Report for Year 2020 General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) announced its blueprint for the future, “Our Road Reimagined,” in 2020. The plan details the realignment of GBHEM’s culture and organizational structure to allow the agency to further its mission in a more effective, innovative and sustainable way. The creation of the plan was the result of a months-long process to survey and remodel the agency to set a course that is more collaborative, diverse and equitable at all levels.

While our approach is transforming, GBHEM’s mission is not. We remain committed to helping United Methodist lay and clergy leaders discover, claim and flourish in God’s call on their lives.

Over the last quadrennium, the world, The United Methodist Church and our constituents’ needs have changed considerably. To address those shifting needs, we are adapting culturally, strategically and operationally to successfully carry out our important mission and ministry well into the future. We are developing an innovation mindset we know will be important moving forward.

• Last fall, GBHEM began carefully redesigning our organization to transition to a more cross-functional culture with three primary areas of focus: Constituent Relations and Services; Product Innovation and Implementation; and Administrative Relations and Services. This structure is allowing us to be more effective, agile and sustainable.

• Further, these changes are aligning our Ordained Ministry and Higher Education teams strategically, creating more intentional collaborations, and building greater connections between the Church’s pastoral and academic ministries.

• The agency’s realignment also includes initiatives to reinvigorate our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and further strengthen our global focus. Our new structure opens the door for fresh opportunities, collaborations and partnerships and becoming more entrepreneurial and creative in our approach.

GBHEM looks confidently to the future. We are taking bold steps to remain good stewards and evolve in service to Christian leaders in a significant way throughout the Church, the Academy and the world.

Regardless of the shifts and changes we are all experiencing, the same spirit of service and leadership that first inspired John Wesley lives on in each of us. We have been called in new and transformative ways. GBHEM is excited to share more with you in the months ahead. We invite you to connect and collaborate.

Submitted by: Rev. Greg Bergquist, General Secretary