Upon announcing the new vision statement for The Wesleyan Church, Dr. Jo Anne Lyon said, “This vision statement is meant to become reality, not just a phrase to memorize. Based on Scripture and history, this is the call of God to The Wesleyan Church for the second decade of the 21st century.”
VISION
Transforming lives, churches, and communities through the hope and holiness of Jesus Christ.
MISSION
The Wesleyan Church is a Spirit-led, praying movement called to evangelize and make disciples of all people by:
- Equipping believers
- Developing leaders
- Multiplying churches
- Transforming communities
The new General Board of The Wesleyan Church, which will serve until 2016, met at the Church’s headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, November 13-14, 2012. The approval of the new vision and mission statements by the board was the culmination of a process begun shortly after General Conference. The statements had not been substantially revised for more than a dozen years.
The General Board received the first copies of the newly published Discipline of The Wesleyan Church and the General Conference Journal. This is believed to be the first time the new Discipline has been published by November.
The board also approved the revised version of the General Board Policy, which had massive changes owing to the restructuring of the headquarters operation, including the reduction from three General Superintendents to one and from seven departments to four ministry divisions, as ordered by the June, 2012 General Conference.
In other business the General Board:
- Requested that the Education and Clergy Development Division bring recommendations for revising the ministerial restoration policy to the next General Board meeting.
- Approved changes to the disciplines of The Wesleyan Churches in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
- Ratified the re-election of C. K. Chitty to a four-year term as CEO of Hephzibah Ministries.
- Approved a revised budget for fiscal year 2013, reflecting the restructuring.
- Heard reports on the wide damages caused by Hurricane Sandy, along with news about multiple efforts by Wesleyans to bring supplies and aid to relieve the suffering of many of those who have been affected.
Elected to the Wesleyan Investment Foundation Board of Directors:
- Rev. Don Milstead
- Mr. Carl Shepherd
Elected to the Houghton College Board of Trustees:
- Dr. David Babb
- Mr. Kevin Batman
- Mr. David Irwin
- Dr. Joseph Jennings
- Mr. Ray Kaltenbaugh
- Mr. Gareth Larder
- Dr. J. Anthony Lloyd
- Ms. Harriett Olson
- Mr. Terry Slye
- Mrs. Bobbie Strand
Elected to the Indiana Wesleyan University Board of Trustees:
- Mr. Don Cady
- Dr. Steven DeNeff
- Dr. Steven Emery
- Dr. Edwin Hoover
- Dr. Kevin Myers
- Dr. Donald Ott
- Dr. Aron Willis
Elected to the Kingswood University Board of Trustees:
- Rev. Cameron Benson
- Rev. Maurice Diggs
- Dr. Phillip Farrell
- Rev. Paul James
- Rev. David LeRoy
- Rev. Dwight Mikesell
- Rev. Peter Rigby
- Mrs. Denise Schmidt
- Dr. H. C. Wilson
- Rev. Mark Wilson
Elected to the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Board of Trustees:
- Mr. Darrell Allison
- Dr. Robert Bingaman
- Dr. Yorton Clark, Jr.
- Rev. Max Colaw
- Mr. Stephen Colaw
- Mr. Dirk Dozier
- Dr. James Dunn
- Mr. Kevin Freeman
- Mrs. Gale Kane
- Mr. Ward Koeser
- Mr. Roger Metcalf
- Rev. Dwight Nash
- Rev. Larry Salway
- Dr. Karl Westfall
Elected to the Southern Wesleyan University Board of Trustees:
- Dr. Keith E. Carroll
- Dr. Kenneth Heer
- Mr. James Hilson
- Dr. Marlin Hotle
- Dr. Charles Joiner
- Rev. Jerry Lumston
- Rev. Donald Milstead
- Dr. Kevin Myers
- Rev. Marshall “Buddy” Rampey
- Rev. Greg Reynolds
- Mrs. Sue Rickman
