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The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) continues its commitment to cultivate future church leaders through the Young Clergy Initiative (YCI) Vocational Discernment Grant Fund, a program designed to help individuals listen, discern, and respond to God's call to vocational ministry. Established by General Conference in 2012, the Young Clergy Initiative was created to increase the number of young clergy, under age 35, serving across United Methodist jurisdictions in the United States.

A new grant program, the Ministry Support Fund, to support clergy care, leadership development, and conference ministries was announced August 19 during the Boards of Ordained Ministry (BOM) Mid-Quadrennial Training held in Atlanta. The initiative was created by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the General Board of Global Ministries to help annual conferences address emerging needs related to licensed and ordained ministry. 

Grounded in Jesus' promise of abundant life in John 10, members of boards of ordained ministry met Aug. 17-19 for the Mid-Quadrennial Gathering to explore how clergy formation, spiritual development and well-being can equip the next generation of United Methodist leaders for faithful and sustainable ministry.

Last May, I had the honor of leading a group of chaplains and campus ministers on El Camino de Santiago in Spain. The experience was life-changing for all participants. After we completed El Camino, I took a few days off to meet my sisters in Barcelona for a weekend together. While there, I visited La Sagrada Familia Basilica. Being in and around the building was a deep spiritual experience.

Standing in a crowded communion line as a college student, the Rev. Sharon Rubey encountered the moment that would shape her ministry, and her understanding of the role of a deacon.

For the Rev. Joaquin Garcia, the call to ministry has never been about a title, position, or appointment. It has always been about responding to need. “Ministry is essentially a response to real needs,” Garcia said, a conviction that has guided his life for decades. Another lesson he carries came from a former church leader who reminded him, “There is enough need in the world to go around.”

The most ubiquitous tools on El Camino are walking sticks. They are reminiscent of a traditional depiction of St. James as a pilgrim with a walking stick. Attached to it is a gourd, his own version of a water bottle. He also wears a large hat, a robe, and a satchel with the things he needs for a long journey.

Last May, I took 10 chaplains and campus ministers on a pilgrimage. We walked the last 72 miles of Spain’s El Camino de Santiago. This is one of the oldest pilgrimages in Christendom. It began in the 9th century with the claim that the remains of St. James were found in a nearby forest. Since then, pilgrims have walked El Camino in search of deeper meaning in their lives.

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Ann Crain helped define what it means to be a deacon, even before The United Methodist Church had the language. Crain, now among the first class of United Methodist deacons ordained following the 1996 General Conference, said her sense of call long predated the creation of the Order of Deacon.

Thirty years after The United Methodist Church established the Order of Deacons, the vocation continues to shape how the church serves beyond its walls through its estimated 1,100 ordained members. Approved by the 1996 General Conference, the order created a permanent ordained ministry centered on Word, service, compassion, and justice, affirming a lifelong calling distinct from elder ministry.