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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.
I pray this summer you found time to relax and renew. When I was a chaplain, I served in the president’s cabinet. From that experience, I know summers are not entirely relaxing for staff and administration. ... Not only do we gain a realistic picture of what we will find in the next few months, but it is also a time for staff and faculty to begin again.
Racial/Ethnic and Multiethnic Ministries grants support programs that foster leadership development and church growth in racial/ethnic communities.
Carefully laid plans don’t always align with God’s timing. For Police Chaplain Rev. Kimberly Davis, the call to ministry came when she was serving as a police officer.
Upcoming Events
Join fellow UMEA clergy for a restorative retreat in Nashville, where we will explore how Scripture, story, and song can sustain us in ministry. Throughout the Bible, God’s people have turned to music when ordinary words could not carry the weight of grief, hope, joy, or suffering. As chaplains serving in military, healthcare, correctional, and other ministry settings, we encounter these realities every day.
Exploration 2026 creates sacred space for young adults, ages 18-26, to be in meaningful fellowship, passionate worship, theological reflection and practical workshops as they discern whether God’s call on their life is to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church and what faithful steps they can take in response.
