This week Bishop Sally Dyck announced that the new Northeast District Superintendent will be the Rev. Kathryn Schneider-Bryan. She is currently serving as the senior pastor of First UMC of St. Cloud and her appointment begins July 1 of this year.
I wrote to her to congratulate her and welcome her to the district and she wrote back:
Although it's hard to leave the local church for a season, I'm looking forward to new relationships and discovering what others are doing in their churches a bit more!
While I don't know Rev. Schneider-Bryan personally, colleagues from around the area are very enthusiastic to have her coming as our new DS.
For those not in the know, the role of the District Superintendent is a crucial one in the United Methodist Church. Local pastors report to them and they, in turn, report to the Bishop. In the Minnesota Annual Conference there are six districts and, thus, six District Superintendents. These DS's form the Bishop's cabinet and help the Bishop make important decisions as to how best administer the Conference for mission and ministry. They also help the Bishop make appointment decisions as to what United Methodist pastors will serve where throughout the Conference, though that power rests solely in the Bishop.
The term for a District Superintendent is typically 3 years and is renewable. Typically District Superintendents will go back to the local church or retire from ministry after serving as a DS. Some, like Bishop Sally, do go on to seek office as bishop, though being a DS is not necessary to become a bishop in the United Methodist Church.
Our current DS, the Rev. Paul Bosshardt, is planning on retiring once his term is finished. He will be with us at our Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 25.