If you have questions or would like to connect young adults, please contact Kamiel Carter at youngadult@gmcncpac.org. 

NC clergy perspectives on the 2:42 young leaders conference.

In early April, several clergy from the North Carolina conference had the opportunity to head to Lake Junaluska for the 2:42 Conference, a three day conference sponsored by the Global Methodist Church for clergy, seminary students, and other young leaders under the age of 40. This was a time of worshiping, equipping, and connecting with over 125 other young leaders from across the denomination. 

Named after Acts 2:42, those who attended found themselves devoted to listening to teaching from Bishops Webb and Jones and other gifted witnesses, as well as having times of fellowship, breaking bread, Spirit-filled worship and prayer. 

Other speakers such as Erik Grayson, Matt Reynolds, Jordan McFall, Sarah Wank, and Jessica LaGrone spoke with messages about the posture of one's heart, orienting your heart to Jesus, holiness, accountability, growth, and discipleship. All perhaps summed up best in a quote from Matt Reynolds, "Nothing other than really serious discipleship is going to last in the days to come."

Initiated by Bishops Scott Jones and Mark Webb, organized and led by young clergy, this conference, was not simply for young clergy but led by young clergy. It not only described, but embodied what self-sacrificial worship and pastoral leadership already looks like among Global Methodist young pastors and seminarians.   

“You could truly sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room” said Rev. John Howard, pastor of Bethesda Methodist Church in Madison North Carolina. “At the end of those three days I truly felt a renewed passion for ministry and a great sense of hope for what the future holds for our new movement of Methodism.” 

During the conference there were opportunities to participate in instructive breakout sessions on radical, Christ-centered forms of pastoral leadership, on developing a deep discipleship culture, on creativity in preaching and more.

Not only was this a conference for young clergy, but families were abundantly welcome. Many clergy came with their spouses and even brought their young children to worship with them. “As a father of two elementary aged children, and over a decade in ministry, I've never been to a conference that has been more welcoming to young children and families.” Said Rev. Daniel Eplee, Pastor of Faith Community Methodist Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. “Never has my wife as a young clergy spouse felt so welcome as she did there. Never has a conference encouraged me to bring my children when I inquired. And never have I been to a denominational conference that was so focused on holiness explicitly by surrendering your own heart to Jesus.”

Reflecting on his experience at the conference Rev. Stephen Fitch Pastor of Shiloh & Bethel Methodist Churches in Liberty, North Carolina said “I left with a sense of joy and a great encouragement from the Lord. I left with a sense of hope for not simply what the next generation of the Global Methodist Church will be, but what it already is becoming— Holy Spirit-empowered, Christ-focused, evangelistically-minded, prayer-tempered and grounded in the witness of Scripture and centrality of worship.” 

To all who were a part of this conference it was apparent that The Holy Spirit is on the move among this group of the people called Methodist, and He's calling a new generation to spread scriptural holiness throughout our families, our churches, and around the globe. 

If you'd like to learn more about the 2:42 conference, see these articles:

2:42 Conference Affirms Hopeful Future of the GMC By Dianne Burnett: 

A Future with Hope: Reflections on the Recent GMC Conference for Young Leaders by Matt Reynolds