ALUMNI/AE SPOTLIGHT
BISHOP THOMAS BICKERTON (DMIN ’94)
Get to know Bishop Tracy Smith Malone (DMin ’01), who was welcomed as President Designate of the Council of Bishops of The UMC at the Spring 2022 meeting of the Council.
HOW DO YOU SEE GOD AT WORK IN YOUR MINISTRY RIGHT NOW?
“God continues to call me and to position me to provide leadership in many and varied places where my skills, my experiences and my voice can make a difference. God has given me a gift and a passion for equipping and empowering others for the work of discipleship, diversity, equity and inclusion and for seeking the well-being of all people. As a bishop of The United Methodist Church, God is using my leadership in transformational ways to help us reclaim our Wesleyan heritage and to help shape and reimagine the next expression of The United Methodist Church.”
HOW DID UNITED EQUIP YOU FOR LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH?
“United Theological Seminary, through the DMin program, provided me the opportunity to deepen my passion and work with Discipleship, Evangelism and Social Justice. Through intensive classroom learning and practical experiences, I developed a model of ministry that equips leaders and congregations for the work of discipleship that leads to changed lives and transformational ministry.”
WHAT ADVICE OR ENCOURAGEMENT WOULD YOU SHARE WITH SOMEONE DISCERNING A CALL TO MINISTRY?
“Be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit. If God has given you a vision and has placed a calling on your life, trust that God will make the necessary provisions for you to embrace it and live into it. God will not take you where God’s grace will not sustain you.”