Dallas, Texas – The Connectional Table (CT) is pleased to
announce the hiring of the Rev. Amy Valdez Barker as executive secretary, effective
January 1, 2013. She will provide administrative leadership for the CT as it
coordinates the mission, ministries, and resources of The United Methodist
Church
"Amy’s experience as a leader in The United Methodist
Church, along with her vision and passion for Christ expressed through our
Wesleyan tradition and her administrative skills are just what the Connectional
Table needs to assist us as we move forward,” said Bishop Bruce Ough, CT
Chairperson. “We are thrilled that she has joined us for the exciting work
ahead as we focus our attention on congregational vitality, discerning our
future as a worldwide church and engaging more fully in the four areas of
focus."
Valdez Barker, an ordained deacon from the North Georgia
Annual Conference, is currently the project manager of the Vital Congregations
initiative supported by the Connectional Table and the Council of
Bishops. In the months leading up to the 2012 General Conference, Valdez
Barker’s leadership galvanized 73 percent of United Methodist congregations
to set specific and measurable goals that will translate into an increase in
worship attendance, giving, and double the number of vital congregations over
the next four years.
Valdez Barker is earning a doctoral degree in Christian
Education and Congregational Studies at Garrett Evangelical Theological
Seminary in Evanston, IL. In addition, she has a strong background in
Christian ministry, program management and church administration, as well as 20
years of leadership at the general church and global church level. She
has served on the executive committee of the World Methodist Council, and on
the boards of the General Council on Ministries, the General Council on Finance
and Administration, the General Board of Church and Society, and the General
Commission on Religion and Race. She was a delegate to the 2004 General
Conference, and has worked for the Desert Southwest and Wisconsin Annual
Conferences. She will remain in the Chicago area.
Valdez Barker succeeds Mary Brooke Casad in the role of
executive secretary. Casad announced her resignation in September after serving
the CT for five years. The Connectional Table will hold its organizational
meeting January 15-17, 2013 in Nashville, Tenn.
