Upon recommendation by the search teams and confirmation by Bishop Virginia Taylor, Holston Annual Conference, and Bishop Bill McAlilly, Tennessee Annual Conference, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry announces the appointment of Colonel Gerald “Scott” Henry, Jr., in the United Methodist Endorsing Agency and the Rev. Dr. Matthew Charlton and Sheila Bates in the Collegiate Ministry office.
Scott Henry will serve as director of Extension Ministry and Pastoral Care in the Division of Ordained Ministry, reporting to the Rev. Myron Wingfield, beginning April 1, 2015. As director of Extension Ministry and Pastoral Care, Henry will serve as the contact person for extension ministry policy and information and provide pastoral care to the endorsed community.
After serving over 28 years in chaplaincy with the United States Air Force, Henry will retire from active service in February 2015, and he and his family will be relocating to Nashville, Tenn.
“We are excited to have Scott join our team and look forward to the many skills and experiences he brings to our work,” said the Rev. Dr. Kim Cape, general secretary of GBHEM. “Please keep Scott and his family in your prayers as they make this important transition.”
Henry will also represent the United Methodist Endorsing Agency to chaplains, military chaplain candidates and pastoral counselors certifying bodies and serve as a liaison for representation and support with government agencies and military branches that employ chaplains, as well as non-federal agencies that employ chaplains and pastoral care providers.
Prior to his military career, Henry attended Asbury Theological Seminary (MDiv, ’83) and served as a pastor in the Holston Annual Conference, where he is an ordained elder in full connection. During his career, he has served on the United Methodist Endorsing Group in the Southeastern Region, hosted the Endorsing Committee, and had relationships with the International Council of the United Methodist Church in Germany. He has experience with all branches of the military and multiple civilian organizations in a variety of multi-faceted capacities including curriculum development, establishment of joint bases, and leadership development and networking with leaders from the U.S., Europe, and Africa.
Beginning employment February 2, 2015, Matthew Charlton will lead the Collegiate Ministry office in the Division of higher education as assistant general secretary, reporting to the Rev. Dr. Gerald Lord.
In this role, Charlton will oversee and coordinate the work of the collegiate ministry office, relating collegiate ministers in the field to annual conferences and local churches with creative new programs. He has served on and chaired the Committee on Higher Education and Campus Ministry of the Tennessee Annual Conference, taught at several different institutions, and done church-based campus ministry.
Charlton is an ordained elder in the Tennessee Annual Conference and has served most recently as the senior pastor at Blakemore United Methodist Church in Nashville. Over his career, Charlton has gained a unique experience at campus, local church, and district and annual conference levels. He received a PhD from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, MA in Religion from Vanderbilt University, MDiv from Vanderbilt University Divinity School, and a BS from Middle Tennessee State University.
Sheila B. Bates will join Charlton in the Collegiate Ministry office as the Director of Faith and Leadership Formation on May 11, 2015. A certified candidate in the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference, Bates has served as a youth pastor in Alpharetta, Ga., and since 2010, has been director/campus minister at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala.
Entrepreneurial and innovative in spirit, Bates has revitalized United Methodist campus ministry at Tuskegee University, growing the Wesley Foundation in number, variety of programming, and overall vitality. Among many accomplishments at Tuskegee, Bates developed a board of directors, developed Merit and Academic book scholarships and a benevolence fund, and was awarded $20,500 in grants for various service initiatives. She also has been a board member for the AL-WFL Board of Higher Education and Ministry since 2012.
Bates is a graduate of UM-related Gammon Theological Seminary (MDiv, ’10) in Atlanta, Ga., and is certified in Clinical Pastoral Education. She has previously collaborated with the Collegiate Ministry office at GBHEM as a Conference Design Team member for Imagine What’s NEXT 2014 in Denver, Colo., and NEXT 2012 in St. Louis, Mo. Bates was a facilitator and Think Tank leader at GBHEM’s Prepare and Summer Institute, two events for collegiate ministry development, in 2014, as well.
“Matt has great experience in renewing conversations between campus ministry and annual conferences,” said Cape. “And Sheila brings excellent experience to our work in campus ministry. We are pleased these three new staff members are willing to share their gifts with the entire UMC.”
