our November Renewal session, we are diving into this question as we consider the recent changes and hope for a continued movement across the denomination toward justice and equity. Our incredible panelists, including the newly installed Bishop Kristin Stoneking, will consider the changes they have seen in The UMC and the changes they hope to see in the future, both as ministers and lay members of the denomination. Join us for a unique discussion of the future of The United Methodist Church!

To register, CLICK HERE.

Panelists

Bishop Kristin Stoneking
Episcopal Leader of The Mountain Sky Conference

Early in her career, Bishop Stoneking was campus minister at the University of California, Davis. There, she founded the Multifaith Living Community, building six townhouses to create a community where faith formation for students could be real and relevant as part of an intentional, justice-focused residential setting. The pluralistic environment supported students’ faith articulations, sense of vocation and purpose, and capacity to stand in solidarity with one another and others experiencing injustice. Bishop Stoneking also served as the national executive director of the US branch of the historic Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), an anti-racist, justice and peace organization with consultative status at the United Nations. Part of a worldwide communion, FOR is the oldest interfaith peace and justice organization in the United States. Most recently, her dedication to establishing and expanding communities that offer a sense of belonging inspired her work as a District Superintendent and Director of Innovative Ministries and Congregational Vitality for the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Bishop Stoneking is a graduate of Rice University (BA.), Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (MDiv) and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California (PhD). As a former Fellow of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, she now serves as an advisor. Bishop Stoneking has served on the faculties of both Pacific School of Religion (Associate Professor of United Methodist Studies and Leadership) and Claremont School of Theology (Adjunct Professor in United Methodist Studies.)

Gayla Jo Slauson
MSC Co-Lay Leader

Gayla Jo Slauson currently serves as one of three elected Mountain Sky Conference Co-lay Leaders; she finishes eight-years and will be term-limited in that role in 2026. She filled the Head of Delegation role as an elected General Conference lay delegate for Mountain Sky Conference in April,2024, and serves on the Western Jurisdiction Committee on Episcopacy. In August of this year, she participated as a delegate in the World Methodist Council held in Sweden. A retired emeriti management professor from Colorado Mesa University, she is also a Certified Lay Speaker who enjoys filling-in for pastors. Gayla and her husband, Michael, are actively involved at Crossroads United Methodist Church in Grand Junction, Colorado. They have experienced tough times in recent years: losing a daughter and son-in-law in a car accident, dealing with cancer, and facing the recent loss of Gayla’s mother. Reading, writing, and painting have become helpful activities for Gayla. Life is precious; they are learning to live it one day at a time.

Rev. Lynn Miller Jackson
Superintendent for the Montana West District

Rev. Lynn Miller Jackson has been in ministry with the Mountain Sky Conference of The United Methodist Church since 2014. She earned her Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology with concentrations in Peace, Justice and Conflict Transformation, Christian Education, and Women, Theology and Ministry. She has led churches in Colorado and Utah and currently serves as the Montana West District Superintendent, including Salmon, ID, and Lander, WY. Since coming to the MSC, Lynn has continuously served with conference-level teams – Leadership Development, Board of Ordained Ministry, Co-Chair of the Residency in Ministry Team, Racial Justice Movement and Ministry, and various task forces. She is a Fellow of the Engle Institute of Preaching at Princeton University and was twice nominated for the Denver Urban Spectrum African Americans Who Make A Difference. In 2024, she was elected as a Western Jurisdictional delegate and to the Wespath Board of Directors. She enjoys purposeful travel, historic architecture, fly fishing, and life-long learning.

Moderator

Rev. Annie Arnoldy
Superintendent of Vitality and Director of Connectional Ministry

Rev. Annie Arnoldy is a graduate of Iliff School of Theology (M.Div 2004) and serves as the Director of Connectional Ministry and Superintendent of Vitality for the Mountain Sky Conference of The UMC. Her roles include nurturing emerging faith communities, connecting the 315 churches in the Mountain Sky Conference, and seeking to carry out the mission and vision of the conference.