Deacon Rev. Dr. Cynthia Wilson’s Global Music Ministry Bridges Cultures and Faith

By Wendy R. Cromwell

The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Wilson remembers the moment she recognized her call — even as she tried to resist it.

Ordained in the first class of the Order of Deacons in The United Methodist Church, Wilson reflects on a ministry shaped by faith, music, and a deep commitment to service that has carried her across the globe.

“I’ve always understood my call to service, particularly as it relates to worship and music,” Wilson said. “But I’m a preacher’s kid — the last thing I wanted to be was called into ministry.”

Instead, she pursued music education and teaching, eventually entering church work. Wilson was consecrated as a diaconal minister, a lay ministry for individuals specialized in the work of love, justice, and service, before the church established the Order of Deacons. When the denomination began discussing the transition to ordination, she said the decision felt natural.

“The real crowning moment for me was the three words: service, compassion, justice,” Wilson said. “Because that’s what we do. That’s who we are.”

Wilson described the historic vote that created  the order as exciting and deeply validating, particularly after years in which the role of deacons — and women in ministry — was often misunderstood. “For the general church to understand and recognize and affirm… that was a real moment for me,” she said. “It said we really do value the gifts and service you bring.”

As an African American woman and the only daughter in her family of six, Wilson said that affirmation carried added weight. Throughout her ministry, from local congregations to denominational leadership, Wilson has centered her calling as a bridge between church and world. That calling has taken her far beyond the local church, where she led engaging worship and music across six continents.

“It’s because of The United Methodist Church that I have had an opportunity to serve on six of the seven continents,” Wilson said, describing how music transcends language and culture.

In places as diverse as South Africa, Korea, and Australia, she witnessed music become a unifying force. Whether through shared song, prayer, or storytelling, Wilson said worship creates connections across differences.

“I have watched the ways in which the Holy Spirit has transformed the atmosphere and created community,” she said. “It has brought people together to sing in all languages and to honor the presence and the power of our Trinitarian God.”

Those experiences, she said, reinforced her belief that music is essential to both ministry and healing in a divided world. “We so emphasize difference,” Wilson said. “When, in fact, we have so much in common.”

She encourages those entering the order today, many from other professions, to embrace the experiences that shaped them. “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Wilson said. “The calling has everything to do with who you already are.”

Looking ahead, Wilson hopes the church will continue to lean into the values that defined the order’s beginnings, especially its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and connection across cultures. “I have seen firsthand the ways in which the Holy Spirit has transformed the atmosphere and created the spirit of koinonia, or what our South African siblings name as Ubuntu (I am because we are) through the power of corporate song while honoring many languages, generations and genres.

“I believe and I pray and I hope that we will continue to stand our ground as it relates to the importance and the richness of diversity and inclusion,” Wilson said. “What we hold in common is far greater than what divides us.”

Bridging Church and World

Through diverse ministries and shared purpose, meet six deacons who embody a calling rooted in Word, service, compassion, and justice. Their stories in the coming weeks mark the 30th anniversary of the Order of Deacons and its enduring mission to build bridges of hope.